The cyberthreat landscape is changing as quickly as security experts can keep up.  To minimize your business’ risk profile, you need to get ahead of emergent threats and institute policies to bolster your cybersecurity posture.

When you’ve decided to start taking a serious stance on cybersecurity, awareness training should be at the top of your list. In the same way that firewalls and monitoring help to protect your work environment, IT security awareness training aids in preventing cyberattacks. With the help of a managed IT service provider, the proper training positions your business to avoid the hours of downtime, reputational damage, and financial losses resulting from a cyberattack.

Still on the fence? Here are five reasons why you should consider investing in IT security training:

1. Enhance Your Overall Security Profile

Awareness education and training sessions are an excellent way to reduce your risks. Many cyberattacks begin with social engineering (i.e. email phishing) and well-educated employees are less likely make common cybersecurity mistakes.  Keeping your employees aware of hacker red-flags and suspicious activity is key to enhancing cybersecurity on every level, as they are often on the front lines and the first who should be able to notify IT of a potential threat.

2. Reduce Risks from Employee Error

Fending off employee mistakes that lead to cybersecurity incidents is one of the main benefits of IT security training. Training and enforcing the use of strong passwords and two-factor authentication, as well as simulating phishing attempts can go a long way.

3. Remain in Compliance

Many industries, such as healthcare and banking, must adhere to strict compliance guidelines. IT security awareness classes can help your business remain in compliance by keeping employees up-to-date on the latest cyber threats and the best ways to keep data secure. Failing to remain in compliance results in expensive fines — which can be avoided with the right preparation and education.

4. Protect Your Reputation

Compliance breaches and data leaks lead to bad publicity. A cybersecurity incident can irreparably damage the reputation of any company. By helping you to avoid data breaches, IT training sessions also help protect your business’ image.

5. Peace of Mind

If you’ve kept up on recent ransomware attacks, you know that cybercriminals can devastate any organization and disrupt daily operations for a significant period of time. A managed IT service provider can combine the latest cybersecurity solutions with employee awareness training to give you much-needed peace of mind.  Knowing that each of your employees are well-prepared to handle any potential cyber threats in the workplace will help you sleep much better at night.

IT security awareness training provides a variety of benefits for businesses of any size. A managed IT service provider can offer the employee security training sessions on a routine basis to ensure that your company stays secure and compliant. Proactive IT services are essential in keeping one step ahead of the ever-changing nature of cyberthreats.

Learn more about how NCC can help with your cybersecurity strategy. Schedule a few minutes with our team to understand how we can ensure employee cyber safety with IT security awareness training.