Security Awareness Training & Testing

Addressing the Human Factor: Why Awareness Training is Essential

Security Awareness Testing and Training is a company-wide initiative which is essential to help employees maintain vigilance against cyber threats. By making sure employees can identify threats, red flags, and are aware of the potential malicious actors, it upholds a minimum standard of security. It is not enough to simply know how to deal with attacks, they should be prevented from occurring in the first place. Your human firewall is the first line of defence in a multilayered cyber security strategy, so you must recognise how to make it as strong as possible.

What does Security Awareness Testing & Training do?

A Security Awareness Testing and Training service provides continuous training to employees, so they are constantly updated on the current threats facing your organisation. Some topics covered include password protection, email, and phishing security; web, and internet security; and physical, and office security.

This is necessary to help employees understand that they are a vital aspect of their company’s security defence. Most breeches occur due to human error, proving that it is an important aspect of security that cannot be ignored.

Why do you need Security Awareness Testing & Training?

After the first full year of training, we have seen an improvement of 82% across all industries. With this level of awareness, employees can prevent attempted phishing and ransomware attacks which is evidenced by employees phish prone percentage decreasing from 33.2% to 5.4%. This is only achievable when security training and testing is repeated regularly. There is a minimum level of awareness that needs to be upkept. Therefore, a constant revising of employee knowledge is necessary.

Data breeches are expensive and create an organisational risk with employees as primary target for threats. To maintain an efficient and empowered workforce, you need to prevent such attacks from occurring in the first place.

It doesn’t matter the size of your organisation; big and small companies alike are susceptible to phishing attacks. Don’t risk tarnishing your brand’s reputation by falling victim to a ransomware. With a strong defence system in place, customer confidence in your brand will improve.

Security Awareness Testing and Training also ensures a level of compliance which is necessary nowadays to remain in accordance with Cyber Insurance policies. Many industry standards now state that organisations must have gone through of security awareness training to be eligible for a claim if they are breeched. If you are seen as a high-risk client, your premiums are also more likely to be higher.

Every employee is responsible for the security of the cyber estate, so it is important that they all assume a mindset of cyber awareness. By implementing a Security Awareness Testing and Training program, your entire workforce is tested, even the IT teams, leaving no stone unturned.

Human-centric cyber security

Despite advancements in security technology, human awareness remains critical. To address its pitfalls, organisations are investing in behaviour-driven security measures, such as behavioural analysis to detect anomalies, AI-powered threat detection, and collaborative security teams.

Human-centric cyber security prioritises human behaviour as both a defence and a vulnerability. By embedding security into workplace culture, it fosters a security-first mindset where people and technology work together to minimise risk. Education, engagement, and behaviour-driven threat prevention ensure security awareness is a long-term priority rather than a compliance checkbox.

A key aspect is adaptable access and authentication controls under the zero-trust model, restricting data access to only those who need it. With human error responsible for most breaches, organisations are increasing investments in staff training to address threats like social engineering attacks, particularly phishing. This training is becoming personalised based on employee behaviour, making awareness efforts more relevant and effective. However, despite the importance of awareness, many employees still neglect required training, highlighting the need for more engaging programs. Advancements in behavioural analytics are enhancing threat detection by identifying unusual activity, adding an extra layer of security beyond traditional defences.

The regulatory landscape is reinforcing the human focus in cyber security. The NIS2 Directive, for example, places personal responsibility on individuals rather than just organisations, making security awareness a crucial aspect of compliance. As AI continues to transform cyber security, companies are realizing the importance of creating a culture where employees feel safe to report security concerns without fear of blame. This shift underscores the growing emphasis on the human element in cyber security, ensuring a proactive and resilient security culture.

Security Awareness Best Practises

• Regular and engaging training
• Personalised and role-based content
• Simulated phishing and social engineering tests
• Multi-Format Learning
• Clear Policies and Best Practices
• Behavioural Analytics for Continuous Improvement
• Encourage a Reporting Culture
• Measure and Improve Continuously