It’s a safe bet that when Benjamin Franklin coined his famous maxim, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he wasn’t presciently addressing today’s IT professionals (he was clever, but not that clever). But the timeless wisdom of his counsel undoubtedly resonates with savvy IT managers who understand the value of proactively defending against threats in the current security landscape.
That’s why so many organizations invest in powerful hardware- and software-based technologies that enable them to effectively combat myriad attacks from cybercriminals. Whether it’s an endpoint security suite, a flexible software firewall solution or a comprehensive hardware security appliance, all of these tools help minimize the severe fiscal damage cyberthreats can inflict.
That’s how those tools deliver amazing ROI: the net cost of taking preventative steps to avert an attack is far lower than the daunting expenses associated with executing fast-response recovery procedures, the consequent network downtime that cuts end-user productivity, and potential compliance liabilities for data loss or leakage. All of these costs accrue when an attack is not successfully thwarted.
Surprisingly, there is one preventative measure that many IT pros seem to have overlooked: Security Awareness Training (SAT). While it’s natural to focus on the external threats that relentlessly probe and attack your cybersecurity defenses, it’s vital to remember that you also have internal vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals to gain access to your network—and data.
Those internal vulnerabilities happen to be employees of your company.
Make Your Employees Security Assets: Benefits of SAT
Employees of any organization, by definition, primarily concentrate on performing their specific job duties. So it makes sense that they’d be largely unaware of the innumerable cyberthreats that target their company—and with growing regularity, the employees themselves. It is precisely their lack of awareness that makes those employees such attractive targets for the bad guys.
The good news is that SAT programs can be remarkably effective in educating your company’s employees on how to recognize and avoid security threats. By teaching your employees to adopt behaviors and best practices that help stymie common cyberattacks such as phishing and ransomware, you’ll convert those end users from vulnerable security liabilities into valuable security assets.
SAT can be a highly cost-effective way to strengthen your cybersecurity posture. Given today’s challenging economic conditions, your organization’s management team may be reluctant to invest in additional security solutions. SAT’s superior ROI overcomes such reservations by addressing a key vulnerability that affects the security of many SMBs. According to one study, 54% of businesses have cited “negligent employee” as the root cause of data breaches. (www.uschamber.com)
What’s more, quality SAT programs typically require only 1-2 hours participation per quarter from each employee; compare that to the average 46 days it takes to resolve a cyberattack, and the fiscal benefits of SAT speak for themselves. (BusinessInsider.com)
Why Choose VIPRE SAT
VIPRE SAT is an easy to use, cloud-based learning solution that builds practical, cost-effective security awareness for your organization’s employees. The award-winning content featured in each VIPRE SAT course has been developed to teach users to keep security top of mind in everything they do, and to empower them to be the best defense of your company’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
Offering a comprehensive range of features, VIPRE SAT combines powerful educational capabilities with exceptional ease of use:
• Superior Content—enterprise-quality content for organizations of all sizes
• Security Awareness in a Box—perfect balance of phishing and behavioral remediation to identify at-risk employees through on-going simulations and continual reinforcement of best practices
• Simple Reporting—automated reports provide quick insight on how well employees are doing to reduce risk and build a cyber-secure workplace
• Automated Deployment—automated deployment model delivers maximum impact with minimal administrative effort; phishing simulations are rolled out in a periodic drip-style campaign
• Integrated Phishing Sims—automated phishing simulation included in all packages which provide monthly reports on how employees are improving and help demonstrate ROI
• Effective and Concise Delivery—easily consumable, time-conscious and proven topics enable your employee base to develop core security awareness practices in a minimal amount of time
Three separate training packages are available, enabling you to choose the most cost-effective program for your company’s specific needs:
SAT Essentials
Turnkey learning program that allows resource-conscious organizations to deliver highly effective security awareness training without core expertise.
SAT Advanced
Comprehensive package of automated security awareness courseware combined with flexible access to phishing, vishing, and smishing simulations.
SAT Enterprise
Complete learning management system that delivers a full course library and the ability to customize courseware as well as simulations.
Learn More
Get the full story on VIPRE SAT by downloading this detailed datasheet. And make sure to grab your copy of “The Importance of Security Awareness Training,” which includes compelling info that will help you make the cost/benefit case for SAT with your company’s leadership.
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