As the adoption of technology increases, hacking techniques and cybercriminals are advancing too. The rise in cyber crimes shows no signs of slowing down, and no one is safe from cyber-attacks anymore. Enterprises can therefore no longer depend on the outdated traditional cybersecurity infrastructure. Nor can they afford to overlook the importance of security awareness training for their employees.
62% of small and medium firms admit to having an out-of-date, inactive, or nonexistent cybersecurity strategy. With the increasing amount and sophistication of cyber crime, it's more important than ever for SMBs to implement cybersecurity training for their employees.
It has become essential to enforce the best cybersecurity practices to combat cyber threats. So, how well is your organization prepared to stop cyber attacks? Are your employees equipped with the means to protect themselves and your business from cyber threats?
Research shows that most cyberattacks rely on exploiting the human factor with the help of creative and innovative phishing techniques and other attack vectors.
Almost 90% of all data breaches are caused due to human error.
Therefore, even if an organization has a robust cybersecurity infrastructure, employees' absence of cybersecurity awareness can leave a massive gap in its cybersecurity framework. Cybercriminals can easily exploit this gap to launch various types of cyberattacks. Hence, cybersecurity awareness and training are needed for any enterprise to secure it against cyber attacks.
Here are the three primary reasons why enterprises should provide cybersecurity training to their employees:
- Prevents Cyber Attacks - First, let's begin with the apparent reason. Every enterprise needs to understand that the cybersecurity framework of an organization is only as strong as its weakest link; in an organization’s cybersecurity chain, employees are considered the weakest link. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen that link by providing the best cybersecurity awareness and training available out there in the market.
Additionally, employees are an organization's first line of defense against cyberattacks; so, they need to be well prepared. Security awareness training provides every employee with the knowledge and experience they need to combat the existing and emerging cyber threats. It also gives them a fundamental understanding of the prevailing cyber threats and the responsibility of protecting the organization.
- Creates Cyber Resilient Work Culture - A cyber resilient work environment has always been the holy grail of an organization's cybersecurity. However, it isn't easy to achieve. Cybersecurity awareness and training can go a long way when it comes to achieving this goal.
Many employees in every organization still don't know the risk of sharing passwords in the workplace. About 81% of the data breaches have been reported because of poor password security. There are several other basic security protocols that most employees are not aware of. To create a healthy cyber environment, these basic practices need to be enforced and prioritized.
- Maintains Customers' Trust - If organizations are aware of the increasing rate of cyber attacks, so are the customers. So, to build and maintain customer trust, organizations need to take measures to strengthen their cybersecurity framework. The customers must believe that your organization is capable of keeping their valuable data secure.
Cyber incidents like a data breach or a ransomware attack can break this trust and lead to loss of customers, financial losses, damaged brand reputation, and disruptive legal battles.