Cybersecurity protocol is part and parcel of every business, but many still relegate it to the realm of IT. While it’s true that IT and tech staff are mostly in charge of setting up and maintaining your business’ security systems, today’s ever increasing digital world means that negligence is no longer an excuse.
This is where eLearning comes in. A 2016 study published in Information and Knowledge Management actually traces eLearning all the way back to the 1960s, but the steady growth of the internet has reformulated its pedagogical bent.
Today’s eLearning efforts — whether in the form of downloadable classes or interactive quizzes — are now geared towards making learning accessible.
Online courses are a popular format, but tutorials and articles are also a great way to learn. Internal communication channels and digital files can also be used to update staff members. Also, eLearning has grown in popularity due to its accessibility and depth of information, which makes it the perfect vehicle to teach your employees about cybersecurity.
Engaging material
Most people shy away from cybersecurity talk, as this brings to mind images of extensive coding and inaccessible computer jargon, while eLearning allows you to approach the topic of cybersecurity in an engaging way. There’s also the opportunity to ground the lessons in real-life scenarios: ZDNet’s report on a recent hackathon by security company Enisa shows how the industry is providing innovative ways to educate and attract professionals. By creating a competition, they not only find the new leaders of the industry, they can also discover the latest ways to tackle cybercrime.
This team effort also speaks to the transdisciplinary nature of cybersecurity. As discussed in coverage of the most recent ISC2 Security Congress, cybersecurity is being made approachable by likening it to arts or seeing how it compliments other operations. Here are some eLearning resources that your team can utilize:
- Messaging apps can be used to quickly inform necessary channels about potential data breaches and how to avoid them.
- Onboarding files, videos, and forms can be stored on the cloud and easily updated to meet current requirements.
- Online learning sites offer subscriptions to cybersecurity courses.
- How-to videos can be watched for those who want to create password protection protocols and the like.
The ever-changing cybersecurity landscape
Cybersecurity protocol requires more than just strong passwords. The importance of cybersecurity is a teachable concept just like any other, and the rapidly evolving world of cyber threats provide the opportunity for managers to really engage their employees.
To start with, strong security protocol is good business sense. Cybersecurity experts at Maryville University suggest preventing data theft and preserving data integrity as the foundation of any good security system, as its better to be proactive rather than reactive. Interactive sites can help showcase what it’s like getting locked out of a system that’s been compromised, which can help hammer home the importance of cybersecurity.
The kinds of cybersecurity protocols you need will also depend on your company’s operations. Technology companies, for example, will require a much more intensive course that covers both software and hardware: eLearning modules can thus be customized and updated to meet these specific needs.
Moving forward
Publications from around the world note that employees are a huge cybersecurity threat. Gulf Business News warns that employees need to be educated early on in order for them to understand the risks involved. This is especially true for companies who employ remote workers, as it is difficult to monitor their computer usage and whether they’re keeping their own gadgets secure.
In fact, employers with remote teams may want to consider an intensive eLearning module that must be completed during onboarding.
It’s important to quickly survey your employees’ knowledge of cybersecurity in order for you to know where the education needs to begin. Some learning services can track members’ completion dates, which can help track employee learning. These metrics can then be used to establish a strong security culture within the company; by tracking what employees already know, managers can then fill in the gaps or add new modules that build off of this data (and help prevent future attacks).
As businesses lean on new software and file types to store data, new security processes have to be put into place to ensure this innovation is effective.
By Juliette Peters