As the year comes to a close and a new one begins, business leaders are looking ahead to create a workplace that empowers employees and enables their organizations to thrive. However, it's important to address the cybersecurity challenges that tend to spike in the last few months of the year, particularly during the holiday season.
With the rise of online shopping and enticing weekday deals that capture consumer attention even during work hours, cybersecurity issues can easily spill over into the workplace, causing significant damage and creating ongoing problems for businesses. Research has shown that without proper protocols in place, a data breach can last up to 322 days, costing organizations an average of $4.45 million. This means that an issue that arises towards the end of one year can have implications lasting well into the following year.
To make matters worse, new workplace trends are intensifying the impact of cyberattacks. From adapting to the remote work era to experiencing a drop in retention rates across industries, these new dynamics open doors for hackers to infiltrate organizations more easily. This makes cybersecurity hygiene more important than ever before.
Improving cybersecurity hygiene requires implementing comprehensive security policies that ensure the tools provided to employees are safe, consistent, and secure. One crucial aspect of this is cyber awareness training. Organizations must ensure that their entire staff is aware of potential risks and informed about best practices, as cyber threats continue to evolve and grow.
As businesses navigate these changing workforce dynamics, there are three critical trends to watch and guidance to align evolving workplace models with cyber awareness training:
1. Addressing High Attrition Rates: While the Great Resignation may have quieted down, overall workforce retention rates and employee tenure remain low. This means that businesses need to continually train and retrain employees on safe and effective cyber practices. Cyber awareness training should be an ongoing effort that is tailored to individual employees' needs and behaviors. Instead of overwhelming new hires with lengthy cybersecurity training during their first week, training content should be more flexible and delivered in real-time to correct mistakes and reinforce good cyber practices.
2. Embracing Remote and Hybrid Work: The post-pandemic workforce has become increasingly remote and hybrid. This shift has brought new workplace tools into the mix, improving communication and collaboration but also creating new vulnerabilities. Unfortunately, many businesses have overlooked delivering proper training sessions to ensure employees use these collaboration tools safely and securely. To address this gap, companies must target training towards individuals with higher user risk, improving employee engagement and avoiding training fatigue.
3. Cost Constraints and IT Budgets: As economic challenges persist, IT spending and budgets are under scrutiny. Many companies have adjusted their tech purchasing behaviors to cut costs. However, reducing spend on cybersecurity or consolidating to single-vendor solutions may make organizations more vulnerable to threats. The cost of dealing with the aftermath of a breach continues to increase. Therefore, it is essential for IT teams to invest in better cyber training to develop a smarter workforce that can be an asset rather than a risk. By gamifying cyber training and making it more enjoyable with tangible rewards, IT teams can encourage participation and improve effectiveness.
In conclusion, cybersecurity training in the workplace should go beyond mere compliance. It is crucial for creating a safe and productive environment. By personalizing, timing, making it relevant, and even gamifying training sessions, IT teams can help businesses securely adapt to the new dynamics of the workforce. As organizations embrace the opportunities of a new year, proper cybersecurity measures and continuous training will be essential in safeguarding their businesses and employees.
