Cyber Security Awareness Training for Employees

Effective cyber security awareness training for employees

With human error playing a part in so many security breaches – more than 90%, according to a recent study – it's no wonder companies are pouring so much money into cyber security awareness training for employees.

Unfortunately, this investment in awareness training doesn't seem to be paying off. Companies today are even more likely to experience a major breach than they were four years ago. Clearly something isn't working, and at Mimecast, we think we know why.

Most cyber security awareness training for employees is, to be blunt, boring. And when employees are bored, they can't engage with the content. They're less likely to remember, let alone master, the critical best practices that could make them your greatest security asset rather than your weakest security link.

To address this problem and to solve for human error, Mimecast offers cyber security awareness training for employees that employees actually love. Our secret? Humor, brevity and persistence.

Components of Mimecast cyber security awareness training for employees

Mimecast provides a comprehensive approach to cyber security awareness training for employees. Our program includes:

• Highly engaging, video-based training modules. Each module is less than five minutes and provides employees with a clear understanding of the threat, best practices for responding to it, and what the consequences are for the company and themselves if they are careless about security. Topics in our web and email security training modules include a wide range of subjects, including phishing, ransomware, passwords, CEO fraud, information protection and insider threat awareness training, as well as compliance-related topics such as HIPAA, PCI and GDPR awareness training.
• Real-world testing. Testing prior to training (and every six months thereafter) provides data on employees' initial sentiment and evolving attitudes toward security. Testing after each module helps to chart progress and document employees' understanding and behavior around each security topic.
• Predictive risk scoring. Mimecast assigns every employee a personalized cyber risk score based on their testing data, behavior and predictive modeling built on anonymized data from the Mimecast grid. Risk scoring helps you identify your greatest security risks so you can take action to remediate them.
• Customized training. Mimecast lets you assign additional resources for your riskiest employees, providing them with additional training and/or one-on-one coaching. By directing more training resources to your greatest risks, Mimecast helps you stretch the impact of your training dollars.

FAQs on cyber security awareness training for employees

What is cyber security awareness?

Cyber security awareness refers to employees' understanding of the nature of cybersecurity threats, how threats can jeopardize organizational security, and what employees should do if they encounter a threat.

Why is cyber security awareness training for employees important?

Cyber security awareness training for employees helps to address one of the biggest factors in major security breaches: human error. By training employees how to recognize and respond to cyber threats, organizations can dramatically improve their security posture and cyber resilience.

How many hours of training does an employee need?

The number of hours of training to successfully educate employees in security awareness depends on the individual. Some employees will learn much more quickly than others. That's why Mimecast Awareness Training provides individualized risk scores for employees that lets you determine how effective training has been for each individual and to provide additional training or one-on-one coaching when necessary.