Security awareness training best practices and critical components

We’ve covered the whyand whatof security awareness, but the howmakes all the difference in ensuring training is effective. Here are the building blocks of a good security awareness training program:

Content — and lots of ways to deliver it. Obviously, you need the gather the information you want your employees to learn, but you’ll also want to serve up this knowledge in a variety of formats, including videos, blog posts, interactive scenarios (like the simulated phishing emails mentioned above), lunch and learn sessions, and more. And yes, this all needs to be fun as far as workplace training can be. Both the information and delivery methods should be customized to various employee groups: the CEO and entry-level sales associates both need security awareness, but should get it according to their needs.

Support within your organization. No matter how fun your content is, it isn’t going to succeed if you don’t get buy-in for your training program across your organization. Getting executive leadership on board is vital, and individual departments must also be involved in the rollout and consulted rather than having another mandate foisted upon them. Working with HR is also key, as HR is not only a key department for training programs but also a vital partner in helping enforce completion mandates and targets.