Cybersecurity: is Your Business Disaster Ready?

Businesses are at risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches! This is not new information, but it’s worth thinking about, especially if you’re business still operates on the once-a-year training principle. Today, once-a-year is not enough to disaster-proof the business and offer confidence to your customers and clients. There is also a legal framework in place for safety compliance.  

 

In this article, we look at some of the advantages of investing in cybersecurity training and how this training can help to disaster-proof your business. Nowadays, companies need to think of security training as integral to their business model and vital for building their reputations with customers and clients. There have been too many incidents of high-value data breaches.  

 

If you want to disaster-proof your business and be ready for anything, start by training your employees about the threats posed by data breaches and cybercrime. This issue is not incidental; in fact, cybercrime has become more sophisticated than ever before and can lead to significant losses that run into the millions. But you can build resilience with security training.  

Avoid Employee Blunders

Over 70% of business breaches occur because of employee blunders; according to some sources, this means educating your employees on what to look out for and how to treat dangerous links and fraudulent emails is your first line of defense against cybercriminals. 

 

It’s important to keep your organization updated and relevant when it comes to cybersecurity. Nowadays, it is no longer sufficient to inform employees of these risks once a year; instead, they need regular training and updates. Always inform workers of new developments and run tests.  

Strengthen Company Security

Cybersecurity training is at least as relevant and important as health and safety training, but perhaps even more so because security breaches in your company can ruin its reputation and threaten its existence. However, regular training bolsters your company’s security awareness. 

 

When employees are continually trained to monitor and track suspicious activity, it creates robust defensive measures against most threats. Of course, there’s a chance something might get through, but it’s much less likely with strong passwords, security alerts, and authentication.  

Protect Brand Image 

Data is a valuable commodity, this has always been the case to some extent, but in the digital age, we are much more precious about sharing data with companies. That’s one reason customers and clients want reassurance from brands that their data is secure and protected.

 

If you can show customers and clients that you have robust cybersecurity measures in place, it creates a stronger brand image that benefits your business. But it’s not only about advertising; you also need to install and update security measures to make sure your company is reliable.   

Boost Brand Reputation 

If you can show customers and clients that your business has robust cybersecurity protocols in place, it supports your reputation. Having cybersecurity in place can also help your commercial interests and increase opportunities for investment when clients see you have more reliable. 

 

Some things are important to boost your brand reputation; public trust is one of them, and so is compliance with health and safety protocol. Now we can add cybersecurity protocol to the list. When customers or clients invest in your business, they need to know their data is protected.   

Increase Employee Morale

We all like to advance our careers and feel as though we are developing; that’s why cybersecurity training is such an excellent boost to employee morale. Cybersecurity is a subject that is timely, so training helps employees to secure the business and develop their careers. 

 

Not only that, cybersecurity training helps employees to feel more secure in the company. When employees have all undertaken the same training, they are on the same page with the subject; they can dialogue about it in their own time, which helps to strengthen the team bonds. 

Save Some Money 

If you have ever suffered a data breach in your company, you will know how much it costs to trace the IP address and recover the stolen data. Not only that, you will be aware of the costs involved in repairing the damage done to your company’s reputation – it can be significant. 

 

When you weigh up the costs against the losses, it’s clear that investing in cybersecurity training is the way forward. Not only does the training ensure your company stays relevant and secure, but it also protects your bottom line and the reputation of your business. It’s a smart investment.   

Peace of Mind 

Chances are you have some cybersecurity measures in place, even if it is a standard virus scan every now and again, but in the back of your mind, you know that is not enough to protect your business. It’s a continual stress that keeps you up at night and puts you under extra pressure.

 

Investing in cybersecurity training relieves this stress and gives you peace of mind. The reason is that training staff correctly significantly increases the defensive measure you have available. Your company is no longer as vulnerable, and you know you have taken the right action.   

Meet Compliance Requirements

As the world becomes increasingly digital and data becomes more valuable than ever, new compliance regulations are emerging that need to be satisfied by companies worldwide. One clear example is GDPR, a data protection regulation that came into force in 2016 in the EU.

 

In the US, the equivalent of GDPR is PII which stands for Personal Identifiable Information, a regulation that varies according to its state. Either way, companies, and employees must be fully compliant with the regulation to ensure customer data is protected and used responsibly. 

Stay Threat Ready 

There is no end to the threat of cybercrime; it simply keeps evolving as technology and circumstances change. Advances like the 5G rollout increased threats, as did the transitions from office working to home working during the Covid-19 pandemic. So stay threat ready. 

 

Cybercriminals take advantage of small changes in the status quo, which is another reason to invest in regular cybersecurity training. Keeping your business threat ready helps to disaster-proof the business and needs to be part of your overall business model going forward.

Bounce Back Fast 

The risks of a cyberattack are much lower when you have cybersecurity training in your organization; however, they can still happen, but if they do, you will be prepared to absorb the attack and strengthen your resilience. In short, the impact of the attack will be much smaller. 

 

Along with cybersecurity training in your organization, you will also have software and services that look for weaknesses in the infrastructure. If an attack happens successfully, the situation is used to strengthen the system helping you to bounce back faster and stronger than before.   

Final Thoughts 

If the Covid-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. Not only did businesses take a hit financially during the pandemic, but they also learned about resilience and disaster-proofing their organizations. A big part of this has been the threats from cybercrime which have increased tenfold since the shift to digital working platforms; it’s time to respond.  

 

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses have shifted to a hybrid working model, with over 80% of companies now offering home working options at least some of the time. This has resulted in more digital interactions, which have increased the opportunities for cybercriminals to strike. In response, businesses must update principles to make security training more frequent.         

 

It’s clear that businesses must maintain a flexible mindset when it comes to disaster-proofing the business because the threats are unpredictable at times. However, defending against cybercrime is an ongoing effort that requires regular training to sustain business resilience. If you want to find out more about cybersecurity training, visit Bob’s business today for details 

FAQs

What is a data breach? 

A data breach occurs when someone using malware, viruses, phishing, or another form of cybercrime is successful in breaching the organization’s security protocol. When this happens, company or customer data can be stolen and sold back to the company as a ransom. Companies must comply with a legal framework to protect against these data losses.  

What is malware? 

Malware is a form of intrusive software that beaches a computer network and gathers data or installs programs to record passwords and cursor movements. Malware gets into a computer network through malicious emails that look official and internet links that download the software when clicked. Cybersecurity training trains staff to recognize malicious links and emails.  

How are remote workers affected? 

With the advent of remote working situations, the threats of cybersecurity breaches are on the rise. In response, businesses must take additional measures such as cybersecurity training for their employees, as well as remote security best practices. When it comes to remote working protocols, for instance, workers are advised to use company laptops with the correct protocol.   

What is cybersecurity training?

Cybersecurity training teaches the best practices for recognizing and responding to cybersecurity threats on a computer network. These training courses can take place over weeks, but they can also be compressed into shorter sessions. Cybersecurity training creates security awareness and builds resilience in the business reducing the risks of a disaster.