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Awareness Training Helps Stop End-User Security Threats

To address these issues and create a set of best practices, Symantec recently updated its Security Awareness Program that is designed for end users.

Providing employees with awareness training can reduce data breaches. Ponemon Institute, a data protection research organization, has done studies that show about 88 percent of all data breaches in 2008 were attributed to "insider" negligence. Businesses are already hurting with the current economic situation, and these security breaches are just costing them more money they can't afford to lose. To address these issues and create a set of best practices, Symantec recently updated its Security Awareness Program.

According to Lee Futch, a manager at Symantec Education Services, the new program is for end users in businesses. "[It] helps employees understand their responsibilities and how they should behave so that they can help protect a company's information and critical data," she says. "A big vulnerability for malicious threat is [employee behavior]. Employees really want to do the right thing - and [the program] just helps educate them so that they're not being careless or dangerous in the workplace."

The Awareness Program touches on topics like basic as creating a more robust password and safely surfing the Internet, to more advanced issues relating to reducing internal negligence and protecting against outside attacks. It's designed to engage learners in a time-efficient manner so companies can meet compliance regulations. The latest update to the program has condensed the content into a single 90-minute online module, while maintaining the core subject matter. Another way to stop security threats is to provide employees with security training courses so that they can learn how to stop breaches.

Other new features include a searchable transcript, interactive content and compatibility with learning management systems, so companies can track employee participation and scores to prove compliance. Companies also can customize the content by inserting their own links to company-specific policies and procedures related to data security. Additionally, they can opt for more specific technical content to fit their unique needs.

"[This streamlining] is helpful for organizations who are very conscious of the workforce productivity," Futch said, which is especially crucial in today's economic environment. She also mentioned that the program is used across all industries - including state and local government, universities and manufacturing - but the highest use comes from the finance industry, which has tighter regulations and frequent audits. Have knowledgeable professionals working for your company by having your employees enrolled in various K Alliance IT training videos that address security issues

 

About Countrywide Training:

Countrywide Training is a great place to have your employees learn about security issues. They offer a wide variety of security-related titles for their courses and have other IT training programs as well. They offer onsite training, as well as boot camp courses that are taught by certified instructors in the field. Students gain comprehensive and quality training that will enhance their knowledge and make them better professionals working at your company.