9 Vital Benefits of Security Awareness Training

Your organization's security is only as strong as the training that your newest intern received. 

That's pretty terrifying if security awareness training isn't part of your usual modus operandi!

Trained employees are the ultimate first line of defense. With the right protocols and training programs, you can turn your biggest weakness (people) into your biggest strength. Your employees are the key to stopping issues long before they spiral into the latest data scandal on the evening news.

(And if that wasn't enough, research shows it can cost your company up to 2.7 times more not to meet compliance standards!)

Here's why security awareness training is essential for boosting your business's defense against cyber attacks 👇.

What is security awareness training?

Security awareness training is a continuous process of educating employees about information security. The internet evolves quickly, and so do scams. Even the most savvy Gen Z might fall victim to a malware attack if they aren't aware of what's out there.

Promoting security awareness means keeping up with hacker tactics, updating employees on current threats, and reminding them of recent pitfalls that other companies have fallen into. 

A solid security awareness training program equips employees with the knowledge and skills to protect organizational assets from cyber threats. The activities within such security awareness training programs can be:

• Led by an instructor in a classroom setting, workshop, or group discussion
• Online, as a webinar or e-learning modules
• Printed as posters, flyers, handbooks, guides
• Phishing simulations 
• Practical cyber attack drills
• Instructional videos or animations 
• Quizzes, challenges, games

What topics should security awareness training cover?

The most common topics discussed in a security awareness program include phishing and social engineering attacks, password security and management, data protection and privacy, antivirus software, types of security threats and malware (especially phishing scams), security threats reporting and response, and remote work security.

The importance of security awareness

Preventing cyberattacks is easier than fixing their damage. In 2023, two Danish hosting providers lost all customer data to a ransomware attack and had to shut down. Similarly, 23andMe faced a major data breach affecting 6.9 million users, resulting in multiple class action lawsuits. Then, there's the notorious 2015 Ashley Madison hack that publicly outed millions of men for cheating activity, as described in Netflix's recent docuseries.

These aren't isolated incidents. Vulnerabilities rise by 25% each year, and the annual average cost of cybercrime is predicted to exceed $23 trillion by 2027, up from $8.4 trillion in 2022.

Ignoring the importance of cybersecurity training and its impact on security awareness can lead to lost deals, damaged reputation, fines, and high recovery costs. Investing in security awareness training helps reverse these effects. And it doesn't even have to be expensive, with the rise of AI facilitating the rapid scaling of security training videos.

1. You set standard guidelines that reduce the risk of human error

88% of security breaches are caused by employee mistakes, which can be avoided with proper security awareness training. Robust defense systems are crucial, but the human element is the first line of defense, and it's critical that all your employees understand:

• Who is at risk
• Why and when they might fall prey to a cyberattack
• Common types of attacks
• When cybersecurity threats are likely to occur

So everyone, not just IT teams, needs cybersecurity awareness training. With such a program, you can set standard guidelines that improve cybersecurity awareness and reduce the risk of human errors. 

Not sure where to begin with security awareness training at your company? Start teaching employees general notions related to security risks and introduce your company guidelines, security protocols, and security practices, like in this example:

2. Your routine training prevents data vulnerability

Cybersecurity training helps protect sensitive information, minimize risk, and even prevent data breaches. That's why, with phishing attacks alone, 80% of organizations noticed that their security awareness training program made their employees more vigilant about the peril and less vulnerable to this threat.

Once employees get proper training to recognize phishing attempts, they're significantly better equipped to navigate potential risks and will be less likely to fall victim to a phishing email.

This means you must equip your staff with the knowledge to identify and respond to various cyber threats and keep them up to date with the latest in the threat landscape.

Here's an example of a prevention training video you could create for your company:

3. Your "Security posture" across all departments improves significantly

Security posture is a comprehensive overview of your organization's security health, significantly improves when all employees are aware and play their part in protecting your company.

Think of your company as a castle with many access points. A strong security awareness program trains everyone to keep the castle safe and spot sneaky attackers.

Here's how to make security a shared responsibility:

1. Name a security champion: Appoint a security champion for each department to address questions and concerns.
2. Provide regular training: Create and regularly update security training programs and materials.

