Security Awareness News | ThinkCyber

Why is Security Awareness Training Important? | ThinkCyber

Written by ThinkCyber | 26-Nov-2024 10:33:29

The frequency and variety of cyber threats are rising at an alarming rate. In the UK alone, over half of businesses reported experiencing a cyber breach in the past year. With these scary statistics, amidst the rise of AI-powered threats, almost all businesses understand the need for security training. 

However, evidence shows that traditional cybersecurity training is failing. Often seen as infrequent, overly complex, boring, or even patronising, these conventional methods do little to engage employees or empower them to protect themselves against evolving threats. 

We’ll delve into why security awareness training is important, what it is and how a modern approach can make a substantial difference to your security posture.

Empower and Engage Your Employees

Security awareness training empowers employees to recognise and respond to potential threats effectively. By engaging staff with interesting stories and real-life examples, security becomes relevant to their roles and personal lives. When employees understand how cyber threats - such as phishing scams or social engineering techniques - can impact them directly, they become more vigilant in safeguarding sensitive information.

ThinkCyber’s innovative Redflags® solution drives engagement through eye-catching, brief, and digestible content delivered directly to employees' desktops. This approach reduces barriers to engagement, ensuring that security awareness is not only accessible but also compelling. Additionally, by maintaining awareness with content that is drip-fed little and often, security remains at the forefront of employees’ minds, reinforcing their ability to respond effectively to potential risks.

Reduce Human Error

Human error remains a top cause behind IT hacking incidents. A study by IBM even showed that 95% of hacking incidents occur from human error. These employee mistakes commonly include clicking on malicious links or disclosing confidential information. Unfortunately, traditional cybersecurity isn’t having enough of a positive impact in today’s threat landscape. 

Modern security awareness training can significantly reduce these risks by educating employees about potential threats and how to avoid them. Programs incorporating real-world scenarios, nudge notifications, and simulations - like those offered by us at ThinkCyber - allow employees to practice their responses in a controlled environment, reinforcing their learning and making them more confident in their ability to handle security risks.

Measuring the Success of Your Cybersecurity Training

Measuring the effectiveness of your security awareness training is essential for demonstrating the impact on your organisation’s cybersecurity posture. With ThinkCyber's Redflags® solution, you can achieve real change in cybersecurity behaviours, gain unique visibility into risky activities, and track engagement to meet compliance goals. 

Measuring behaviour

Redflags® allows you to baseline cyber behaviours across your business without interrupting workflows, helping you understand what “normal” looks like. This holistic view enables you to measure the effectiveness of your interventions and make informed decisions for future campaigns. You can monitor engagement rates in security training with in-depth analytics on completion, dwell time, and click-through rates, providing actionable insights into employee interactions with training content. By using this approach, you ensure that your efforts don’t go unnoticed and create a security culture where employees feel empowered and informed.

Get Started With Redflags® by ThinkCyber

With Redflags®, 92% of staff find the training snippets useful, while 96% see the content as relevant to their roles. This innovative solution not only engages employees but also empowers them to recognise and respond to cyber threats effectively. 

Don’t let your security awareness training fall flat - transform it into a dynamic, ongoing initiative that drives real behaviour change within your organisation. Contact us today to book a demo.