How can organizations improve cybersecurity awareness?

Building an awareness program in organizations is a difficult task that requires several criteria, but it is important to understand that your actions are very important tools to face attacks that exploit the human factor.

Therefore, companies need to create mechanisms so that awareness is implemented in their teams and in fact effective for the security of the institution.

Thus, understanding how to promote cybersecurity in the workplace is crucial, especially with attacks against companies that have doubled in recent years and have done so much damage in various sectors.

In this content, we will explore how companies can improve cybersecurity awareness, covering everything from the importance of creating a security culture to practical strategies.

If you are looking to strengthen your company's defense and engage your team around security, read on and discover the best practices to turn awareness into a true ally against digital threats.

Why is awareness a challenge?

Promoting cybersecurity awareness within organizations is a challenge that goes beyond the simple application of training.

One of the main obstacles is the lack of employee engagement, because professionals often do not realize the direct relevance of digital security in their routine.

As a result, they see the proposed actions as something far from their responsibilities and this lack of interest can lead to low adherence to the campaigns and, consequently, to the maintenance of risky behaviors.

Another factor that contributes to this difficulty is the excess of technical information present in many awareness programs.

Complex language, specific terms, and long explanations end up driving employees away, who may feel confused or unmotivated to learn.

For communication to be effective, it is necessary to translate the concepts in a simple, practical way and adapted to the context of the organization, showing how each attitude impacts the security of the business.

In addition, the false sense of security is a recurring problem, after all, many believe that technological solutions, such as antivirus and firewalls, are enough to protect company data, underestimating the importance of the human factor.

This thinking leads employees to neglect good practices, such as creating strong passwords, paying attention to suspicious links, and taking care of personal devices.

Thanks to this misperception, the company can become vulnerable to attacks, even with robust systems.

What strategies to improve awareness?

Threats evolve rapidly, so organizations need to adopt continuous, innovative strategies that involve the entire team.

The goal is not only to transmit information, but to change behaviors and create a mindset focused on security and to achieve this result, it is essential to work on different fronts.

Ranging from building a solid safety culture to using dynamic methods, such as microlearning and gamification, that make learning more engaging.

Creating a culture of safety

For awareness to be effective, it is necessary that safety is treated as an organizational value and not just as an obligation.

This means incorporating good practices into the day-to-day, encouraging safe behaviors in all areas of the company. Understand that culture is not born from an email, it is formed when security appears where work happens.

After all, when security is seen as part of the culture, employees come to understand that their attitudes have a direct impact on the protection of the business, becoming active agents against threats.

In this context, leadership plays a fundamental role, people need to see these professionals as examples.

In this way, leaders need to be engaged, communicate and reinforce the importance of security, with this they will be able to directly influence the adherence of the teams.

But the most important thing is that awareness should not be just an initiative of the IT sector, but a commitment of all areas, with managers demonstrating, through example and incentive, that data protection is a priority.

Ongoing training programs

Isolated campaigns are not enough to generate behavior change, because employees remember the topic in the week of training and forget about it the following month.

Therefore, awareness must be a continuous process, which follows the evolution of threats and keeps employees always alert.

Therefore, a structured and recurring program increases knowledge retention and ensures that good practices become permanent habits, reducing the risk of human error.

For this, it is essential to adopt effective learning methods, such as dynamic training, with content adapted to the audience's reality, and interactive approaches, which helps to make the experience more attractive.

In addition, the use of various formats, such as:

• Short videos;

• Quizzes;

• Case studies;

• Booklets.

  
  

It contributes to maintaining interest and broadening understanding. In this way, people will actually learn and retain knowledge, preparing them for possible cyber attacks and keeping them always on alert.

Microlearning and gamification

Microlearning stands out as an efficient solution for awareness programs. By offering short and objective content, it facilitates the assimilation of information without overloading employees.

This model is ideal for the corporate routine, where time is scarce and attention needs to be optimized. Therefore, small doses of knowledge applied regularly are more effective than long and sporadic training.

In addition, gamification combined with microlearning is a powerful tool to engage, because the use of challenges, scores, and rewards awakens healthy competitiveness and motivates employees to actively participate.

With this, these actions make learning more interactive and fun, transforming a topic considered complex into something accessible and interesting.

Phishing simulations

Phishing simulations are an essential practice for testing real-life behaviors. By exposing employees to controlled scenarios, it is possible to assess how they react to scam attempts, correct failures, and reinforce guidelines.

These actions help organizations measure people's maturity and know what would happen if these simulations were real.

With this, it increases the perception of risk and helps to consolidate learning, making awareness more effective.

In addition to applying simulations, it is important to monitor indicators that demonstrate the team's evolution. Metrics such as:

• Click-through rate;

• Response time;

• Engagement with campaigns.

  
  

They allow you to adjust strategies and direct specific training to groups that are more vulnerable and with concrete data, the company can make more assertive decisions and measure the return on actions.

Clear and accessible communication

As we said, often the lack of engagement of people and the simple fact that they do not understand the topics due to the complexity of the information, so an important pillar for awareness is clear communication.

Excessively technical terms can generate disinterest and make it difficult to understand the guidelines.

Thus, it is essential to translate complex concepts into a simple and practical language, which connects the importance of safety to the employee's daily life.

Thus, the message becomes closer and more effective. In addition, using real-world examples is a powerful way to contextualize risk.

Cases of attacks that affect other companies or common situations, such as email scams and fraudulent links, help to show that the threats are concrete and can happen to anyone.

This approach is important as it increases risk perception and motivates engagement in safety practices.

What are the essential KPIs to assess awareness?

Measurement is an indispensable pillar to ensure the effectiveness of awareness actions, for this, it is essential to monitor KPIs that show not only participation, but also behavior change.

Among the most relevant indicators are training completion rate, engagement with content, evolution in phishing simulations, and vulnerability index by area.

This data allows us to understand if the message is coming and if the practices are being applied on a daily basis.

But it is important to understand that it is not enough to just measure, it is necessary to turn insights into action, so adjustments must be guided by metrics and feedback from employees, ensuring that content is increasingly relevant.

PhishX is the ideal ally for awareness

PhishX serves as a strategic partner to turn awareness into measurable results.

We have a complete ecosystem for continuous monitoring, providing critical indicators such as training completion rate, engagement in interactive content, performance in phishing simulations.

In addition, we indicate evolution of the vulnerability index by teams or functions. This data provides a clear and actionable view into risky behaviors, allowing organizations to direct efforts to the most sensitive areas.

Our platform offers dynamic learning paths, using formats ranging from interactive microlearning to videos, quizzes, and infographics, ensuring that the message is clear, objective, and appropriate for different employee profiles.

This model reduces technical complexity and increases retention, making security a frictionless part of routine.

We also enable the execution of personalized campaigns that accompany the organization's maturity journey.

From contextual alerts to gamified challenges, campaigns are designed to engage, drive behavior change, and create a culture focused on information protection.

Complementing this strategy, our phishing simulations replicate realistic and varied scenarios, measuring the level of exposure and providing detailed metrics that drive action plans.

Thus, we combine practical learning and accurate data to ensure continuous evolution and real risk reduction.

Get in touch with our experts, schedule a demo, and learn how PhishX can help you in the awareness process!

Organizations can improve cybersecurity awareness