How does your organization protect itself against cyber security threats? It’s not uncommon to leave this task to a handful of individuals on the IT team who follow a checklist and ensure they update all applications on time. It sounds like a proactive approach to protecting the network, but does it leave too many holes for hackers to get through?
IT cyber security training is a great idea, but it really should be just the start of your proactive approach to keeping hackers at bay. How equipped is your IT team at anticipating new threats? Do they know what to look for if something gets around the configured alerts? Do they know how to truly vet vendor offerings or do they simply take the advice of the vendor’s salesperson?
In a recent IT Portal piece, The Open University suggests that businesses invest in knowledge and not just solutions. IT cyber security training often only scrapes the surface, if the investment is made at all. In the UK, nearly two-thirds of large companies have suffered some sort of cyber-attack, yet only 17 percent have invested in the proper training of their staff.
But IT cyber security training alone is not enough, according to The Open University. Steve Hill, Director of External Engagement at The Open University notes that this training has to be integrated with investments in the right IT infrastructure. Hackers are using techniques that are increasingly more sophisticated, demanding that companies have to do more than just update their systems.
Employees instead have to have the knowledge and skills to implement best practices and future-proof the company’s defenses. This means having the ability to recognize threats at the source, before they become problems. It also means that your team has to throw away the checklist and instead build on their knowledge on a daily basis. Study the current threats, understand how hackers are becoming better at their jobs and examine the infrastructure consistently to recognize where vulnerabilities exist.
Career Academy is a great place to start to build the right IT cyber security training defenses. Your IT team gains access to the latest information they need to be proactive in protecting the network, while also building their knowledgebase over time. The important thing is to approach this training as an important piece of the cyber security plan – but not the only piece. Take a comprehensive approach to training, knowledge and skill to ensure optimal protection.
Edited by Maurice Nagle