Security Awareness Training is a powerful, affordable secret weapon that empowers your business to defeat cybercrimes. It may not be an exciting solution to your cybercrime problems or it may not thrill you with the latest innovation but what you need to know is - IT WORKS!

An organization needs an assessment to be conducted and a training strategy should be developed and approved. This strategic planning document identifies implementation tasks to be performed in support of established business security training goals.

STEP 1: DEVELOP YOUR PROGRAM STRUCTURE TO FIT YOUR NEEDS

Every organization has a unique set of resources and limitations when designing the structure of a security awareness training program. Your company may be required to adhere a certain regulated procedures for cyber threats that are not required in other organizations. To determine what program structure your business needs, check out the following questions:

• Who has the skills to implement a program?
• Who has the bandwidth to handle this project?
• How will implementation work?
• Are there any barriers to consider that must be accounted for?
• How much funding do you have for the program?

STEP 2: CONDUCT A RISK ASSESSMENT

Determining your program’s strategy, requirements, and goals centered around knowing what risks you’re training employees to avoid and what compliance procedures you want them to follow. To assess your company, check out the following details below:

• List recent security incidents, their origin, and their consequences.
• Be sure to include security and compliance needs for everyone from interns to the C-suite in your assessment.
• Determine if there are unique needs for training employees or executives based on job type, duties, and risks.
• Review any existing assessments from regulators, oversight bodies, internal surveys, and similar tools.

STEP 3: DEVELOP YOUR TRAINING STRATEGY

This is the part where you gather all of the results of your research into a working document that systemizes your strategy. Be sure to include these elements:

• Available funding and resources, including people and technology, will be used in the effort.
• Your program’s exact, defined goals.
• Your target audiences, the composition of your training groups, how to document their feedback, and how to record their learning accomplishments.
• The courses or training types that are mandatory and optional for each group, how you will deliver them, and the measure of training.
• How you’ll wrap up a phase or program including evaluating training materials and procedures.

According to a study, 90% of cybersecurity professionals expect a dramatic increase in cybersecurity risk from new cybercrime technology. Providing your employees with a Security Awareness program will not only equip them, but most importantly they will become a big asset to your company in implementing cybersecurity.

Paul General, CEO/Cybersecurity Specialist, and his team at General Technologies have been providing cybersecurity assistance to small and medium-sized businesses. With the variety of cybersecurity programs we can offer, your business will get the best solution to your cybersecurity issues.

Plan your cyber strategy now! Contact us!