If you ask most business leaders where they’d spend an extra $50,000 of their IT budget, cybersecurity training probably wasn’t the primary answer that first came to mind. New software, better hardware, or even some new-fangled analytics tool probably feels more like an investment, while training feels more like a checkbox of compliance you have HR run through once a year. The truth is that’s backward, and it’s costing companies far more than the training itself would ever cost.
The math nobody wants to look at
In over a third of cases, a phishing attack was the start of the wading-in and escalation phase of the breach (VZ). That means that phishing simulation and awareness training is an essential part of your overall security strategy if you want to keep your organization off the front page. Because here’s something that budget line will get you: an answer to the “why did nobody tell me?”. A scapegoat might not be there to take the blame, but making time for proactive training is not an excuse any regulator, legal team, or media outlet will let slide. What happens next is always on you.
Humans are the entry point, not the endpoint
Unauthorized access caused by stolen logins or clicking on phishing links is the top way in – and to think nobody even had to hack the mainframe to read our data. A huge share of cloud-infrastructure users left logging open. The answer is everybody and their cousin because we were all holed-up in our living rooms trying to get as much work done as if we were still in the office, too busy and distracted to worry about something as tedious as who in the organization has access to what.
This isn’t breaking news. Social engineering doesn’t outsmart your firewall. It outfoxes a bad day, fifty tasks nagging your attention, and a follow-up request to IT from the new guy about where to store his work files because he skipped orientation – and clicked on the cloud-storage prompt he doesn’t remember. No amount of malware scanning and heuristic fingerprinting will make an ounce of difference. Your most expensive tech solution is crippled by human error once it’s used to authorize nefarious ingress.
This is also why the ol’ ‘just spend more money on tech’ strategy for security will always leave you vulnerable. You have MFA on every login, segment the corporate Wi-Fi network, and the best IT guy on retainer. Then Sam gives out the bank details to a fake supplier because the invoice spoof was too good and email too similar to notice. No foolproof computer solution stops that happening. But if you find support for your business technology needs and pair it with the right training, Sam knows what to look for before it’s too late.
One session a year isn’t training, it’s a formality
Many companies pay little attention to security when it comes to employees. They may do an annual presentation on the subject and think their work is done. However, such an annual security check isn’t enough in today’s world. Cyber attackers quickly find new strategies and an annual employee training can’t guarantee sufficient protection. Instead, employees should be trained regularly, with short drills or simulations that mimic real-life situations (phishing, for example), tailored to the sensitivity of their role. New threats should be immediately communicated to all staff members. Remote employees need additional training since they use home networks and computers.
The resource problem smaller companies actually have
This is the part larger enterprises don’t run into as often: most small and mid-sized businesses don’t have anyone whose job is specifically to run this. There’s no dedicated security awareness lead, no budget for a phishing simulation platform, and often no one internally who’s tracking which employees are repeat clickers. Building that capability from scratch is expensive and slow, and it’s not realistic for a company with a five-person IT team already stretched across help desk tickets and infrastructure.
That gap is exactly why so many SMBs partner with an outside provider to handle training alongside broader monitoring and support. A managed IT service can run phishing simulations, track results, deliver role-specific content, and fold all of it into the same relationship that handles your network and endpoint monitoring. If your team is stretched thin and security training keeps sliding down the priority list, it’s worth looking into that kind of partnership rather than trying to build the whole function in-house.
Compliance and insurance have already made the decision for you
If you’re not convinced by the return on investment, perhaps you’ll be swayed by the need to be compliant. Regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS are increasingly requiring that you have a formal security awareness program in place, not merely the existence of a policy in a filing cabinet. The cyber insurers are catching up as well. Many insurance policies now require proof of regular training before your coverage is approved, and they can deny your claim if they find that the problem started with an uninformed employee. In many sectors, training is becoming a required component for your insurance coverage, meaning you must do it to reap the benefits of those other security expenses you’re already paying for. Nor is a culture of security something that arises spontaneously. It requires regular reinforcement, leadership that approaches it as a joint responsibility rather than an IT issue, and a workforce that is in the habit of looking for threats. Get that right, and every other security dollar you spend will go further.
