Better Training Can Reduce Risk of Cyber Threat If Your Follow These 3 Steps

News recently broke of a new ransomware attack. This malicious software, which locks administrators out of files until a ransom is paid to the hackers, quickly spread across the globe. Even American companies have been hit by the latest iteration. For business owners and IT managers, this attack is a nightmare realized. Many are struggling with the best ways to avoid being affected by a cyber attack. But with the FBI reporting that 4,000 ransomware attacks occurred daily between January and June in 2016 alone, executives and IT professionals are feeling the heat more than ever. Fortunately, there is one method that has been proven to decrease the risk of cyber attack 45% to 70% according to a 2015 study. That method? Better training. Here are three simple steps to maximize your training to reduce risk in as little as six months.

Step 1: Start at the Top

Any good training program must begin with the people at the top. Senior leadership must understand what is at stake if their business does not adopt better protections and ways of interacting with the internet. If major changes are required, these are the people whose approval you’ll need, so start laying the groundwork early.

Step 2: Educate Your Staff

It is important that the staff know the proper security precautions to take to avoid opening up your company’s network to hacker attacks. It is also important that they understand how valuable data can be mined or stolen and how to protect against that.

Step 3: Test Your Staff

Frequent testing is the best way to gauge your employees understanding of both risks and best practices. It is important that the test not be used to discipline employees; instead, consider it more a survey of areas you need to do a better job of teaching. The digital landscape is increasingly dangerous. But with solid training, you can overcome many of the worst hazards. If your company has no one who is capable of properly training, many SQL consulting companies have SQL DBA consultants that are experts in both SQL database security and general training. Kingfisher Technologies is a leader among SQL consulting companies. Our SQL database consultants offer a host of database administration services as well as in-house and remote training. Contact us today with any questions.