What is the importance of professional Security Awareness Training?

As the digital world’s capability and accessibility proliferates, the risk of Cyber Attacks on business owners definitively lurks closely in the background. If fairness played a part in this ever-evolving techy world, all of you good intention business builders would be immune to cyber crises. Since we can’t wave our magic wands to prevent and protect from the increasing sophistication and creativity of criminals, we have to utilize the best cyber security tools available.

Security Awareness Training is a serious game changer in present day business operations. Attempting to maintain adequate in-house training is becoming outdated, almost risky as recent research indicates human error involvement in more than 90 percent of security breaches. In the past, an employer could bank on employees’ utilization of good ole’ common sense to thwart a potential cyber threat. Fast forward to the present. These intricately complex, modern world cyber-attacks are not as easily identified without proper training. Teaching employees to detect and avoid cyber-attacks is highly advanced, consistently changing and becoming more specialized each day.

Regardless of budget, education, experience, knowledge of risk, or level of leadership pro activity, a company cannot maintain cyber safety without efficiently training ALL personnel. By investing in Cyber Security Training programs, you are already reducing your risk of Cyber Threat by nearly 90 percent.    

Security Awareness Training is the most vital, inaugurate component in perfecting an ongoing Cyber Attack protection plan. Small business owners tend to allocate funds in areas they are more familiar with such as upgraded equipment or time saving programs. The misconception of SMB owners is this.  “What could a hacker want with our company? It is too small and we have nothing of value.” If you own a business, you have information that is of value, and you ARE vulnerable to Cyber Attacks. If you have employees, you are vulnerable to Cyber Attacks. If you use computers or any other connected devices, you are vulnerable to Cyber Attacks. See where this is going? 

ANY size company can be a target but SMBs are the prime-time prey for most cyber criminals. The newer or smaller criminals are casing and seeking out the weakly educated, the fully uneducated, and the unprotected. They pounce on their prey like a lion hunting a gazelle. They refrain from targeting larger companies with the assumption that these big guys afford the most advanced Cyber Security Programs. They also know big guys have top of the line Security Awareness Training and Education Programs protecting them from breaches. 

Due to ignorance, lack of resources or both, SMBs only allocate an average of 500 to 1,000 bucks per year for these integral programs. Considering 69 percent with too low or no training budget significantly struggle after a Cyber Attack, and nearly 90 percent of attacks involve employee error, you can begin to understand the crucial need for an official training and education plan. This is especially true considering that most people have 2-3 unprotected devices.  These multiple devices are oftentimes used both personally and professionally. If you’ve just had an epiphany concerning the absolute affordability of these vital training programs, our blog is serving its purpose.

Imagine your son or daughter learning to swim without an instructor and without a body of water. What if her swim class consisted of only reading a brochure and watching a 3-minute video?  How comfortable would you be with your child jumping off the high dive?  What level of confidence would you have sending her to a pool party?  Protecting your corporate assets is similar. You need to exceed the bare minimum and include the type of training that is effective and successful.  You want to be in the safe zone, right?  Having a new employee read about PPI protection during onboarding just to meet a federal guideline is not in the safe zone. Sending each member of your team a five minute rhetorical quiz every few months is also not putting your company in the safe zone. Next, you’ll learn how to get a custom, cost effective, training and education program quote.  Let’s get your company out of the danger zone and back to safety.

• Where is the cybersecurity talent of tomorrow most

Fighting to defend your organization against cyber threats is a complex task.  It is daunting, constantly morphing, and can become your worst enemy. If you are not presently appropriating funds in your budget for Security Awareness Training, or at least chatting up your personnel about Cyber Security, there is a decent chance you’ll no longer have a business to protect. 

Some companies may need an electrified, barbed wire fence while other companies may need to dig a moat and adopt some fire-breathing dragons. A few may need all of that and 120 insomniac, super ninjas. Whatever plan is the most viable to protect your fortress can be put together by the correct team of professionals. However, without proper knowledge and guidance on HOW to effectively train your employees, your Cyber Security strategy becomes an overpriced firewall. Even the world’s most advanced technology will fall short if employees are not cyber aware. Learn, educate, teach, train and repeat. Make sure everyone knows how to navigate your Cyber Security fences, moats, dragons, and ninjas. They need to be versed in why they are there, what they are protecting your company from and in turn, how to recognize a threat before it becomes a full-blown attack. Plans can be tailored to any company size and fit into any company budget. Let’s get everyone on board to make sure prevention and protection are a top priority. Get in the Safe Zone, cyber pros!

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A cyber-attack is any action taken by a cyber-criminal in an attempt to illegally gain control of a computer, device, network, or system with malicious intent. Cyber criminals may damage, destroy, steal, encrypt, expose, or leak data as well as cause harm to a system.

Cyber-attacks are on the rise, with cyber-criminal trends and techniques becoming increasingly sophisticated and creative. However, basic cybersecurity tools and practices, like patching, strong passwords, and multi-factor authentication (MFA), can prevent 80 to 90% of cyber-attacks.

For a custom, cost-effective Cyber Security Training program, contact  OQP Solutions today!

Black Men In America.com is proud to partner with OQP Solutions to help us in our mission to help you protect yourself against cyber thieves and criminals.  Please share this information as a way of supporting Dontae Tyler and OQP Solutions.