The Negative Effects of Lack of security Training in the Workplace
Richard Branson once said, “Clients do not come first employees come first. If you look after your employees, they will take care of your clients.” and we could never agree more.
Your employees are your greatest assets that equally contribute to your overall success, but as your business is moving ahead with advanced technology, it is important to educate and train your employees about potential cyber security risks. How about you start with simple phishing training and then move to the full CISSP certification and training course to protect your valuable data?
Your employees are the weakest link
When it comes to wrapping the servers and valuable data you process with the defensive chain, it is often said, “employees are the weakest link” in that chain. How can you fix that link? The one-word answer to this question is- Training. Yes, there are many who might disagree with us labeling employees as the “weakest link,” but it is never too late to turn this weak link to the strongest one.
Who to blame for the breach?
Let’s take an example of the scenario: Suppose your employees open up an email despite the warning that “File may contain a virus.” As a result of opening the attachment, it can infect the entire system and compromise the organization’s security. Now, based on this scenario, the employer may find employees as the weakest link of the security structure.
But what if the employee was not trained to differentiate between general emails and phishing emails? What if they are not aware of the consequences that come with the single click on the link that came with the email? Here you could argue that lack of cybersecurity training and awareness is the management’s fault. Hence, management is the weakest chain of the defense chain.
Training- does it matter?
Do you know 60% of the employers spent more on coffee than they spent on employee training? So, does it really matter if you don’t train your employees, after all, you already have CISSP professionals at your place to protect the organization? Yes, we agree that you have both your security software and professionals at your place to protect what matters but what if any cybersecurity incident at your organization results in any kind of lawsuit or insurance claim?
The next question that comes in is inevitable as they obviously are going to ask how much security training was provided to employees? And we are fairly certain that “none” falls in the category of “reasonableness,” which means the organization will be judged to have taken less precaution than required to protect its system.
Violation of contract
Several organizations include cybersecurity training requirements in their contract with the vendors. So, if the management has signed a deal that mentions employee security training and awareness, then reality should be the same if they get testified after a security breach.
Risk of sanctions and fines
Organizations that do not provide employee security training or awareness are operating under the constant risk of sanctions and fines under various laws and regulations. In the U.S, HIPAA, PCI, and even state laws, like Massachusetts, require any company that processes personal information of the residents of Massachusetts is required to provide education and training of employees on the proper use of the computer security system and the importance of personal information security.”
At the end of the day, not providing the necessary security training will not only ruin your client base but also destroy the reputation you’ve built after years of hard work.
The difference between assumption and reality
In the survey conducted back 2017, it was found that only 30% of the employees received any sort of cybersecurity training at their organizations, and while the number is quite scary to judge, we feel sorry for employers who assume that employees they will hire come with the same level of security experience they need for their organizations.
But do you know what experts say about assumptions – especially when it is related to cybersecurity? They can mess up your whole organization. Rather than assuming an employer should only hire applicants who carry proof of their security knowledge in the form of CISM certification and training course.
Invest in the cybersecurity training for your employees
As you have already noticed, most of the employers have found their organizations are vulnerable to insider threats. This means the first thing organizations need to do focuses on eliminating the threat rather than operating with it. They need to train their employees with reliable and professional courses to make that happen.
There are many institutes like ProICT Training that offer a range of security training courses at reasonable prices. They ensure your employees learn everything they need. However, if you need more information on the course, then visit ProICT Training today!
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