What Should You Expect from Security Awareness Training?
Published on 12 August 14
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Security awareness is a big part of almost every industry today, but perhaps none more so than in industries that handle personal data and sensitive information. This can be information about client's finances and credit cards or their social security numbers. The bottom line is that when someone puts their personal information and data in your hands, it is your job to protect that data from breaches.
What is Security Awareness Training?
Security Awareness Training is the only way that your organization will become more deft in avoiding the common pitfalls of doing business in the modern age, such as hacking, phishing, social engineering and identity theft. When your company can provide these types of secure services, your customers and clients will feel safer doing business with you, earning you a reputation beyond reproach.
This also helps to protect your organization from a breach as well. As laws change, the finger of blame has shifted from the criminal doing the breaching to include the company that was put in charge of protecting the data. This is why Security Awareness Training is so vital-it protects all parties involved.
Security Awareness Training aims to change the behavior of lax security models and replace them with the highest standards in security awareness. In order to accomplish this, a great Security Awareness Training program will include:
- Multiple touch points that are visited all year long
- Online courses that promote general security awareness
- Options for role playing exercises
- Posters and infographics about valid topics
- Videos and newsletters to keep your employees up to date
- Email campaigns that serve as reminders around the clock to ensure only the best security practices are being enforced
What are the Goals of Security Awareness Training?
When you undertake Security Awareness Training, you can expect to obtain a professional understanding and awareness of the security threats that are endangering your information as well as other vulnerabilities that have brought down companies in the past. You will learn the best practices to ensure secure habits come naturally to all involved in your organization. This will help to promote a more secure environment in your company and online, for both your clients and employees.
But most of all, Security Awareness Training will help you pass audit requirements for compliance as well as the most important benefit: avoiding and/or preventing a security breach. Security breaches are much more damaging to your company than they were just a few years ago, since you can now face hefty fines, penalties and even civil suits for failing to provide adequate security for sensitive data. That's not even taking into account the fact that you will lose trust from your clients, causing you to lose business as they go to your competition.
What Topics are Covered in Security Awareness Training?
Many Security Awareness Training programs are now offered online and they feature real life examples of the most current issues facing companies regarding data security. These include but are not limited to:
- Mobile security
- Identity theft
- Phishing
- Hacking
- Social Engineering
You will also learn about topics such as:
- Cyber security awareness terminology
- Applicable examples of real life security threats and vulnerabilities
- Emphasis on individual responsibility
- Email and internet safety protocol for compliance
- Password and data protection
- Access control
- Virus protection
- FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act)
- Physical security
What to Look for in a Good Security Awareness Training Program
There are many Security Awareness Training programs out there that don't do your company justice. To avoid these, look for some of the following characteristics of a great Security Awareness Training program:
- Meets all industry standards for compliance (NIST/FISMA)
- 24/7 access
- Frequent updates to courses
- Ability to customize courses to fit your unique policies
- Multiple language capability for courses
- Interactive courses with questions and exercises to make sure Security Awareness Training sticks and becomes habit
- Ability to quickly generate reports upon completion of Security Awareness Training
- Ability to send out training reminders and follow-ups without hassle
- Certificate of Completion included
The bottom line is that a Security Awareness Training should provide your employees with enough resources and knowledge to ensure that your company and its clients remain safe from modern technology criminals.
Bio :
Mike Johnson, the author of this article, writes for globallearningsystems.com, a premier company with over 25 years of experience in security and compliance training, on-demand LMS, customized elearning etc. To find an on-demand LMS that meets your requirements, visit this page.
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