Human error is one of the biggest risks when it comes to protecting data. That is why awareness training is a crucial weapon in the fight against cybercrime. If you want to optimize your IT Risk Management even more, it is important to focus systematically on competence development.

A common strategy for cybercriminals is to try to exploit employees to gain access to a company’s systems. Fortunately, we are seeing more and more companies responding actively with awareness training which aims to teach employees to spot the typical red flags for fraud and phishing and encourage better data processing discipline in general.

People over Systems

It is almost impossible to combat cyberattacks if there is a lack of fundamental understanding of the risks within the company – and this is where awareness training comes in.

For instance, it isn’t enough to implement procedures that rely on auxiliary systems if your employees don’t understand why they need to log reports in these systems. And if you, as an employee, aren’t aware of the risks within your field, you won’t be able to spot and report deviations from the norm.

Did you know?

You can leave workloads of maintaining and protecting your backup data in the hands of our dedicated team of backup specialists. Our solution protects your data in industry-certified national data centers, practicing separation of duties. Read more about Backup-as-a-Service 

Where are your knowledge resources inadequate?

To create an even more robust IT Risk Management system, you, as a manager, need to map your company’s critical skills. If you have systems requiring a specific level of expertise, certifications, or experience, then it is vital that you identify these skills.

You can then systematically ensure that your IT Risk Management processes include continual on-the-job training so that the company’s blend of skills always matches your overall risk assessment.

The combination of skills needed will vary from company to company and sector to sector. At B4Restore, there is a natural focus on incident management and limited knowledge resources in relation to specific IT systems. However, every company has examples of employees who must never under any circumstances be hit by the proverbial bus, because they possess unique business critical knowledge or are the only ones capable of performing a specific task.

When it comes to IT Risk Management, this is the type of situation you need to avoid at all costs.

> Read More: 3 Typical Errors Found in IT Audits
> Read More: 7 Healthy Habits for IT Risk Management