Resilient Data Security Training and Long-Term Compliance

Achieve long-term resilience to cybercrime with consistency

Estimated to soon reach a global cost of $10.5 trillion, information security crime—like data breaches, espionage, and ransomware—takes advantage of any vulnerabilities in your organization’s data security. Regulatory standards continue to evolve, making a strong, consistent approach to data protection more important than ever.

So, how do organizations cultivate long-term resiliency to data protection failures? Human error is just as likely to lead to a data breach as an external attack, demanding an organization-wide effort to ensure data privacy is a priority. Risk management begins with robust information security training that meets compliance requirements, helps you adapt to regulatory changes, and implements regular risk assessments.

In this post, explore the benefits of effective compliance training, challenges that come with the rapid advancement of technology, and training strategies you need to keep company and customer data safe.

Benefits of data security training: Safer individuals, safer company

From harassment prevention to data protection, consistent compliance training gives your employees a shared framework that they can rely on in tricky situations. Like regular fire drills in schools, effective training can turn a normally confusing, disorderly situation into an opportunity for learning.

Other benefits of data security training include:

• A safer work environment. Both sexual harassment and workplace safety training programs contribute to a safer, more inclusive environment for all employees.

• A stronger business reputation. Regular compliance training shows a true commitment to ethical and responsible business behavior, impressing a strong brand reputation on your employees and clients alike.

• Increased employee morale. When employees are equipped with the knowledge to avoid harmful situations in the workplace, their sense of ownership increases. Consistently practicing better decision-making skills in a training environment, especially when it comes to ethics, means employees are more likely to make the right choice during a busy, stressful workday.

• Increased operational efficiency. Reducing the amount of compliance errors that employees make increases overall organizational efficiency.

• Reduced legal and financial risk. Compliance training is essential for avoiding fines, lawsuits, and regulatory penalties. The cost of proactive risk mitigation will always be less than the cost of ignoring it.

While the benefits of compliance and data security training are clear, your training program has to overcome common challenges to achieve them.

Common challenges of data security training and compliance

Topics that can be dense, uncomfortable, and daunting aren’t always the most exciting for your employees to dive into. But the body of information itself isn’t the only challenge you’ll need your training to overcome.

Other challenges of data security training include:

• Engaging your employees. A lack of knowledge retention when it comes to compliance, ethics, and data security is a real concern. When employees leave compliance training without having been truly engaged, they’re quicker to make errors large and small, costing the organization in both the short and long term.

• Consistency across the organization. Even when personalized to a specific employee’s role, compliance training must be of consistent quality and detail across the organization. Whereas a skills training program may have different levels for different ranks, information security training must be high-level for everyone.

• Keeping up with change. As regulations and best practices continue to evolve, it’s difficult to keep compliance and ethics training up to date. For organizations with limited resources, this can be even more challenging.

• Effective measurement and analytics. Without the right tools, getting a clear picture of employee knowledge retention and potential training gaps can be extremely difficult.

• Cost-effectiveness. Training of all kinds can be expensive, so finding a cost-effective method of delivery while maintaining value across the board should be a priority.

Moving your compliance training to a more cost-effective online delivery method can overcome each of the above challenges. This will ensure ample opportunities for employee engagement, consistency in value, easy updating for regulatory changes, and effective measurement of employee knowledge.

The dual impact of AI on data privacy

If you know anything about AI, you know that it requires a massive amount of data to operate. Here’s a quick look at potential benefits and considerations regarding AI and data privacy:

• Improved data management. AI is quicker than humans to organize, secure, and manage personal data, making it easier for organizations to comply with privacy regulations.

• Advanced threat detection. Automated threat detection through AI improves data security efficiency while reducing the risk of breaches.

• Potential for bias and discrimination. AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on, which raises concerns about biased information sets that can potentially share private information, exacerbate misinformed stereotypes, and replicate unwanted patterns of unfairness.

