The Importance of Employee Training for Business Cybersecurity
We are so busy in our day-to-day work lives that we often don’t stop and think about the threats facing our business. And we’re not talking about threats from your largest competitors or some ragtag group of entrepreneurs that are working out of their garage.
Instead, we are talking about hackers or other bad actors who are trying to wreak havoc on your business. Whether they are hoping to steal data about your customers or even data about your employees, your business undoubtedly has data or other proprietary information that hackers would like to exploit.
It isn’t enough to hope that your current cybersecurity measures are sufficient. You can’t rest on your laurels. Instead, you must understand why cybersecurity is important and what you and your employees can do to protect your company from hackers around the world.
Why Cybersecurity is Important
While it may seem obvious, cybersecurity is something that should be a key priority for each and every business. The facts are startling. A study from the University of Maryland found that, on average, there is a hacker attack every 39 seconds. In addition, 43 percent of cyber attacks target small businesses, showing that hackers, cybercriminals, and other bad actors don’t only go after the largest companies in corporate America today. You may be their next target.
Along with the fact that cyber attacks are simply now a normal part of life, the average cost of a data breach is significant. According to a study commissioned for IBM, the cost of an average data breach in the US is double ($7.91 million) compared to the average cost for companies worldwide ($3.86 million). It takes the average company 196 days to simply identify the data breach.
In addition to the monetary damage through a breach, a cyber attack can hurt the reputation of your business. One only needs to look at the recent Equifax hack to understand how a hack can seriously impact a company’s reputation. This damage could not only impact your current relationships with your customers, but it could inspire prospective customers to consider working with a competitor in the future.
Employee Training
Considering the fact that cyber attacks are constantly occurring and can cost your business millions of dollars, you must take action today. But what can you do to decrease the odds that you will be the next victim of a large cybercrime?
You will want to focus on employee training.
Simply put, employee training is absolutely critical in your cybersecurity efforts. According to one study, a whopping 95 percent of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error. This is both good and bad news.
Luckily, you can take action today to train your employees. For instance, you will want to train them on how to spot malicious emails (and to forego clicking on any links). You’ll want to explain phishing scams and encourage employees to quickly identify such scams. Extra training should also be given to corporate executives, as they often deal with sensitive information.
Ultimately, you can deliver in-person classroom training or electronic training, where employees must successfully pass a cybersecurity quiz every year. No matter how you construct it, developing a comprehensive training plan (and ensuring your colleagues participate) is absolutely critical for your organization's overall security.
The Importance of Preparation
Ultimately, it’s a dangerous world out there. Hackers and other bad actors are, in all likelihood, trying to break into your systems even as you read this article. Often times, they’re not successful. But unfortunately, because you’re on defense, you need to be victorious every time. The criminal only needs to be victorious once.
That said, all hope is not lost. You can protect yourself by first understanding the potential threats, and second educating your employees about these threats. By taking action today, you can minimize the chances that a devastating attack cripples your business.
At BrickHouse Security, we take cybersecurity extremely seriously. If you’d like to view some of our products that can help protect you and your business from cybercrime, please click here. If you would also to learn more about cybersecurity in general, don’t hesitate to visit BrickHouse Security’s learning center here.