Managing the Human Factor in Cyber Security Risk

The rise of cybercrime

The cyber security challenges facing our business communities and infrastructure around the globe are increasing. Growing pressure from organised cybercrime syndicates, the speed of technological change and workforce shortages are all compounding cybersecurity risk. Systems automation, hiring at scale, and rapid training are all necessary to keep up with these global changes.

There are a variety of risks associated with information technology, but none are more significant than the risk of cybercrime. As stated by IBM in a recent report – The data breach average cost increased by 2.6% from USD 4.24 million in 2021 to USD 4.35 million in 2022. And that’s just the average, with many companies suffering data breaches over hundreds of millions of dollars.

In 2022, Australian telecommunications giant Optus suffered a data breach that impacted many of its customers. This one breach in Australia jeopardised the core of customer identification and affected numerous Government Agency identification processes. This was a significant breach, and Optus was widely criticised for not doing enough to protect customer data. The damage to its brand, and customer loyalty, along with fines and the loss of business for many years, will have seen the financial impacts of the breach running into millions. It caused a significant rethink in government policies that penalise corporations for poor governance.

The role of training in managing cyber risk

Would you feel comfortable entering a plane knowing the pilot wasn’t officially certified to fly it?

This raises the question, why do companies invest in technologies and then forego authorised training to save a few thousand dollars? What’s at risk is the company’s future livelihood, and a small investment in training represents a fraction of that in comparison. This is important because cybercrime will only become more prevalent in the future. As businesses become more reliant on technology, they also become more vulnerable to attack. It’s clear that companies need to do more to protect their customers from cybercrime, and one of the best ways to do that is through authorised certification training.

Training and staff retention

In this era of high staff turnover, businesses can benefit from increased employee retention and productivity when they provide authorised training. Employees with access to official training are more likely to feel engaged and invested in their work, leading to improved performance and higher morale. Additionally, employees who receive official training are known to be more likely to stay with their current employer for more extended tenures, reducing the costs of churn and increasing stability within the organisation.

The human factor in cyber protection

In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, it is more important than ever to have the right skills, the appropriate training, and the correct certifications. Whether you are looking to start your career in technology or advance your current skillset, authorised certification training is the best way to ensure that you have the knowledge and expertise you need to succeed.

New zero-trust firewall technology vendors supported by hyper-convergence, App ID, and DNS services hosted across hybrid or fully supported cloud services are designed to help and protect commerce and public infrastructure services from digital disruption.

Cyber risk occurs because of management mistakes and simply poor operational behaviours that make it hard for businesses to keep their networks functional and at optimal levels of efficiency. People are the most considerable risk to a company’s cybersecurity strategy and are prone to making poor decisions under pressure.

For today’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), there are so many moving parts to consider when managing the transference of digital information and the processes and systems built to support it. This makes it almost impossible to ensure fail-safe systems.

A practical training strategy to keep employee skills relevant in a fast-changing world is a critical consideration in minimising errors in handling digitised data. But how best to do that?

The self-paced learning option

Self-paced learning is one option available to those looking to gain new skills. One of the most significant benefits of self-paced learning is that it allows you to learn in your own time and at the pace that suits you. This can be especially helpful if you work full-time or have other commitments limiting your ability to attend traditional classroom-based training courses.

Self-paced learning typically provides a more flexible curriculum than authorised training courses. This allows you to focus on the most critical areas and skip over topics you are already familiar with.

Additionally, many online self-paced courses offer video tutorials, practice exercises, and other resources that can help you master the material. Self-paced learning can also be more affordable than authorised training courses. This makes it an attractive option for those on a budget or not interested in investing in formal certification programs. Self-paced learning can be a great way to gain technology skills and knowledge on your terms. But it also has some distinct disadvantages.

