Are you looking to create the best security training environment for your organization?

This is a recurring need across all organizations that we will guide you through in this series, “Annual Security Training – Design, Develop, and Deliver”.

If you’re wondering why you should focus resources on developing security training programs, or missed the first part of the series, go ahead and follow the link above.

There you will learn why security training is important and how to present those “whys” to senior leadership for support. In this installment, we will address the second step in operating a successful training program: Deliver.

Design and Develop (a Recap)

In the previous installments, we addressed the initial stages of generating effective security awareness content and an impactful training schedule. These concepts may seem straightforward at first, but we dive into the nuances and factors needed to take your program to the next level.

Those articles may be found here: Design & Develop.

If you don’t already have the content for your security awareness program or training schedule, you should take some time to ensure you have a firm understanding of them. Both components are crucial when deciding on your delivery method.

Using Different Media

You can deliver training in several different ways:

  • Instructor-Led: Instructor-led training is the most impactful as it gives class participants the ability to ask questions about areas they may not understand. This also requires pulling in subject matter experts each time training is conducted, so you should consider this when determining the frequency of training.
  • Recorded Presentations: Pre-recorded presentations are suitable when the availability of those responsible for conducting training is low. A good solution is to record instructor-led training with a variety of questions and answers to simulate the environment for those viewing. As content requires updating, new presentations should be recorded.
  • Virtual Classrooms: Virtual training environments are a low-cost-per-employee solution provided by dozens of vendors online. The responsibility for designing content is pushed to those vendors, which provision and charge access per employee.
  • Hybrid Solutions: Hybrid methods may incorporate aspects from all three options above to tailor your security training to best fit your organization. For example, you might take new hires through an instructor-led training with quarterly or annual training conducted utilizing virtual classroom solutions.

There are many delivery options available but the one your organization decides on will depend on culture, physical employee presence, and employee availability.

Delivery – Inspect What You Expect

When delivering training, it is important to include methods of polling or testing users to gauge their level of comprehension.

Not only does this ensure employees throughout the organization understand the prescriptive behaviors within the training but it also provides you with the necessary feedback to fine-tune the content or frequency.

Testing and polling methods may look like quizzes located at the end of each training module, questionnaires during annual reviews, or even applying real-world analysis.

Examples of real-world testing might include examining employee responses to red team engagements, results from structured phishing campaigns, or monitoring physical security standards addressed within awareness training like adherence to clear desk policies.

Showtime!

Now that you know the steps, it’s time to stand up your security awareness training program. This will allow you to reduce the risk of your employees falling victim to cyber attacks.

As you further mature your security posture, you may feel as though your team requires further guidance to succeed or assist in unifying your security training within your overall Information Security Management System. If that is the case, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team here for more information.

We’ll provide the guidance necessary to develop a robust response posture that your team can be confident in!