When businesses think of cybersecurity, they often imagine firewalls, antivirus, and technical tools keeping the bad guys out. What they don’t think about is the human element:
- The accountant who reuses the same password everywhere
- The customer service rep who holds the door open for someone who “looks like they belong”
- The junior employee who uploads sensitive files to Google Drive to “work from home”
These aren’t hackers. They’re your people, and they’re often your biggest risk.
This is where security awareness training comes in, but not the way most people think.
For a lot of companies, even small and mid-sized ones, security awareness is treated like a checkbox. Once a year, employees sit through a canned video, maybe answer a few quiz questions, and get back to their real jobs.
That kind of program might satisfy an auditor, but it doesn’t change any behavior.
The real goal of security awareness isn’t knowledge — it’s behavior change. It’s about helping people make smarter choices in the moment: when they get that suspicious email, when they’re asked to plug in a USB they found in the parking lot, or when someone tailgates behind them into the building.
Behavior change doesn’t happen from once-a-year training. It takes engagement, relevance, and reinforcement.
The term “insider threat” tends to conjure images of angry employees stealing trade secrets, but the more common, and more damaging, cases usually come down to someone making a mistake:
- A payroll manager falls for a phishing email and wires money to a fake vendor
- A well-meaning IT intern disables security software to “fix performance issues”
- An office assistant leaves a laptop in the car—unlocked, and full of client data
These aren’t bad actors. They’re good employees who were never trained to spot a threat or never felt empowered to ask questions.
That’s why a strong awareness program is one of the most effective and affordable ways to reduce insider threats, especially for smaller businesses that may not have a dedicated security team.
When I earned the SANS Security Awareness Professional (SSAP) certification, one core message stuck with me:
You’re not building a training program. You’re building a culture.
SSAP focuses on how to design awareness efforts that go beyond checklists and into programs that influence how people think and behave. It covers everything from communication strategies to behavior metrics, and emphasizes that you don’t need a massive budget to make an impact.
One of the best takeaways? Start small but be intentional. Even sending short monthly tips or running a quarterly phishing simulation—if it’s done well—can significantly improve your team’s instincts over time.
Here’s what that might look like in a smaller business:
- A receptionist spots a spoofed email from the “CEO” and reports it instead of clicking
- A sales manager now locks their laptop in the trunk instead of leaving it visible
- An employee in finance pauses before clicking a link, then forwards it to IT instead
These are small wins—but they matter, and over time they add up to a stronger, more resilient organization.
If your awareness efforts are limited to a once-a-year webinar, here are a few ways to build something stronger without overwhelming your team:
- Keep it relevant – Tailor messaging to departments. The risks facing HR aren’t the same as those facing IT.
- Keep it short – A 90-second tip every month is better than an hour-long lecture once a year.
- Use real examples – If it happened in your industry or town, talk about it. People pay attention when it feels close to home.
- Encourage reporting – Create a culture where speaking up is rewarded, not punished.
- Measure what matters – Track behavior over time: who reports phishing, who reuses passwords, who engages.
Security awareness isn’t about nagging employees or making them afraid to open email. It’s about giving them confidenceto pause, question, and report when something feels off.
This isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a practical, cost-effective way to reduce risk where it matters most: inside the walls.
As someone who’s completed the SSAP certification and worked with businesses to improve their awareness strategies, I can say with confidence: a well-run awareness program won’t just check the compliance box, it protects your business.