You’ve finally put together a gun team. Everyone is firing on all cylinders, despite the stress and upheavals of the past few years. The very last thing you need is one of your employees falling for a phishing attack that results in a costly ransomware infection. But how often should you be implementing cybersecurity awareness and phishing training? Is there a golden training window that will keep your staff alert but not alarmed?
Phishing training every four months
Research has shown that the cybersecurity training sweet spot is once every four months. Any sooner and you’ll be rehashing information that your staff already know – a loss of efficiency. Too much later and the ability to detect phishing emails, mastered through initial training, begins to wane – a possible loss of much more.
Why ongoing cybersecurity training is important
Looking at cybersecurity training as a set-and-forget option is no option at all. As we noted in our recent blog about the possible cybersecurity mistakes businesses can make, developing a sustainable company culture of good cybersecurity is one of the strongest ways to protect your business assets and data. A good employee training program that focuses on everyday ‘cyber hygiene’ will instil confidence in your staff that they know what to look for and what your company’s cybersecurity protocols and procedures require. Well-trained employees significantly reduce a company’s risk – and routine training reinforcement will reduce that risk even more. Regular training is also good for staff morale and mental health: more knowledge = individual empowerment = a lower likelihood of making mistakes = less stress.
Effective cybersecurity training
Successful cybersecurity training will target your employee’s habits and behaviours, creating a sense of accountability and ensuring they make the right decision when it comes to protecting sensitive corporate information and assets. No longer just your employees, cyber-aware staff members become your company’s first line of defence against cyberattacks. Effective training should include:
- The various types of cybersecurity threats, particularly those that utilise social engineering as a means of bypassing tech-based defences
- The significance of password security
- Your company’s internet, email and social media policies
- Your company’s policies on the protection of business data
- Methods to not only identify threats but also to report them (the last thing you want is possible cybersecurity threats swept under the metaphorical rug)
Contact the Geelong cybersecurity specialists
Cybercriminals are getting smarter and sneakier every day – we may no longer fall for an email from a dispossessed African prince, but we may fail to look twice at a slightly odd request from the company CFO. Even the strongest security safeguards will fail if users are not cyber-aware, so now is the time to embed cyber-resilience throughout your organisation.
Servicing Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surf Coast and surrounding regions, Geelong Technology Group helps small and medium businesses succeed by supporting and managing their IT needs. Armed with the latest cybersecurity information, we can not only assist your business with security awareness, but we can also implement comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, ensuring your important business data is cyber secure.
Give us a call today to find out more on 1300 GET GTG (1300 438 484) or stop by our showroom at 166 Francis St, Belmont.
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