For responsible use of AI within your organization:

• Don’t hesitate to advocate for ethical AI use as part of your organization’s compliance training.
• Be transparent about your organization’s AI policy, and be aware of the data privacy policies of the AI tools you use.
• Make human fact-checking of AI-generated content a regular part of your workflows.

Data security training strategies to engage employees and reduce risk

Imagine it’s your first week on the job. You just finished an engaging role-playing activity that will help distinguish your value to future clients, and then Glen from compliance walks in. He drops a five-pound handbook in front of each of you, and proceeds to deliver a 25-slide data security presentation with the charisma of a browning banana.

Most people tune out immediately as he reads the information directly off of each slide, and you only know it’s over when you notice a deafening silence take over the room. Then, Glen asks, “Any questions?” You’ve forgotten who you are, it’s started to rain outside, and you haven’t retained any information. Nonetheless, you shake your head no, no questions.

Employee compliance training doesn’t have to be like this.

More effective data security training strategies include:

1. Tailored training

To save time, structure compliance training to your organization’s specific needs, and customize content to match departmental needs. While the whole organization benefits from anti-harassment and discrimination training, your sales team—which likely uses a CRM system daily—needs more focused training on protecting sensitive customer data.

To implement tailored training without sacrificing valuable time, try authoring e-learning courses with the help of built-in AI tools. For example, if you have a bulleted list of regulations regarding the GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act), which protects consumer financial information, quickly convert them into AI-illustrated flashcards to boost employee engagement and knowledge retention.

2. Use real-life scenarios

Training of all kinds can often feel dull and irrelevant until an employee needs to apply that training to real life. Some of the most memorable compliance training moments happen when employees are asked to explore real case studies and examples where things went wrong.

To use real-life scenarios and make training relatable, try using effective branching scenario techniques like gradually increasing stakes, using ripple effects, and enacting time limits to induce a healthy amount of stress. Mimic real-life examples that help employees learn how to protect sensitive data or the latest phishing scams.

3. Make it interactive

As a general rule for all training, interactivity is key to employee engagement, knowledge retention, and—in the case of compliance training—reduced risks of data breaches, fines, and even reputational damage. Interactive quizzes, phishing simulations, and role-playing are all great examples.

To make training interactive, consider gamifying course content. This example takes inspiration from popular culture and the basic game concept of two truths and a lie to teach employees the importance of protecting confidential information.

4. Continuous learning

A recent study found that the average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million, and it’s expected to steadily increase every year. Your employees’ knowledge retention, then, is paramount to compliance training efforts. On that front, continuous learning can be your best weapon of defense.

To implement continuous learning, develop a variety of microlearning modules on the same topic. For example, if you’d like your employees to refresh their knowledge of industry regulations, you might create an interactive video, a quiz or knowledge check, and a game. While it may be the same content, employees will be grateful that it’s presented differently, encouraging more engagement and leading to increased knowledge retention.

5. Accurate measurement and feedback

Without accurately measuring each employee’s journey through compliance material, knowledge gaps will form quickly, and compliance failures will come as an unwelcome surprise. Additionally, if there’s no room for feedback on your training program, employees will be less likely to voice their concerns when they feel they need more learning or missed essential knowledge.

To implement accurate measurement and feedback channels, facilitate compliance training online. This gives you ample options for how to deliver your content and makes it easier to track completion rates, gain feedback from learners, and detect compliance gaps.

With compliance in mind, prioritize accessibility

As with all training courses, it’s important to always prioritize accessibility and usability when creating content so that learners of all levels and all abilities can experience engaging content. This could mean using contrasting colors for learners with low vision, screen readers for learners with dyslexia, or closed captions for learners with hearing loss.

Follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines at a minimum. Design courses to comply with Section 508 laws, which mandate that all federal documents, including e-learning, be accessible to learners with disabilities.

Inspired to learn more about resilient data privacy? Explore best practices to protect data and keep your learners and company safe.