Why You Need to Prioritise Cyber Security Training for Your Business

Cyber security is a term that most business owners are familiar with, but cyber security training is another matter.

A 2019 report found that 53% of companies have over 1000 “sensitive” files open to every employee. Implementing basic controls, and training your staff to use them, can easily mitigate this issue plus others.

Why invest in cyber security training?

Training courses continue to be one of the most effective ways for businesses to strengthen their protection against online threats. While there is still a need to prioritise and implement new technologies for cyber security, it’s also true that the human firewall is sometimes an organisation’s weakest link.

The success of a security breach is often reliant on human error. Even significant investments in technology are negatively affected when there is no investment in awareness training or employees.

Worryingly, only 27% of UK businesses say they conducted cyber security training in the last 12 months. However, research shows that security-related risks are reduced by 70% when businesses invest in cyber security training and awareness.

Whether you’re educating your general workers, improving resilience and decision-making or training up your next CISO, there are hundreds of courses to choose from

What types of cyber security courses are available?

The National Cyber Security Centre is a government body designed to act as a central point for organisations and the general public, offering practical guidance and responding to UK security incidents.

They also have a database of certified training courses which have been independently approved to ensure they meet specific industry standards.

The NCSC website breaks its training scheme into two levels:

• Awareness level — giving newcomers a thorough foundation in the subject
• Application level — in-depth courses for professional development

They also offer:

• Courseware — to be used in conjunction with a certified trainer and quality management system

Who can benefit from cyber security training?

There is a misconception that only the IT department needs to learn about online security.

Experts say that every single employee needs to know the basics about online security, especially because data suggests that lower-level staff members (e.g. customer service representatives) are on the receiving end of 67% of highly targeted attacks.

How much do cyber security courses cost?

Courses can cost upwards of thousands of pounds depending on the breadth of knowledge you wish to cover, but there are also more affordable courses available too.

The good news is that there is a training option to suit every budget, with even a modest investment in training providing a 72% chance of significantly reducing the business impact of a cyber-attack.

Which cyber security course is best?

No one course fits every requirement, so check out the list of government-approved courses to see what’s available. Depending on the course and designated provider, training is delivered either online, in a classroom setting or a combination of both.

The website allows you to search by location, with courses available in major cities such as Glasgow, London, Manchester and Bristol. For sole traders or remote workers, online training might be better suited to minimise travel time and expenses.

For professionals working in the industry, look at the ‘application’ courses such as Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Security Analysis or Penetration Testing Tools and Techniques.

Free online courses on cyber security

Employees outside the IT department will benefit from the range of  ‘awareness’ courses which include Board-level Cyber Security Strategy Training, Cyber First Defenders or Cyber Security Toolkit for Busy Executives.

For an easy intro to the topic when you have no funding available, consider using an online course provider such as Udemy. They currently have a free course called Cyber Security for Beginners.

Future Learn also has a free Introduction to Cyber Security Course which can be completed online over eight weeks. It assumes no prior knowledge of the subject and aims to help the student identify malware types, understand firewalls, apply basic risk analysis techniques and learn more about laws and regulations.

Focus on people

Author and cyber security training expert, Robert Siciliano, advises that an employee-centric approach is a must. “Get employees to focus on themselves; don’t just harp on about security awareness that affects the company,” he writes for entrepreneur.com.

“Make workers understand that security is about them, too, not only the elusive bigwigs. Talk to them about the most common scams and tricks cybercriminals use, and how to protect themselves at home, with tools such as firewalls and wireless VPNs.”

Still can’t find what you need?

If you can’t find an existing course that suits your needs, then please drop us a line.

We provide tailored face-to-face training that’s not just a glitzy PowerPoint. Our sessions are informative, interactive and leave our clients coming back for more.