The true cost of low-budget and self-paced learning

In the rush to upskill personnel, many businesses try and patch together low-cost training that has not been authorised by the technology vendor. Some select self-paced training, requiring the student to train across bite-sized fragments of whatever spare time they can find. This sporadic approach, squeezed into a hectic lifestyle, balancing professional and family life, can increase the time it takes to obtain the required skills, or mean that the training content is not embedded as effectively. A fragmented learning style can make it challenging to grasp complex concepts and understand everything you need to know to succeed. Additionally, the isolation of self-paced learning can be demotivating and deprives the student of a like-minded community of people with whom they can practice, collaborate and advance as a technology professional.

Virtual Instructor-led certification

The global skills shortage is a growing problem. Businesses are adopting instructor-led certification training to fill the skills gap, ensuring that their employees have the necessary competencies and can deliver on the ever-changing outcomes required. Instructor-led training is becoming known as the gold standard for organisations needing to fast-track skills development and empower staff to successfully implement and support vendor technologies.

The importance of certification

Authorised certification training provides students with the tools and resources they need to succeed. Whether looking for career advice, networking opportunities, or access to exclusive job boards, authorised training programs are designed to help students grow their skillset and advance their career. Additionally, they often offer exclusive insight into technology products, helping students stay on top of the latest trends and protect their organisations from security threats.

Certifications are a way to show that you know what you’re doing in a particular technology. They can help you get an excellent job with good pay and benefits. From a poll conducted by Pearson Vue of 29,000 employees, 61% of the candidates who hoped to advance or be promoted by certification achieved promotional advancement.

So why is authorised instructor-led training better than self-paced learning?

The answer can be encapsulated in one word – the difference is the instructor

No matter how much or how little you invest in training, if there is no defined change in an employee’s behaviour, then it’s of no value at any level. When the subject matter is difficult to understand, highly professional, expert training is needed. After all, the cost is soon forgotten when a cyber security incident kicks off.

With authorised certification training, employees can learn how to protect their organisation and minimise the risk of a breach by following the vendor’s professional recommendations. When students have access to an experienced instructor, they can ask questions and obtain help when needed. This leads to a better understanding of the material and reduces the chances of students dropping out of the program. It’s also so much more engaging to work with peers than learning something on your own.

Real-world experience

Red Education instructors can provide valuable insights and guidance that cannot be found online or in self-paced learning programs. In addition, vendor-authorised certification training provides a structured curriculum designed to help you build and apply your knowledge incrementally, so you are never left feeling overwhelmed or confused.

One of the most significant benefits of authorised instructor-led training is that it provides the real-world experience of industry experts combined with authorised content.

Multiple Vendor Certifications

Hand-picked experts are selected by Red Education from around the world, with a variety of knowledge-based expertise and between at least ten years of experience in various technologies. Many of them hold multiple vendor certifications.

This becomes important as most large companies are multi-faceted, with many layers of cybersecurity products, systems and processes, supported onsite and hosted across the cloud.

An experienced trainer with numerous certifications across various technologies can lead to a more enriched conversation, bringing the benefit of their overall vision to support the student.

The power of instructor led authorised certification training

Overall, authorised instructor-led training provides a comprehensive and well-rounded learning experience ideal for anyone seeking to build their technology skills and advance their career in the information technology industry. Whether you are just starting out or looking to move up the corporate ladder, authorised training can give you the edge needed to stay ahead of the competition and succeed in this rapidly-changing field. The benefits of authorised certification training are undeniable and have never been more critical when facing increasing pressure from cyber criminals and other threats

When entering authorised certification training, employees learn the latest techniques and best practices for protecting data and the correct methodology to manage the technology as recommended by the vendor. Across several days of intensive training, students receive an official certification that shows they are qualified to work on a specific vendor’s product, providing credibility and recognition amongst their peers.

Authorised instructor-led certification training allows students to learn from an expert instructor, receive hands-on training, and get certified quickly. This type of training is essential in the Information Technology industry, where the challenges are growing and the pace of change is rapid. Vendor-certified instructor-led training helps reduce risk quickly with minimal downtime.

Whether you are looking to start your career in technology or advance your current skillset, instructor-led authorised certification training is the best way to ensure that you have the knowledge and expertise you need to succeed.