Cybersecurity teams can be difficult to keep engaged and happy. Quality resources are hard to find and the pressure of the roles can lead to high burnout rates. This is the major reason why employers need to keep existing teams engaged and current on the latest threats and defences. There are three major tenets for a Cybersecurity Training program that must guide any training effort:
Security is an obligation, not an option.
Evolving technology and constantly changing threat landscapes require a long-term, agile commitment to security.
Skills development should be measured for effectiveness.
Who Conducts The Training?
For most organisations, the HR department is responsible for the implementation and deployment of a cybersecurity training framework. But cybersecurity is a very specialised, dynamic discipline, requiring a focused, expert-led approach. If HR is in charge of training as a function, cybersecurity or IT leadership must be engaged and remain involved in cybersecurity training by assuming the responsibility of creating a curriculum that maps to its needs.
What Should The Training Look Like?
Before implementing a training curriculum, an organisation should first conduct an assessment to determine any critical areas that need to be covered or specific requirements of the organisation
An assessment should cover elements including which systems, platforms and applications are in place, which changes, updates and upgrades are planned, what data and assets need to be protected, and where existing security knowledge and skills gaps may exist. In assessing training needs, care must be taken to focus on the organisation’s immediate and long-term. Identify your organisation’s most pressing needs and plan the training curriculum accordingly.
Approaching Training
A comprehensive cybersecurity curriculum should include internal training components as well as external components. To add to the knowledge gained through third-party programs, cybersecurity and IT security professionals should have opportunities to learn from their colleagues and senior team members who are familiar with the organisation’s specific environments and practices.
Cybersecurity professionals can learn in a number of ways, including from senior team members with on the job learning from senior peers, mentoring programs or one-on-one sessions and classroom instruction. These are just a few ways training can happen.
Challenge even your most experienced team members to share their knowledge and present to their peers. This not only facilitates more knowledge sharing but helps hone communications skills among your team.