Why do you need cybersecurity training for your employees?

As we do more online, the need for cybersecurity becomes more and more essential.

You may think of cybersecurity as the remit of your IT team. However in reality, everybody needs to have a basic level of awareness of cybersecurity and how they can take action to keep your business protected from malicious threats.

In this article we will look at why cybersecurity is essential for all your staff and a course that can help.

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is when businesses and individuals take steps to protect their devices, networks and operating systems from the risk of cyberattack.

Examples of cyberattacks include:

• Phishing
• Spyware
• Ransomware
• Social media hacking
• Denial of service (DoS) attack

It’s essential to not only know how to protect against threats to cybersecurity, but to know how to put them right.

Businesses of all sizes are at risk of their cybersecurity being compromised, with companies like eBay, LinkedIn and Adobe all falling victim to cyberattacks over the last few years.

Even Google has had its data leaked!

Why do you need cybersecurity training for your staff?

As we previously mentioned, you may think that keeping the IT team up to speed about potential cyber threats will suffice. While this will help your business up to a point, it is no longer enough.

Anyone who uses computers, mobile phones or tablets in their day-to-day work should be trained in cybersecurity and how to spot potential scams.

According to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – only one in nine businesses provide cybersecurity training for non-IT staff.

Here are some of the reasons why cybersecurity training is so crucial for employers and employees.

Cybersecurity training will stop attacks

This is the most apparent reason, but the most critical to your business. It’s estimated that 70% of cyberattacks are caused by employees clicking on links, opening attachments and installing software that they think is normal.

Offering cybersecurity training ensures that staff can identify data threats and take action to ensure that these threats don’t affect your business.

Cybersecurity training will keep you compliant

Regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) make businesses legally responsible for the safety of customer data. If information is breached, even in a cyberattack, you could be held liable.

In the UK, the fine for breaching GDPR is £17.5m or 4% of annual global turnover – whichever is larger.

Offering cybersecurity training will ensure all staff are aware of the law and what they can do to help keep your business compliant.

Cybersecurity training can help boost staff morale

Training can help improve staff knowledge, making them feel more part of the company and making them happier.

Cybersecurity training will not only help employees in the workplace, but at home too – keeping their own personal data safe and secure.

Offering cybersecurity training will help increase job satisfaction and make staff feel valued.

Cybersecurity training ensures business continuity

Last year, a local authority in the North East of England suffered a ransomware attack. This left over 135,000 residents without public services for nearly a week and resulted in a financial loss of over £10m.

Cyberattacks cost a lot of time and money to put right- resources that could be far better spent growing your business.

Offering cybersecurity training enables staff to play their part and help keep your business safe.

Cybersecurity training can help grow your business

Companies are more likely to do business with you if you can prove that your staff can be trusted with their data. This will result in customers spending more money with you and staying on board with you for longer.

In fact, cybersecurity training can help you win high-value tenders too. Some tenderers (for example, governments and military) insist on seeing proof of training for your employees, giving you the edge over other applicants.

Offering cybersecurity training means more opportunities for staff in the future – including more pay and scope for promotion as your company grows.

Cybersecurity training will help identify gaps in your security policy

When everyone in your business is aware of cybersecurity issues, they will be able to advise you of any potential risks, helping you tighten up your security policies.

Offering cybersecurity training means employees may be able to make you aware of issues that you may have not originally thought of. This will strengthen your approach to both reactive and proactive security.

Which course is ideal for cybersecurity training?

If you are looking to introduce your staff to the world of cybersecurity, you will want an easy to understand, but fully comprehensive course.

We recommend the Certified Secure Computer Users (CSCU) course. This short course requires no prior learning and will help your team understand the various security threats out there, and how to protect against them.

The items the CSCU course covers include:

• An introduction to data security
• How to secure operating systems
• Malware and antivirus software
• Internet security
• How to stay secure on social media
• How to stay secure on email
• How to stay secure on smartphones and tablets
• How to stay secure on the cloud
• How to secure network connections
• Data backup and disaster recovery

The course is entirely computer-based. This means that your team can complete it at work and study at their own pace, all with the support of our tutors and student care team.

The exam is a two-hour multiple-choice exam carried out online.

IT Online Learning is an authorised reseller of the EC-Council’s CSCU course, meaning that you will get a high-quality, thorough learning experience.

Learn more about our CSCU course.

Looking to train your staff in IT security? Contact us today

Whether you need to train your whole team in cybersecurity or upskill your IT team leaders, we have the perfect solution for your business.

From ethical hacking courses (also known as penetration testing) to dealing with security threats – we’ve helped thousands of students achieve their training goals.

Speak to one of our specialists today to discover the right course for your company’s needs.