Cyber security is something that you will hear more and more about in the future. Unfortunately, cybercrime and attacks on businesses are high right now, and this shows no sign of slowing down.
Currently, cyber attacks are higher than ever before, and the increase in this activity shows no signs of slowing down. This is unfortunate but doesn’t have to be a massive threat if you take care of your information security and prepare for the worst. For every cyber-criminal developing threats, there are more high-quality, qualified and educated cyber security professionals in the digital space working on ways to prevent these attacks.
There are now whole career paths based around this very tricky, but very real problem within IT. Data is more valuable than ever before, and quite often we hear about countries using cyber security teams to ensure that the data they hold is kept safe and secure from any threat. Of course, all businesses need to take this into account.
Depending on where you are in the world, you must keep customer data and sensitive information as safe as possible. In fact, there are information security laws in many places. In recent years there have been many incidents where hacking has occurred, and data breaches reported. Unfortunately, once this happens, there is a lot of tidying up to do. Also, not only is there a time aspect of this, but also a financial impact.
As well as the obvious inconvenience and financial impact though, this can also harm your business’s PR, which can sometimes take years to rectify. So should you consider courses in cyber security for your staff? Do these courses and training services work to protect your firm? And why exactly is a cyber security course for staff considered a good step for any business?
Where Cyber Security Began
For as long as computers have been around, there have been digital threats. So, you could say that cyber security began at the very beginning. However, attacks on computer security were generally more of an inconvenience or the risk of somebody on the inside of a business reading something that they shouldn’t. Still, the need to protect data arrived quickly. At that point in time databases weren’t as comprehensive, and data wasn’t as important or able to be used in such malicious ways, but this was soon to change as the world of work and the cyber market evolved.
In 1986 a hacker called Markus Hess hacked into approximately 400 US military computers and sold the information to the Soviet KGB for $54,000. At this point, cyber security and computer viruses became less of an inconvenience and more of a serious threat. But of course, there is always somebody waiting to help stop these threats, and the game of cat and mouse can become a little more interesting the more people you have working on it. So, what does this mean for businesses today?
Well, we have come a long way since the 1980s; we now take cyber security as a given whenever we have a database or any sensitive information to protect. From the small business making sure the virus software is up-to-date, to the larger businesses who need specialist support, it is always essential now to make sure your cyber security is as safe as possible and that you have staff with experience and training who can provide your company with the level of online security and practices it needs.
What Are Our Options For Cyber Security Courses And Training?
As nearly all businesses now need a certain level of IT support, due to the nature of how businesses run in 2020, all business owners will need to learn the fundamentals and acquire basic cyber security skills.
There are different options as always, such as hiring somebody to take care of this for you, or you can keep this in house and ensure that your team is up-to-date with cyber security in general. It’s not a terrible idea to take a three-pronged approach, in having the best software to protect your business, somebody who specialises in cyber security to set up everything for you, and to send your team to take cyber security courses. In 2018 cybersecurity became much more critical, due to GDPR. Everybody became responsible for data that they handle, and the repercussions of getting this wrong became a lot more severe. For businesses, this meant training everybody that handles any data, such as the person taking appointment bookings over the phone, or even customer service representatives reading emails for the business.
So, taking on cyber security courses or cyber security training for your team is a great idea. This approach might mean getting a dedicated IT support team within your business or somebody that may have a chance to spot and prevent cyber security attacks directed at your business at any time. Cyber security courses and cyber security training solutions are not only helpful for your business, but it really gets the message across to the team to ensure that everybody knows exactly what to look out for and how to keep your data safe. Just being aware of what an attack might look like can save precious time when it comes to an attack on your business. Many incidents in the past could have been stopped if only somebody recognised the signs a little sooner. As they say, knowledge is power, and keeping your team as up-to-date with cyber security courses can be an incredibly important tool. When it comes to options, there are different levels of training available, and each one depends on you and your business needs.
Cyber security breaches are not always about a targeted attack from the outside either. It can look like an accident a member of staff has made, or somebody unknowingly breaking the rules and regulations through lack of training. This can cost a company significantly and isn’t worth risking if cyber security courses are available as an option.
What Do Cyber Security Training Courses Look Like?
Cyber security training with Texaport is offered two groups of 10 to 20 users at a time. It offers user awareness training within cyber security courses to educate users within client businesses and prevent avoidable accidents. A broad overview is given to each member of staff and provides useful knowledge tips and tricks to identify and prevent these problems. We can offer a range of certifications and cyber security courses, including Cyber Essentials. These solutions improve your staff’s awareness of cyber security issues and allow them to understand the importance of constant vigilance.
Giving each member of staff a level of responsibility, plenty of working knowledge, and the ability to get things right, is the main aim of cyber security courses. A business that invests in this level of training for their staff is much more likely to reap the rewards, and will always help prevent disasters. Data handling user awareness training, is one option when it comes to cyber security courses; it covers the GDPR aspect of data handling, and how to avoid fines or prosecution due to the mishandling of data. The trainers, who are specifically qualified to deliver this type, of course, will work with your team to address any challenges they face as they go. This bespoke way of delivering every cyber security course we provide means that everybody gets a much better experience and a much more thorough knowledge base on the fundamentals of digital and network security.
Why Is Cyber Security So Important Now?
With the ever-changing landscape that businesses are having to face this year, one thing you do not want to happen is to drop the ball and experience unnecessary financial mistakes or find yourself with a PR nightmare. Businesses are facing enough challenges as it is so making sure that you are covered, and your team is well trained and understands the cyber threats out there, can help you overcome potential cyber security issues.
Also, showing your current and potential customer base that you are dedicated to keeping their information safe, and that you have done everything you can to avoid anything getting into the wrong hands, means that you care and are the best option all round. Your team will also thank you for keeping them up-to-date and allowing them to progress in their roles as well.
Personal and professional development leads to a happier workforce and more productive teams. Texaport regularly updates the training offered and is continually researching new threats to add to the cyber security courses. This approach means that whenever you send your team to take part in these courses and earn our cyber security certifications, you can be safe in the knowledge that it is as up-to-date as possible.
What Should Businesses Know?
Any company with a small-medium or large needs to know about cybersecurity, that is a fact, and we all need to know our own responsibilities before we start handling any data. This is something that should be included in your start-up costs, as it is an area that you can’t afford to make mistakes in or be vulnerable at all. If cyber security courses or certifications aren’t something that you have considered before for your business, and you aren’t sure that you are taking all the precautions necessary to keep data safe, then it may be something you would want to put right to the top of your priority list. You don’t want to be left behind; new threats appear regularly, so you need to make sure you teach your team how to keep your digital information safe.
Before long, most businesses will have fully trained staff who know exactly what they need to do to abide by any rules and regulations for their country. More and more businesses are seeing the network security training and courses as a big step to take towards success; just as important, in fact, as marketing or customer service training. So do your research, and make sure that you are always up-to-date and helping your team to take care of your business every step of the way. Re-evaluating data handling and data security policies could be the ultimate protection for your business and your profits in the end. Which as we know is how a business grows.
At Texaport, we understand the importance of these advancements, and we work with our clients to put a reliable system in place to improve their business efficiency. Our team has a wide range of IT knowledge and remains acquainted with the movements in the IT industry. Find out more here.