What is security awareness training?
Security awareness training is all about making individuals more mindful of cyber threats in their day-to-day interactions. It demystifies topics like phishing scams, password management and social engineering tactics to keep employees cyber-safe at home and work.
Cybersecurity awareness training is our passion for a reason. Our increasingly digital lives leave us more vulnerable to cyber threats in every sector. Cybercriminals continue to innovate new methods that capture personal information, steal data and disrupt businesses for profit — and employees may make mistakes that put your organization at risk. By understanding these risks and how to avoid them, you can actively prevent cyber incidents and protect valuable data.
Why is security awareness training important?
Creating and continuing a culture of security awareness training empowers each individual to recognize and manage cyber threats, reducing human risk.
The human element is so crucial because 50% of internet users receive phishing emails daily, and 97% of those users are not able to identify a phishing email. Security awareness training:
- Reduces risk of cyber incidents: 82% of data breaches are caused by the human element.
- Saves money: Recovering from a cyber incident or a data leak can incur significant costs. The average cost of a data breach grew to $4.35 million in 2022, a nearly 13% increase from 2020, according to the IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach Report.
- Improves compliance: Many regulated industries require security awareness training. A comprehensive compliance training program enables your organization to stay compliant and avoid fines or penalties.
- Increases employee engagement: Employees who are educated about cybersecurity threats are more likely to take active ownership of the organization’s security strategy.
- Enhances confidence: Knowledgeable employees feel more confident in their roles and with their peers, and partners or clients see a strong track record of cyber safety, which boosts your reputation.
Frequently asked questions
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Does Infosec IQ support international cybersecurity training?
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Infosec IQ includes training translated and localized in 34+ languages. In addition to training modules, Infosec IQ includes over 300 international phishing templates and a fully translated and localized learner dashboard to provide the most relevant training for each employee, no matter their language or location.
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What’s the benefit of industry- and role-based education?
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Industry- and role-based cybersecurity awareness training for employees ensures your entire workforce is prepared to beat the cyber threats they are most likely to face. As with all forms of education, the more relevant the training content, the more likely learners will stay engaged, retain information and adopt habits required to do their jobs securely and effectively.
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How can Infosec IQ help me complete my training compliance requirements?
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Infosec IQ provides an easy-to-use solution to deliver and document security awareness education for every employee. Each Infosec IQ training module is mapped to one of nine core security behaviors outlined in the NIST security awareness and training guidelines. This allows you to track your organization’s compliance score and address gaps in training.
For organizations with specific compliance requirements, the Infosec IQ content library features dozens of industry- and compliance-based training modules to adhere to training requirements and report the results to stakeholders or auditors.
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Who manages the Infosec IQ cybersecurity awareness and training platform?
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Infosec IQ is typically managed by one or more members of an organization’s security or IT team. However, Infosec IQ does not require advanced technical expertise. Training managers and HR staff can easily run a security awareness program using Infosec IQ from day one.
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How often is new content added to the Infosec IQ platform?
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Our massive library of industry- and role-based training resources is updated weekly, helping you deliver fresh, relevant training to every member of your organization no matter the style and tone you need. Preview our range of content types or explore the entire library.
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How is training content delivered from the Infosec IQ platform?
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Infosec IQ training courses are emailed to each learner using a unique tracking link. This allows learners to complete training without logging in. However, you have the option to authenticate employees before serving training content via single sign-on (SSO).
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Does Infosec have a partner program allowing me to resell Infosec IQ or manage awareness programs for multiple clients?
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Yes! Infosec’s channel partner program enables managed service providers (MSPs) and resellers to grow their businesses with Infosec IQ security awareness training and Infosec Skills’ cyber skill training and certification learning paths. Infosec IQ also includes global administration tools to help MSPs manage multiple client programs at once.
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What should be included in security awareness training?
NIST has identified the best practices for implementing cybersecurity best practices. The Infosec IQ security awareness and training platform is designed to seamlessly align with these standards and recommendations.
- Phishing
- Password security
- Safe web browsing
- Social engineering
- Malware
- Mobile security
- Physical security
- Removable media
- Working remotely
The best defense is a holistic one. Our courses feature awareness-based content and skill development through tools like live-action video, realistic phishing simulations and assessments — all of which can be easily monitored via pre-built dashboards and reports.
How should you implement training on these core topics?
We know you’re busy. That’s why every account comes with a dedicated client success manager (CSM) to get your training up and running. Keep things simple with one of our pre-built — and proven — training kits, or work with your CSM to tailor a plan to your specific organization. Just know you’ll have the support you need every step of the way.
If you are unsure where to begin, our training plans provide information on choosing your tools — from phishing tests and awareness campaigns to newsletters and assessments. We help you learn how to deliver the most effective content, whether just-in-time or micro-training, and arm you with communication strategy and resources to get it done.
What sets Infosec apart?
Infosec IQ security awareness and training empowers your employees with the knowledge and skills to stay cyber secure at work and home. With over 2,000 awareness and training resources, you have everything you need to prepare employees to detect, report and defend against cybercrime. Every platform aspect can be customized to match your organization’s culture and personalized to employees’ learning styles. With Infosec IQ, you can:
- Personalize employee training with role-based modules and gamified lessons in various themes and styles to engage learners and strengthen your cybersecurity culture.
- Automate learner management, training campaigns and phishing simulations to keep lessons relevant — and save you time.
- Integrate with your LMS, identify provider, endpoint protection and SOC to streamline program management, reporting and attack response.
- Analyze employee risk scores, learning outcomes and your cybersecurity culture to identify weaknesses and anticipate cyber threats.
- Improve your training efforts with actionable data to make secure behaviors second nature for every employee.
We offer:
- Experienced approach: We believe people are the heart of cybersecurity, and we’ll meet you wherever you are in your cybersecurity journey. Cybersecurity education is our passion — it’s all we’ve done for the past 20 years.
- Expert support: Our team of passionate cybersecurity experts provides guidance and assistance for any issues you encounter to help you maximize your learning experience.
- Engaging, interactive content: Gamification, interactive quizzes and real-life scenarios improve retention and move beyond the one-size-fits-all approach to meet individual learning styles.
- Customizable training programs: Build-your-own training modules let you tailor education to your team’s unique practices, challenges and needs.
- Diverse courses and a broad library: Our content library covers over 800 subjects organized by industry, roles, behavior and regulatory requirements so you can stay current in an ever-evolving industry.
- Continuous learning: Ongoing training and reinforcement keep employees updated with the latest threats and best practices in cybersecurity.
- Comprehensive reporting: Detailed reporting and analytics allow you to track the progress and effectiveness of your security awareness training program.