Why SMBs Need to Ramp up Security Awareness Training

Did you know that small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may have a higher cybersecurity risk than larger counterparts when you consider employee-to-breach ratios?  Recent reports show that SMBs, businesses with 20 to 500 employees, are more at risk specifically due to phishing malware and the lack of employee training. In fact, 65% of SMBs have no employee cybersecurity training.

Doesn’t it make sense that since 92% of malware sneaks in through email, your security awareness training should focus on prevention?

Anti-phishing training, like phishing simulations, can significantly reduce the likelihood that an employee will click on a malicious link. Employees learn to recognize suspicious subject lines, like these top offenders as reported by Webroot:

• Review or Quick Review
• Bank of <take your pick>; New Notification
• Charity Donation for You
• FYI
• Unauthorize login attempt
• Important: (1) NEW message from <Bank Name>
• AMAZON : Your Order no #812-4623 might ARRIVED
• Wire Transfer
• Assist Urgently

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Pretty innocuous looking, right? At first glance, most of those appear pretty legit. That’s why phishing training is so effective. It teaches busy employees how to recognize and not to click on emails containing malware, including spear phishing tactics.

The majority of the smallest SMBs either have no IT security resources, outsource support or have a combination of the two. That means cybersecurity, a crucial part of business operations, is likely resting largely outside of direct company control, with no visibility to how it’s being handled.  Combine that with untrained employees, and SMBs are looking at a data breach disaster waiting to happen.

That’s why Ostendio’s Security Awareness Training is an affordable way for SMBs to combat malware threats. With services like pen-testing (aka penetration testing) and anti-phishing training, Ostendio can help SMBs with an affordable way to combat malware threats. Plus, using Ostendio’s MyVCM training module, SMBs can track employee cybersecurity training and results in real-time.

Understandably, budget and timewise, SMBs deal with more significant resource hurdles than their large business counterparts. With the right training partner, you can integrate cybersecurity awareness training into your SMB’s operations, affordably.