Teaching employees about your organisation's security policies is, without a doubt, one of the most important steps in maintaining the integrity of your IT security. To err is human, as they say, but when you read in IBM’s 2014 Cyber Security Intelligence Index that 95% of all security incidents involve human error, the importance of cyber-security awareness and training suddenly comes into sharp focus.

Three steps to IT security heaven

There are three key stages in making sure your staff are well versed in IT security and fully aware of what they should – and shouldn’t – be doing to keep your business network secure.

Step one is a process of testing and understanding, to help you identify how closely your current IT security policies are being followed. It’s possible to monitor, for example, how many people within the business are clicking on unsecured links, and use the information gathered to develop a plan of action that identifies particular knowledge gaps that need to be filled.

Step two is to look at your existing IT security policies, and identify where changes may need to be implemented. We can also advise of the knock-on effects of those changes – e.g. an alteration to your social media policy may require contracts of employment to be updated and signed.

Step three is to create and implement a bespoke IT security training programme that is tailored to your company’s requirements. Implementing this programme will help you be sure that every single member of staff is on the same page and fully aware of what they should and shouldn’t be doing in relation to cyber-security; eliminating confusion among your staff and giving them clear guidelines and policies to follow.

Never stop learning

As we’ve mentioned in our previous posts this month, the process of developing and instilling cyber-security awareness is not a one-off deal, but rather an ongoing and constantly evolving process.

As new staff members join the business they will need to be trained in your policies and procedures, but longer serving employees will also need to make sure they don’t let what they’ve learned fall by the wayside.

By offering regular webinars, online training and refresher courses as part of your wider IT security strategy, you will be making sure that everyone in the business has the knowledge they need to safeguard your company from cyber-attack.

In an ideal world, every business would employ someone whose sole responsibility was to keep track of developments in the world of cyber-crime and make sure that the company’s hardware, software and IT security training programmes are updated weekly. But we know that, for many businesses, this isn’t feasible.

So rather than run the risk of becoming a cyber-attack statistic, why not let the experts step in to help you make sure everyone is up to speed? To find out more about bespoke IT security training from our Yorkshire based team, contact us.