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7 Benefits of Security Awareness Training [Updated 2019]

Security awareness training is a method of educating employees to the dangers of phishing or other online scams and should be a required component of every organization. Here are 7 benefits of that show how it can help protect your company from hackers, thieves, and other bad actors.

  1. Training reduces errors. A recent study showed that 80% of breaches are caused by employee carelessness. If a program is implemented to teach them about common scams, such as email attachments that contain malware or phishing emails that steal personal information, they are much less likely to accidentally click links or open files.
  2. Training enhances security. With vigilant employees using strong passwords, flagging suspicious emails, and alerting supervisors about unusual communications or activity, the company itself becomes less vulnerable.
  3. An educated staff increases compliance. As cyber-crime continues to wreak havoc, regulations continue to be implemented to protect data. While some are mandatory (particularly in industries such as banking and healthcare), failure to have adequate safeguards can possibly lead to lawsuits and/or fines.
  4. Security training can help protect a company’s reputation (and possibly save the company itself). A security breach can destroy confidence in your brand, causing consumers or clients to flee in droves. One study shows that 60% of small businesses go under within 6 months of a successful attack.
  5. Education helps morale. Scams are increasingly sophisticated and many employees are embarrassed that they don’t know much about security or what to do to stay safe. A security awareness training program can educate everyone discreetly, enhancing job satisfaction and employee retention along the way.
  6. Your company will save time and money. It takes on average more than 7 months to identify and recover from a successful cyber-attack. The typical disruption to business operations cost $955,429 and $955,429 was spent on upgrades or (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from InfoSec Resources authored by Stephen Moramarco. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/i23EV1xg5t8/