Security Awareness Training in Place at Precision Plus

Michael Reader

By Jeff Lemmermann
Chief Information Officer, Precision Plus

In the headlines every day:
Computer hackers breach company, steal data. 

Even with technology’s constant advances and savvy IT professionals dedicated to prevent cyber attacks from happening, the “bad guys” seem to always find a way around technology and stay one step ahead of everyone else, compromising the personal information of many.

Most of the large data breaches nowadays are the result of social engineering.  Just one or two users fooled into clicking on something or giving up some bit of information can circumvent just about any protection.  So the goal has to be to let the users know about the threats and how to avoid them.

Criminals are on the lurk for the perfect opportunity to hack, often capitalizing from the launch of a new feature, such as the recent Facebook Messenger payment service, and the lack of knowledge by those attempting to use it. Often, subscribers receive a “phishing” email, which prompts them to enter personal information, user credentials, passwords, or to click on a potentially dangerous link.

One of the most important steps companies can take to combat cyber crime is to empower their employees with criminal tactic awareness tools, as well as information and updates on new threats and cyber criminal trends.

To accomplish these initiatives, Precision Plus’ Security Awareness Training Program uses a combination of live learning sessions, online classes, email notices on emerging threats, and a dedicated user tool which tests the users’ ability to identify fake emails. Our Security Awareness Training Program is an ongoing effort, offering a variety of training points and methods to suit the spectrum of user needs and learning preferences.

The education sessions, for example, which are conducted several times per year, consist of 30 to 40-minute conferences, focusing on the latest threats, online tools for protection, and programs that can be installed at home to help protect personal information.

Through implementing programs such as these, Precision Plus, hopes to give our employees the tools and knowledge that will help them make the right decisions when facing a doubtful cyber situation. There is no substitute for a knowledgeable user to prevent an information security incident.