IT Security & Cybersecurity Awareness Training

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the concept of Information Technology (IT) has shifted significantly. To the average person, IT no longer means possessing the capability to simply search the web using keywords, neither does it focus only on clunky desktop computers. With technology’s evolution, IT has expanded to include numerous subsets — from programming to engineering to security to analytics and beyond.

The “information” aspect includes far more than obtaining sensitive data or protecting it. Systems now possess the capabilities for complex queries, extrapolating data, predicting future events, and even advising officials. This access and wealth of knowledge inevitably led to the expansion of the IT security field. Are you familiar with the basics of cybersecurity? Read on to learn about the different types of IT security and how you can protect your business.

Building a robust cybersecurity infrastructure is about more than installing required controls and safeguards. You also need to ensure that your staff actively contributes to the company’s safety, rather than being a passive victim of cybercrime. The key to that is practical IT security user awareness training.

When companies work with federal agencies, their cyberdefense becomes a matter of national security. This is especially true for companies that process federal contract information (FCI), protected by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Clause 52.203-21, or controlled unclassified information, protected by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Clause 252.204-7012. For these firms, DoD cybersecurity awareness training may be necessary.

Keeping hackers, cybercriminals, and malicious actors out of your critical systems is a constant battle. But just like any king might defend his castle, you need some kind of overall plan to seal off all the entry points that hackers might look to exploit. Which is exactly why having an Information Technology (IT) security framework is so important.

Data breaches are becoming more and more prevalent.  Organizations are trying to keep up as best they can with the influx in breaches, but the average time it takes for them to identify one is 191 days.  With the global average cost of a single data breach hitting a staggering $3.86 million this year (a 6.4% increase from last year), mitigating cybersecurity risks is becoming more of a priority every day.  

There are many things that put your network at risk. The primary thing people tend to think about is “The Bad Guys.” Hackers. Corporate espionage. Saboteurs. There is also the concern of physical risks like fire, flooding, and earthquake. You may be surprised to learn that the number one risk to your network, by a lot, is your own employees.

Having a solid cybersecurity defense plan is arguably just as important as having a robust offense.  Case in point, a recent Experian report found that nearly two-thirds (66%) of the data protection and privacy training professionals that were surveyed labeled their employees as the weakest link when attempting to safeguard their organization from cyber threats.  Even though tedious cybersecurity tasks are becoming automated, it’s still best to provide online security awareness training for employees to prevent future issues for your company’s security.  Being prepared when that time comes is paramount to the continued success of your organization and requires that an ironclad training program be conceptualized and implemented before threats become breaches.  With this in mind, let’s review the importance of cybersecurity awareness training and how you can build an organization that is compliant and focused on defending against cyber threats.

Cybersecurity in today’s world is much more than just enabling your firewall or downloading the latest malware patch. The amount (and complexity) of systems, software, and technologies that companies of all stripes now use makes it imperative that all employees, top-to-bottom, are aware of the cybersecurity risks of all their day-to-day activities.