In a constantly evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a central concern for companies globally, where training is essential within companies’ security strategy.
Fortinet ’s Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Research Report 2024 noted that 87% of organizations suffered at least one intrusion in the past year, highlighting the lack of adequate cyber skills.
The figure underscores a concern that cybercriminals are moving ever faster , leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence that pose new challenges to detecting and preventing attacks.
“Today’s cybersecurity professionals face a variety of challenges, from a sophisticated threat landscape to ever-changing compliance regulations and skills shortages. Meanwhile, cybercriminals are simultaneously advancing their efforts,” said Rob Rashotte, vice president of Global Training and Technical Enablement at Fortinet.
In a statement, the specialist pointed out that the cost of cyber intrusions is not limited to data loss; these attacks have a profound impact on companies’ finances and time .
In response, boards are paying more attention to cybersecurity, with 72% of respondents reporting an increased focus on the issue compared to the previous year.
“As security teams face increased internal and external pressures, it’s clear that organizations need an all-hands-on-deck approach to risk management,” Rashotte said.
In this sense, each employee has a crucial role in protecting the company against growing cyber threats, so training is key in this regard.
Rashotte said that the first step in strengthening cybersecurity in any organization is to train its employees, making them the first line of defense .
In an environment where 81% of companies faced malware attacks, phishing and password thefts targeting users , employee awareness of these risks is essential.
Likewise, each training program should be customized to the needs of the company, but certain fundamental topics are universal, such as creating strong passwords, having multi-factor authentication (MFA), recognizing social engineering attacks (phishing), and software updates .
Thus, implementing cybersecurity awareness programs has tangible benefits, as it helps create an organizational culture that is more aware of cyber risks, empowering employees to identify and mitigate potential threats.
Rob Rashotte said that while some organizations choose to develop their own training programs, there are SaaS solutions available that offer high-quality training , so with an ever-growing threat landscape, there is no better time to create or re-evaluate cybersecurity training programs.
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