5 Must-Know Benefits of Cyber Security Training

by ComputersMadeEasy | Mar 27, 2023

Various types of malware, ransomware, and phishing scams are used by cyber criminals to get access to networks and systems. 

Unfortunately, these malicious attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can present serious risks for companies that lack appropriate cyber security measures in place. 

To stay ahead of the curve and protect their networks from data breaches, it’s integral that your organization invests in employee cyber awareness training – an educational tactic that focuses on teaching staff about cybersecurity best practices. 

In this blog post we will look at the importance of security awareness training and how it can help your team become better informed about digital safety to keep your business secure.

Exploring the Importance of Security Awareness Training

The importance of security awareness training for small businesses has grown exponentially over the past few years, with statistics consistently pointing to an increase in cyber-attacks targeting firms of all sizes. 

According to recent research by IBM, 95% of cyber security breaches are a result of human error.

This is why introducing a comprehensive cyber awareness training program in your business is essential to protecting both you and your customers’ data. 

Not only can it help catch any unawareness about the latest risks, but it also provides greater peace of mind to customers by instilling trust that their information is secure. 

Among the top benefits of cyber security training are:

1. Educates on critical security processes
2. Reduces the risk and impact of cyber attacks
3. Increases customer trust 
4. Helps avoid downtime 
5. Ensures compliance with regulatory requirements 

Let’s explore each of the benefits of security awareness training programs in further detail!

Benefits of Security Awareness Training: An In-Depth Look

1. Educates on Critical Security Processes

Cyber security training helps your businesses gain an understanding of the importance of critical security processes, such as setting up firewalls, creating strong passwords, and identifying potential threats. 

Cybersecurity awareness plays a crucial role in establishing safe operational protocols, allowing IT teams to investigate issues quickly and update threat databases with recent discoveries. 

It also provides employees with an understanding of the risks posed by digital threats, ensuring they know how to identify suspicious activity and promptly act on signs of compromise should it arise. 

Image Credit: Huntswood

2. Reduces Risk and Impact of Cyber Attacks

By educating your team through cyber awareness training, your organization can minimize the risk and impact of cyber attacks. 

This is because cyber awareness training helps your employees become more aware of potential threats like malware, ransomware, phishing emails, social media scams, and social engineering attacks by teaching them to recognize suspicious activity and immediately report any signs of an attack. 

The sooner you recognize these threats and employ advanced security measures to combat them, the less damage they will cause and the less disruption you will experience from them.

80% of businesses say security awareness training reduced their staff’s susceptibility to phishing. 

This finding only begins to cover the benefits of cyber security training for your small business. Check out these additional resources to learn more!

3. Increases Consumer Confidence 

By providing cybersecurity awareness training to your employees, you are showing customers that their data is valuable to you and that you take security seriously. 

By equipping staff with the knowledge and skills needed to recognize suspicious activity or malicious links, customers feel more secure knowing that the people handling their sensitive data have taken the necessary steps to protect it – thus reinforcing trust in your business.

This is especially crucial, since the reputational damage of a breach in your information systems can have extremely negative consequences on your business – both financially and personally in terms of your brand reputation. 

4. Avoids Downtime

Among the benefits of cybersecurity training is the ability to reduce downtime significantly. 

Cyber awareness training will help your small businesses reduce and avoid downtime by equipping employees with the knowledge to identify and respond to possible cyber threats. 

Employees will learn the protocols they must follow to ensure safety and security, as well as how certain actions or inactions can increase risk. 

98% of companies reported that IT downtime costs them $100,000 to $540,000 per hour in a Gartner survey.

This indicates that employing proper security education and training is no joke when it comes to avoiding the costly outcomes of cyber attacks. 

5. Ensures Regulatory Compliance

Cybersecurity training is an invaluable tool to help your small businesses meet regulatory compliance standards in your industry.

Through regular training, you can ensure that your employees are kept aware of the latest regulations and their importance in protecting your business’s data systems from potential threats. 

According to the Advanced Computing Systems Association (USENIX), companies should hold cybersecurity training every four to six months to stay up to date with industry standards. 

Why Work With Computers Made Easy (CME)?

In exploring the benefits of security awareness training, it becomes evident that this is a crucial component in mitigating the many security threats facing your business today.

With 27+ years of experience and 18+ IT professionals on board, Computers Made Easy (CME) has the necessary knowledge to educate your internal team on security best practices and how to implement them using industry-leading technologies. 
To learn more about how we can safeguard your business and reduce downtime with our 99% uptime guarantee, book a free consultation!