At the Cyber Resilience Centre, we deliver security awareness training to help keep our business community safe. Security Awareness Training includes a continuously evolving set of topics. Here, we've compiled answers to some of the most common questions we get about Security Awareness Training from businesses.

1. What is security awareness training?

2. Why is it important to support my staff with security awareness training?

3. What is the first step in starting security awareness training?

4. How often should my staff undergo security awareness training?

5. What is the best method for delivering security awareness training?

6. How can Security Awareness Training help protect my small business from cyber-attacks?

7. How much does Security Awareness Training cost for small businesses?

8. How can I measure the effectiveness of Security Awareness Training for my small business?

9. Can Security Awareness Training help small businesses recover from cyber attacks or data breaches?

10. How can cyber security awareness training help protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with data protection regulations?

What is security awareness training?

Security awareness training provides simple and practical knowledge for people to understand their working environment and provides confidence to employees. Hence, they have the confidence to challenge themselves when something doesn't look right.

Security awareness training is focused on those with little or no cyber security or technical knowledge and is delivered in small, concise modules using real-world examples.

Security awareness training is tailored to each audience to provide the right level of skills and context for your business. At the Cyber Resilience Centre, we use highly knowledgeable, personable and friendly cyber security trainers who pride themselves on providing the right environment for your people to feel comfortable and to ask questions.

Language within the cybersecurity sector can often appear confusing and inaccessible. Here are some explanations of the more common terms and Frequently Asked Questions.

Why is it important to support my staff with security awareness training?

Security awareness training is critical because cybercrime can affect any size and kind of business – think when not if. Threats are continually changing; your employees are the biggest target in your business. Hackers know staff can be soft targets and, with the right methods, be exploited to hand over data and money.

Staff are your front line of defence. The majority of attacks rely on some form of human error. For example, a simple Phishing attack can open the door to many other attacks, such as ransomware, invoice hijacking etc. All staff members must know how attackers operate and be highly alert when noticing suspicious activity.

The 2023 Cyber Security Breaches Report found that just 29% of companies manage cyber security risks through cyber risk assessments, and only 30% of businesses monitoring staff activities.

The key to security awareness training is to equip all your employees with awareness to combat these threats. Employees need to be taught what clues to look for that indicate threats and how to respond when they see them.

What is the first step in starting security awareness training?

There's no short-term technological fix for cybersecurity, and criminals are in a never-ending race to one-up each other. The best long-term, cost-effective answer for your business is to provide cybersecurity awareness training that develops and embeds a culture in your organisation.

The Cyber Resilience Centre can offer security awareness training to provide simple and practical knowledge so your staff understand their environment and give them the confidence to challenge when something doesn't look right.

We help you start your journey to understand the basics and why cyber security is vital to all businesses, regardless of size or sector.

How often should my staff undergo security awareness training?

Its essential business is kept secure by implementing regular security awareness training with your workforce. With such an evolving threat landscape in cyber security, you must be topping up your staff's knowledge every 6-12 months.

What is the best method for delivering security awareness training?

The Cyber Resilience Centre can deliver your staff security awareness training through a tailored online or in-person session in your office. The security awareness training session is interactive for attendees and builds upon critical learning through examples specific to your business and industry.

How can Security Awareness Training help protect my small business from cyber-attacks?

Security Awareness Training is vital in protecting small businesses from cyber attacks. By raising awareness of common threats and providing best practices for secure behaviour, training helps you become more vigilant and recognise suspicious activities that could lead to an attack. It also teaches techniques to identify and respond to phishing attempts and social engineering tactics, minimising the risk of falling victim to manipulation.

Additionally, Security Awareness training emphasises secure data handling practices and the importance of prompt incident reporting. It equips you with knowledge about secure remote work practices and ensures compliance with data protection regulations. By cultivating a security-aware culture, training instils a mindset of vigilance and responsibility, turning you into an essential line of defence against cyber attacks.

Security Awareness training gives you the knowledge and tools to mitigate risks, protect sensitive data, and effectively respond to potential threats, safeguarding your business from cyber-attacks.

How much does Security Awareness Training cost for small businesses?

For our single-place training spots, we charge £45 per person.

We can provide a quote based on in-person or online training if you want to train a more extensive group or several people across an organisation. These tailored Security Awareness Training sessions start from as little as £400.

How can I measure the effectiveness of Security Awareness Training for my small business?

Measuring the effectiveness of Security Awareness Training for your small business is crucial to ensure its impact and identify areas for improvement. You can measure effectiveness by conducting pre-and post-training assessments to gauge knowledge levels, combining this with our simulated phishing exercises to test employees' ability to identify threats and monitoring incident response metrics to assess the training's impact on incident handling.

We also collect employee feedback, observe their behaviour, and gain insights into the effectiveness of the training. By consistently evaluating these metrics, you can determine the training's success in improving knowledge, reducing vulnerabilities, and enhancing overall cybersecurity posture.

Can Security Awareness Training help small businesses recover from cyber attacks or data breaches?

Security Awareness Training is valuable for small businesses recovering from cyber attacks or data breaches. Trained employees are equipped with incident response knowledge, enabling them to promptly report incidents, mitigate further damage, and follow recovery protocols. Identifying compromised systems early on helps contain the attack and minimise its impact.

Effective communication and collaboration among trained employees contribute to a coordinated response, facilitating recovery. Additionally, Security Awareness Training emphasises the preservation of digital evidence, aiding in forensic analysis and potential legal action. Post-incident, the training allows small businesses to learn from the experience, identify vulnerabilities, and strengthen security practices for better resilience against future attacks.

By investing in security awareness training, small businesses enhance their recovery capabilities and overall cyber resilience, allowing them to bounce back from cyber incidents more effectively.

How can cyber security awareness training help protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with data protection regulations?

Security Awareness Training educates individuals about safeguarding sensitive data and complying with data protection regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA. By understanding the value of data and the consequences of mishandling it, individuals are more likely to follow secure data handling practices, reducing the risk of data breaches and regulatory violations.

Ready to prepare your staff with security awareness training? You can also test your staff's awareness of phishing emails with our Simulated Phishing Exercise. Contact us today to learn more.