Reduce Cyber Threats with Cyber Awareness Training

It’s easy to think you can improve your cybersecurity simply by using a firewall, installing anti-virus software, securing networks, and regularly updating your systems. An overlooked area, however, is cyber awareness training. Why?

Verizon conducted a year-long investigation into the causes of data breaches. Their findings? More than one-third of data breaches involve employees. Chief among the causes were:

• Physical Actions (4%): Data breaches of this type relate to employees getting sloppy with assets. It leads to theft of laptops, phones, and storage devices.
• Unauthorized Use (8%): Misuse of information presents one concern. Employees may ignore access policies. In other cases, employees may copy, share, access, or even steal sensitive information.
• Human Error (22%): Employees make mistakes. It just happens. They can send information to the wrong person.
• Only criminal hacking, representing 45% of data breaches, tops those caused by employee actions.

According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, credential abuse now accounts for 22% of breaches and third-party involvement has doubled to 30%, while exploitation of vulnerabilities surged by 34%.

Remote and Tired Employees Exacerbate the Issue

Apparently stressed and tired employees make the situation worse, according to a report from Egress. It revealed that stressed, tired employees are behind 40% of the most severe data breaches. Fatigue leads to mistakes.

Remote workers increase your chances of a cyber-attack. Outbound emails have continued to rise, and misdirected emails remain one of the top causes of incidents reported. In fact, they are responsible for more incidents than phishing attacks.

How Security Training Can Help

Companies can reduce security-related risks by 70% through cyber awareness training, according to studies. It’s a cost-effective way to substantially reduce your exposure.

According to Mimecast, only 45% of companies provide formal cyber awareness training. Even worse, only 10% of companies have training programs available. Ongoing training is the best way to ensure your employees adopt a culture where cyber awareness is at the forefront.

Training needs to include all employment levels from administrative personnel all the way to the C-suite.

7 Benefits of Cybersecurity Training

Cybersecurity training benefits your business multiple ways:

1. Reducing Chances of a Breach: Security training reduces the chances of a breach. Employees become more aware and careful of mobile devices, securing passwords, and recognizing threats.
2. Establishing the First Line of Defense: Cybercriminals recognize that employees are the weak link in a company’s cybersecurity. Proper training creates an initial line of defense against cyber-attacks.
3. Building Confidence: Employees can take a more active role in cybersecurity. Cyber training increases confidence and reduces concerns about being ridiculed for causing a breach.
4. Creating Awareness: It’s imperative that employees understand how to identify and respond to potential threats. Many are aware of risks associated with suspicious links, but they still click on them. Training helps reduce this.
5. Establishing Rules and Policies: Training reinforces rules—such as shutting down computers, protecting passwords, and changing passwords routinely—that are vital for security.
6. Improving Incident Response Times: Trained staff spot and report threats faster, helping contain damage.
7. Supporting Cyber Insurance Requirements: Many insurers now require documented training as part of underwriting, making it critical for compliance and cost control.

Ensuring Compliance

Employee security training is a key component for compliance with HIPPA, PCI-DSS, and NIST 800-53. These standards bodies require security policies, including ensuring that employees are properly trained on their use.

More regulators are demanding that certain industries conduct cyber awareness training. Even if it isn’t a requirement today, it pays to be ready. Cyber insurance providers also often require documented training as part of their policies.

Cost Savings

Training employees to detect and avoid a cyber-threat costs much less than recovering from a cyber-attack. The average cost of a cyber-attack on companies is still hundreds of thousands of dollars, and for U.S. companies, the cost of a data breach has risen above $10 million on average according to IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report.

Even if you don’t go out of business after a breach, studies show nearly 30% of companies lose revenue, with some losing 20% or more. There are also legal ramifications, reputational harm, and severe downtime.

Protecting Customers

Cyber breaches will cost you customers. Nearly 2 out of every 3 consumers will avoid a business that has been victimized by a cyber-attack. Consumers also feel that companies aren’t doing enough to ensure security, which hurts trust.

Security breaches also damage your brand. A single incident can result in negative press, lost confidence, and customer turnover. Negative comments will spread quickly across social media and online reviews.

Secure Your Business with Cybersecurity Training

If you’re looking for a cybersecurity company near you in Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, or West Chester, PA, call us. Our cybersecurity services include training solutions from KnowBe4, the world’s largest integrated platform for security awareness training, with simulated phishing attacks and reporting to measure your progress and ROI.

After just 12 months of training, many organizations see their phish-prone percentage drop from nearly 38% to under 5%.

Our Complete IT package includes cyber awareness training and is also available as part of our supplemental IT services. If you need fully managed IT support, explore our Managed IT Services. For businesses that need to extend their in-house team, learn more about our Supplemental IT Support. We also provide Cybersecurity Services tailored to local businesses.

Book a free IT security consultation with IntermixIT—your trusted provider of IT support in Harrisburg, IT services in Lancaster, and surrounding areas—to see how we can help reduce your risk.