Information Security Training Guide: Tips for Your Business

It is necessary to “hit the same key”: investing in data security is essential and, even though software and programs are increasingly advanced, the truth is that they can still be harmed by failures and human errors.

A large portion of data breaches, intrusions, and cyberattacks still stem from the basic end-user errors - both the consumer, who uses their personal equipment, and company employees, who work with the corporate infrastructure.

It is worth adding: according to the Gartner Group, 70% of security incidents that cause financial losses in business have some relationship with people inside the company.

In this scenario, it is useless for your business to invest in sophisticated data security strategies and technologies if the team is not well trained to identify possible loopholes that it can cause, acting to avoid them.

But after all, how to do good training in information security in your SME?

The Preparation of the Team Does Not Depend on the Size of the Business

The security risks that an unprepared team represents are the most diverse. We can talk from opening a suspicious email containing malware to exposing sensitive data with the loss of a notebook or accidentally disclosing customers' confidential information on the web.

Seriously, isn't it?

The situation gets even more complicated for SMEs. A study conducted by the US National Cyber ​​Security Alliance showed that 60% of small and medium-sized businesses that are hit by hacker attacks close their doors in 6 months.

In that sense, if you thought that information security training was something restricted to large corporations, you are very wrong. The practice proves to be increasingly urgent, even for start-ups and smaller companies.

Does your SME have a good risk management structure? Is your team prepared to prevent and deal with any security problems that arise on a daily basis? Read on and follow our guide!

Practical Guide to Information Security Training in Your SME

Before we start with the guidelines, here's another piece of information: in Brazil, 58% of companies rely on the training and qualification of employees among their preventive information security solutions. Let's go for the tips!

1. First, invest in an awareness program

Passing on the protection techniques to the team, by itself, does not guarantee efficiency in daily security. It is extremely important that your employees actually understand the reasons behind each action and are able to manage their own security.

Involving the entire business team, from directors to professionals at the operational level, bet on assertive communication ( in training meetings, murals, stickers on computers, e-mails) to explain to employees the main daily data protection practices and their reasons for being.

Reinforce with the team, even, that communicating possible negative occurrences in the field of security is much better than keeping the incidents to yourself. Emphasize, furthermore, that management is always open to talk and advise on the subject.

2. Create and institute the company's Information Security Policy

If your business still doesn't have an elaborated Information Security Policy, now is the time. All good training in the area must be guided by the document, which plans actions, techniques, and good practices to protect corporate data.

The next step, therefore, is to communicate and disseminate this policy (which is a true compass of safety actions) to all employees, aiming to establish safer habits in everyone's routine and, consequently, implement a safety culture in the company.

Involving the team in the process of creating the Policy can also be a good strategy, explaining to everyone the concept and objectives of the document and exploring day-to-day situations that justify prevention measures. Engagement is key!

Learn More: Backup policy: concept, importance, and design tips

3. Break training into cycles

A key aspect of the training is to ensure that the information is passed on at the appropriate pace, which follows the evolution of employees. In order not to “skip steps” and run the risk of missing important information, structure the training in modules or evolutionary cycles.

The strategy is also interesting to give more attention to certain groups or sectors that need specific guidance (such as the IT team, for example).

4. Manual of good practices

The adoption of good safety practices is the main stage of the training. While some of the habits are valid for all teams, others may require specific adaptations for each team or position (managers have a greater responsibility for data management and the IT team is more directly involved in security monitoring and prevention activities data).

Check out some of the main measures that should be passed on to the team:

• Request that employees always lock the computer when they are away from the desk, even if quickly;
• Train employees on what data cannot be shared with people from other sectors or outside the company;
• Instruct the team to never make passwords and logins available, even to coworkers;
• Instruct the team to identify risk situations, as well as the best ways to proceed;
• Ask the team not to ignore the update requests and always keep software updated;
• If the company allows the use of social networks, advise the team not to divulge sensitive information or make contact with strangers on corporate computers;
• Instruct the team to identify and not click on flashy ads that may contain malware, as well as to be discerning when making multiple downloads, in addition to downloading e-mail files (even if it is corporate e-mail). Suspicious e-mails or sent by unknown users also require extra care;
• Request that the team report to the IT team any mistrust or suspicion related to internet activities;
• Instituting a policy for creating strong passwords that must be changed from time to time;
• Do not allow employees to take pictures of the work environment (computer screen and documents);
• Instituting a strong corporate data access policy, allowing access to confidential and strategic data only to senior management.

5. Create sanctions to reinforce and rebuke behavior

Of course, training and information must come before penalties and reprimands for inappropriate behavior. Not by chance, this tip came last in our manual.

However, it is important to formalize in a document what are the possible punishments for those who share corporate information spontaneously, in addition to listing the consequences for employees who do not respect the determinations of the Security Policy.  

Before these decisions take effect, however, we reinforce that the training must have been carried out effectively and clearly for the team.

Finally, in addition to training, it is worth mentioning that the business must ensure protection with the use of antivirus, efficient backup procedures, encryption, firewalls, and authentication mechanisms, among others.