Security Starts With Humans So Cybersecurity Awareness Training Really Matters

The Human Firewall: Why It Matters

Benefits of Security Awareness Training

What is Security Awareness Training?

How Often Should Training Be Delivered?

The Success of Training

Real Life Case Studies: The Power of Training

Compliance and Insurance Considerations

What’s Next in Awareness Training?

How Blue Saffron Can Help

Final Thoughts

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Cybersecurity Awareness Training

No matter how robust your tech stack is, humans remain the most common vector of attacks. Cybercriminals exploit trust, authority, and a sense of urgency to trick employees into surrendering credentials, deploying malware, or exposing sensitive data.

Security awareness training wipes out such threats by equipping employees with the abilities and confidence to recognise suspicious activity and respond in kind. An effectively trained labour force not only avoids the incidents but also boosts the rate of incident reporting as well as response speed when attacks do occur.

1. Risk Reduction
Training reduces the risk of successful attack by teaching employees to recognise warning indicators for phishing emails, suspicious requests, and unusual system behavior.

2. A Security-Focused Culture
Integrating awareness into everyday practice instills a culture where employees understand their role in protecting the business, so safe behavior becomes second nature.

3. Improved Incident Response
Employees that identify and report issues early give IT and security teams valuable time to react, reducing damage and disruption.

4. Compliance and Assurance
Most GDPR, ISO 27001, and NIS2 regulatory requirements demand evidence of periodic awareness training. Evidence of this reduces regulatory risk and can even lower the cost of cyber insurance.

Effective training is more than “find the phishing email.” Effective training must cover the most prevalent threats workers face every day:

• Phishing & Social Engineering – recognising suspicious emails, texts, and calls.
• Passwords & Access Management – awareness of the threat of reuse, stolen credentials, and the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Ransomware & Malware – knowledge on how malicious files get installed and how to avoid inadvertently downloading them.
• Social Media Risks – prevention of over-sharing on LinkedIn or falling prey to fake recruitment scams.
• Remote & Cloud Security – protecting home networks, VPNs, and cloud misconfiguration.
• Emerging Threats – deepfakes, AI-powered phishing, and QR-code (“quishing”) attacks.

Through these topics, organisations make training real, in the here-and-now, and in action.

Far too many organisations continue to deliver training once a year — but one day’s training per annum is never enough. Threats are evolving too quickly, and learning spoils over time.

Best practice is:

• Quarterly reminders on key subjects.
• Monthly phishing tests to remain vigilant.
• Microlearning modules (5–10 minutes) that can be scheduled around busy lives.
• Onboarding for all new starters.

The objective is to make cybersecurity awareness a habitual behaviour, not a box-ticker.

Training is a success only when behaviour has been altered. To measure impact, organisations must track:

• Phishing simulation click rates – are fewer employees being fooled by test attacks?
• Reporting rates – how many employees are taking the initiative to report suspicious emails or activity?
• Incident trends – has breach and data mishandling decreased?
• Survey respondents — are employees more confident to identify risks?

These metrics demonstrate improvement to regulators, insurers, and the leadership team — and show a genuine return on investment.

Co-op (UK Retailer)

In April 2025, the Co-operative Group disclosed that personal details of 6.5 million members had been breached as part of a cyberattack. The attackers used social engineering and impersonation to trick employees and infiltrate internal systems. To contain the breach, Co-op shut down segments of its IT infrastructure, causing disruptions to stores and supply chains. The breach has already cost the firm tens of millions of pounds in lost business.

Lesson: Even well-resourced, large organisations can be toppled by human cunning. Attackers don’t always “hack” systems — they are fooled. Verification processes, employee training, and incident-response readiness are needed to limit data loss and business impact.

Marks & Spencer (M&S)

During Easter 2025, Marks & Spencer announced a cyber attack that disrupted orders placed online, click & collect, and even contactless payments. The intrusion was attributed to human blunder by a third-party supplier, which gave hackers an entry point for breaching systems. The monetary damage was conservatively estimated at £300 million in lost revenue and remediation.

Lesson: Human error in the supply chain can be as devastating as within. Organisations need to overlay their “human firewall” to safeguard partners and suppliers, with particular security expectations, access controls, and vigilance.

Security awareness training isn’t optional. Regulations and insurers currently demand proof that staff are trained:

• GDPR – requires “appropriate technical and organisational measures,” including training.
• ISO 27001 – values awareness and competence as information security controls.
• NIS2 Directive (EU/UK) – mandates more robust security practices and incident reporting, with staff training at the center of compliance.
• Cyber Insurance – insurers are verifying training records before policy issuance or renewal, and premiums may be reduced for organisations which are able to demonstrate resilience.

Adding awareness training isn’t simply good practice — it’s compliance and fiscal safeguard.

The threat landscape keeps evolving, and so must training. New trends are:

• AI-powered attacks – very realistic phishing, deepfake voice, and video impersonation.
• Personalised training – adapting content based on role, behaviour, and previous test results.
• Gamification – using competitions, leaderboards, and rewards to keep interest levels high.
• Behavioural nudges – security alerts embedded in processes (e.g. email banners for external messages).
• Engagement with culture – Security as part of the regular discussion, rather than an annual course.

The future of awareness training is agility: equipping workers with the knowledge and instincts necessary to respond confidently as new threats emerge.

At Blue Saffron, we deliver tailored awareness training that turns people into your strongest defence. From phishing simulations to compliance-focused programmes, we help organisations reduce risk, measure progress, and build a lasting culture of security.

Contact Blue Saffron today to discuss how we can help build a tailored training programme for your organisation.

Technology won’t stop every attack on its own. Humans remain the most common entry point — but with proper training, they can also be your strongest defence.

Security awareness training equips your staff to detect, resist, and report threats. It instills a culture of caution, reduces the risk, and helps meet compliance obligations. Most importantly, it makes your staff a solid “human firewall” against ever-evolving cyber threats.

What is security awareness training?

Security awareness training is a programme that teaches employees how to recognise and respond to cyber threats such as phishing, ransomware, and social engineering. Its goal is to reduce risk by making people your first line of defence.

Why is security awareness training important?

Most breaches still involve human error. Training equips employees to spot threats, reduces the likelihood of successful attacks, and helps organisations meet compliance obligations under regulations like GDPR and ISO 27001.

How often should employees do security awareness training?

Best practice is to provide continuous training. That means annual compliance modules, quarterly refreshers, and monthly phishing simulations to keep knowledge sharp.

What topics should be included in security awareness training?

Core areas include phishing, social engineering, password hygiene, ransomware, cloud and remote security, safe use of social media, and emerging threats like AI-driven scams and deepfakes.

How do you measure the success of training?

Metrics include reduced click rates in phishing simulations, increased reporting of suspicious emails, survey results showing confidence improvements, and fewer real incidents caused by error.