Corporate User Security Awareness: An Inconvenient Truth
Introduction
This blog post is about the critical topic of user security awareness training in businesses and organisations. Whether you’re a business owner or responsible for managing users within one, this article is for you.
Cyber Security threats are on the rise, becoming more sophisticated daily. Malicious actors are looking for easy targets, and unfortunately, uneducated employees make for the perfect victims. Account credentials compromise is one of the most prominent and successful attacks to this day. Researchers from Stanford University found that approximately 88% of all data breaches are caused by an employee mistake. Undoubtedly, user security awareness training is critical for all businesses and organisations.
Misguided Perception and the Reality
Despite this, many companies still believe user security awareness training is unnecessary and refuse to raise the bar. Some believe their employees are too busy to attend training, while others think their IT department can handle all Cyber Security issues. However, this misguided perception puts the company and its employees at risk.
The reality is that user security awareness training is anymore a vital investment for businesses of all sizes. It not only reduces the risk of data breaches and cyber attacks but also helps create a culture of Cyber Security awareness within the organisation. This culture of security awareness ensures that employees are constantly vigilant and on the lookout for potential threats. It changes and shifts employees’ mindsets from negligence to cyber awareness, provides them with the perspective that danger is real, and aligns them with reality.
Financial Cost and Compliance
The financial cost of data breaches can be significant for businesses. Depending on the attack’s aftermath, the consequences can be devastating. According to a 2022 report by IBM, the average data breach cost is around $4 million. This includes the direct and indirect costs of remediation, such as damage to the company’s reputation and loss of customers. By investing in user security awareness training, businesses can reduce the risk of data breaches and save millions in potential costs.
Security awareness training also improves the result of the organisation’s security audits and regulatory compliance. By demonstrating a commitment to cybersecurity through employee training programs, businesses can improve their audit results and maintain compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS regulations. Furthermore, many insurance providers require businesses to demonstrate that they have implemented adequate cybersecurity measures, including user security awareness training, before offering coverage. Having such a programme on the agenda is critical to any Cyber Security strategy.
Conclusion
We can deploy whatever cutting-edge solution we want, but the chances are not on our side if our users are not vigilant and cannot identify a scam email or phone call.
We’d be happy to discuss if you need help with your current security posture or assistance developing a user security awareness program.
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