For more insights, check out this video:

4. You're always compliant with industry regulations and standards

Non-compliance can be very costly. A McKinsey survey found that 40% of customers stopped buying from a company after a security breach. Additionally, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) says that even a less severe violation could cost a company either 2% of its worldwide annual revenue or €10 million, whichever is more.

Security training brings you closer to compliance, making your employees aware of regulations and more capable of following them closely.

To ease your compliance efforts, automate regulatory change monitoring with AI and receive alerts when relevant laws are updated. Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence (TRRI) is a great tool if you need help to ensure compliance with industry standards.

5. Awareness speeds up response to security incidents

Knowing how to act in a crisis makes all the difference. Yet only 45% of companies have an incident response plan. When you invest in security training, you will:

• Reduce response time during a security incident
• Improve coordination among team members or departments
• Minimize the impact on business operations

As you create training content on how to respond in case of an incident and develop your response plan, make sure to include essential metrics like mean time to detect, mean time to acknowledge, mean time to recovery, etc.

Here's an example of a "How to respond" training video. If you want to raise awareness and give your staff some engaging cybersecurity education, you can duplicate and customize this exact template for your team:

6. Protect sensitive data with employee password management 

Weak passwords are a common cause of data breaches, with 30% of internet users experiencing security incidents because of cracked passwords. Once a password has been cracked, hackers can steal sensitive data and either hold you or your employees at ransom or simply sell it on the dark web. 

One of the benefits of security awareness training videos like the one below is that they can help your employees understand exactly how hackers break into accounts:

Security awareness training and educating employees on password best practices make it harder for hackers to steal your data. Employees who are aware of this danger will also:

• Understand how important it is to handle sensitive information with care.
• Know better than to set their passwords as 123456 (the most commonly used password by worldwide internet users and used by thousands of users in the Ashley Madison hack!)
• Use multi-factor authentication for extra protection.

Here's an example of effective security awareness training to teach your employees how to protect sensitive data:

7. Your security culture is positive (not annoying)

A positive security culture includes the ideas, customs, and behaviors that influence your organization's security approach. It defines how your company prioritizes security.

According to KnowBe4, organizations can reach five maturity levels in fostering a security awareness training culture, from basic compliance (Level 1) to a sustainable security culture (Level 5). The latter involves intentional programs that measure, shape, and reinforce security culture through various methods.

With a strong security culture, you instill accountability and avoid cyber threats, helping everyone understand their role in keeping data safe and avoiding breaches. It encourages open communication about potential security issues, leading to faster response times and improving your company's reputation with clients, partners, and stakeholders.

Here's what Microsoft says about creating a security culture in business — "No piece of software will ever stop quite so many attacks as a workforce that is trained to spot and avoid threats."

8. You maintain a gold standard of employee safety and wellbeing  

The security knowledge employees gain from training helps them protect personal data and navigate the web responsibly, even outside of work. Understanding phishing, malware, and other threats can prevent identity theft and financial fraud, reducing people's anxiety and improving mental well-being.

But this benefit extends to your security team, who's constantly under a lot of stress, and to those who develop awareness training for your employees. These people care a lot about preventing breaches, passing on knowledge, and enabling everyone to protect the company.

The more quality security training you provide, the more awareness, security measures, protection, and peace of mind you will increase across all teams and departments.

9. You earn consumers' trust

For 79% of consumers, data protection is the most important factor in trusting a company — more important than fast customer service or consistent experiences.

Indeed, people buy from those they know, like, and trust. By showing potential buyers that you value their data privacy and that everyone at your company is trained to protect it, you're more likely to earn their trust.

Of course, you must also let customers know about your efforts. Publicly share your commitment to cybersecurity. Turn these efforts into a marketing asset by highlighting your security training initiatives whenever you have the opportunity to communicate about them.

Create engaging and scalable security awareness training with AI

You've seen the benefits of cyber security training and how it can massively improve awareness and protection. The easiest way to create such impactful security training is with video.

AI videos are quick to create and scale, customizable for any language and culture, and accessible to global employees. Plus, they allow remote workers to learn asynchronously, increasing retention and application of the information.

Implementing security awareness training with AI tools makes it easier and more scalable with minimal resources. Try this free demo and discover what it's like to turn text into technical IT and InfoSec videos without any design or editing skills.