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Writer's pictureDavid Lee

Why Cyber Security Awareness Is So Important


Today we are focusing on the importance of cybersecurity awareness and later, how you can implement this into the organisation you're working for or at your own freelancing hustle as a billable service. Lets get stuck in!


Introduction

Cybersecurity is one of the most important issues facing businesses today. Cyber attacks are on the rise and can cause serious financial damage to any organization. Your data, whether it's customer data or employee information, is your business’s most valuable asset. It’s important to have a plan in place not only for securing your business’s physical assets but also for protecting its digital assets as well. This blog post will explain why cybersecurity awareness is so critical and why it should be at the top of every organization's priority list.


Cyber attacks are on the rise

Cyber attacks are on the rise, and they're becoming more sophisticated. The number of cyber-related incidents continues to increase each year. In fact, according to a report by McAfee Labs, there has been an average increase of 20 percent in cyber attacks each year since 2013. Not only do these attacks affect more people every year, but they also become more common as well!


The costs can be exorbitant

The costs of a cyber attack can be significant. A successful attack on your organization could cost millions of dollars, including lost business and customers, legal fees, damage to reputation and loss of intellectual property.


One study found that businesses that have been subjected to a cyber attack spend an average of $5 million in investigation and remediation costs alone. The same study found that companies reported losing more than $24 billion annually due to cybercrime—and this doesn’t include losses from adverse publicity or lost sales resulting from incidents like last year’s Equifax breach which impacted 143 million Americans!


If you think it only impacts big companies with lots of money at stake then think again: small businesses are just as vulnerable (if not more so because they may not have the resources or staff necessary). If you think it only impacts large corporations then think again: even small businesses can experience costly attacks like those reported above if they don’t take proper precautions.


Businesses lose customers after a cyber attack

Customers are leaving your business.

It’s a scary thought, but it’s true. When companies experience a cyber attack, customers will leave and then never come back. Why? Because they don’t feel safe anymore dealing with the company that can be hacked so easily. Customers often lose trust in the brand altogether after an attack, which means they'll start looking for alternative services or products elsewhere. The end result is that you lose sales from this customer base and have to spend time rebuilding trust before you can get more business from them again—all because of one devastating event caused by poor security practices!


Cyber attacks destroy businesses

It's likely that you've heard of cyberattacks, but do you know how it feels to be a victim? A good example of this is the case of Target. In 2013, the retailer was attacked by hackers who stole personal information from more than 70 million customers. The breach cost the company almost $100 million in fines, lost sales and legal fees, according to NPR.

In addition to being costly, cyberattacks can result in long-term damage as well: The brand loyalty that consumers had towards Target was permanently damaged by the attack on its systems; as a result, fewer people shopped there after it happened.

If your business experiences any kind of damage or loss due to a cyberattack (whether it's financial or not), consider taking steps toward improving your security so that it doesn't happen again!


There is a serious shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the workforce

Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand, but they can be hard to find. The job market is currently short on cybersecurity professionals, which can make it difficult for companies to hire and retain them. Some of the reasons why there are so few cybersecurity professionals include:

  • The field is rapidly growing and changing as new threats emerge (from ransomware attacks to nation-state sponsored hacks).

  • Many organizations struggle with building their own internal security teams because of lack of budget or expertise. This leaves individuals who want to work in this field without many opportunities for employment.

  • There are fewer women than men entering into computer science careers at universities where most CS degrees are awarded, which decreases the overall number of women working in cybersecurity fields

This is exactly why you, as a professional in the industry either working for an organisation or for yourself can sell this as a service to your clients. A way that I approach businesses is to list out exactly why the users are at risk, how they can protect themselves and by referencing a lot of the information from this article to approach them as far as "useful information" goes.

Cyber security awareness training works

The best way to ensure that your employees are aware of cyber security threats is through regular training. Cyber security awareness training can be as simple as showing a short video, or it can be an interactive game where employees learn how to protect themselves by playing the game. It's important that you keep things fun and educational so that people want to take part in it again, but also make sure there's enough meat on the bones so they leave with valuable information they need. A great way to make your company's cyber security awareness training more engaging is through gamification techniques like points and badges for completing tasks correctly - this will help motivate people towards completing their training requirements!


It's important to be mindful of keeping your data secure.

It's important to be mindful of keeping your data secure. This is especially true in today's digital world, where you're constantly sharing information and storing it online. It can be easy to forget that while you may think a website or app is safe, there are always risks involved in using them.


If you're worried about cyber security awareness training 2023, look no further than Data-Sec. They offer training courses for businesses as well as individuals who want to learn more about how they can keep their data safe on the web.


Conclusion

It’s clear that cyber security is an important topic and there are many reasons why you should be aware of it. Cyber attacks are on the rise and will continue to grow as hackers gain more sophisticated methods of accessing sensitive data. There have been many examples over the past few years showing just how costly a cyber attack can be for businesses, so it's no wonder that they're taking steps in order to prevent one from happening at all costs (even if those costs come at us). With all this being said though, it's also important not just for companies but individuals too since our personal information is often stored online too!

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