Security awareness training helps employees recognize and stop cyber threats before they cause unintentional damage. It teaches them to recognize things like phishing emails and suspicious links, as well as how to use stronger passwords and speak up when something doesn’t look right.

For years, most companies treated security awareness training, SAT for short, like a once a year compliance chore. Watch a video, sign a form, and check the box. The problem? That kind of training doesn’t change behavior or prepare people for real world threats.

In 2025, effective training looks very different. It’s short, ongoing, and focused on real risks employees face. Instead of a single hour or longer session, companies are now using shorter, more regular micro trainings. They’re also doing phishing simulations and keeping dashboards that track employee and organization progress. The goal is to build confidence, awareness, and lasting habits instead of cramming it all into one technically heavy session full of jargon that no one remembers.

Eric Kong, Consilien’s vCIO- “Most companies still treat security awareness like a compliance checkbox. Watch a video once a year, sign a policy, and move on. That’s not training.”

Why Is Security Awareness Training Important?

People are the biggest factor in data breaches. The right technology can’t protect a business if employees don’t know how to spot and respond to threats. A firewall can block millions of attacks, but it only takes one person clicking a fake invoice to open the door.

The Human Risk Factor

The 2024 Verizon Data Breach Report found that nearly 3 out of 4 breaches involve people mistakes, stolen credentials, or phishing. That’s not a tech failure. It’s a people problem.

Eric Kong:
“This is exactly what happens when people aren’t paying attention and training isn’t reinforced. Human learning comes from repetition, you need to hammer it home.”

Without repetition, training fades and employees fall back into risky habits. Continuous training keeps awareness fresh.

The Business Case for Training (ROI)

Security awareness training is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways for business leaders to cut risk. In 2024, IBM released a Cost of a Data Breach Report. Their data put the global average breach cost at $4.45 million. For small and medium businesses, one incident can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Security awareness training costs less than a cup of coffee per employee each month. Preventing just one incident pays for years of training.

Eric Kong says, “the real ROI of security awareness training isn’t checking an insurance box. It’s preventing the very thing you’re insuring against in the first place.”

Compliance & Legal Requirements

For many businesses, training is mandatory.

HIPAA – Protects patient information.
PCI DSS – Training for staff handling payment card data.
CCPA – California privacy law requires employee awareness.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework – Recommends security awareness as a key control.

When businesses ignore these compliance requirements, they risk expensive fines, lawsuits, brand damage, customer loss, and more. In California, regulators act quickly against companies that neglect training.

Security awareness training closes these gaps. It helps employees meet compliance requirements in practice, reduces risk exposure, and can even lower cyber insurance premiums.

Core Benefits of Security Awareness Training

Security awareness training does more than check the compliance box. Done right, it delivers measurable business value. Some of the key benefits include:

Protects Sensitive Data

Every employee handles sensitive and private information. Customer records, financial data, or internal documents. Training teaches staff how to spot risks and handle data safely, reducing leaks, theft, and accidental exposure.

Reduces Human Error

Clicking a phishing link or sending data to the wrong person remain common causes of security breaches. Ongoing training provides repetition so that habits start to stick. Then employees are less likely to make mistakes. They will start doing things like double checking suspicious emails or using a password manager.

Builds Accountability & Culture

A strong security culture in a company means that the employees see themselves as part of the defense. Training makes it clear that cybersecurity is everyone’s job. It builds accountability with each individual. People are more likely to follow policies, report suspicious activity, and support one another with this approach. That shared responsibility is what turns security from a box to check into a culture of awareness in the organization.

Builds Customer Trust

Customers need to know their data is safe. When a business invests in security awareness training, it signals that they take protection seriously. That builds trust and can even set them apart from the competition.

Supports Compliance

Rules like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and California’s CCPA expect businesses to show that their employees get cybersecurity. Good training makes sure people don’t just hear the rules once but actually use them day to day. That makes audits less stressful and cuts down on expensive mistakes.

Lowers Insurance Premiums

Cyber insurers now demand proof of ongoing training. Companies that can demonstrate it often secure lower premiums. And in some cases, coverage depends on it.

What Topics Should Security Awareness Training Cover?

The highest rated programs focus on real risks your people face every day, then grow into compliance and long term culture. Think of it as building in layers. Start with the quickest wins and then add depth over time.

Phase 1- Quick Wins

Begin with the basics practices that make the biggest impact right away.

Phishing Awareness: Show employees how to recognize and report suspicious emails, links, and attachments.
Password Hygiene: Teach the value of strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Incident Reporting: Make sure everyone knows when and how to escalate an issue so small mistakes don’t turn into big problems.

Phase 2: Compliance and Risk Reduction

Once the basics are in place, then move into the areas that reduce regulatory and higher risk exposure:

Insider Threats: Help employees recognize risks that can come from inside the business, whether accidental or intentional.
Data Privacy: Train staff to properly handle customer and employee data from collection through disposal.
HIPAA and PCI DSS: Industry specific rules that carry real financial and legal consequences if ignored.

Phase 3: Long Term Culture

Finally, aim for a sustainable program that becomes part of daily work:

Remote and Hybrid Work Security: Keep data and devices safe when outside of the office.
Regular Phishing Simulations: Use safe, recurring tests to reinforce lessons and keep security awareness sharp.
Engagement and Gamification: Short, interactive modules and small rewards help training stick for longer.

At this stage, training is no longer a one time task. It becomes part of how the organization thinks and operates every day.

How to Build an Effective Security Awareness Program

A good security awareness program doesn’t just fall into place. It takes planning, consistency, and leadership support to work.

Here’s how to move past checkbox training and make it stick:

Step 1 — Make Training Ongoing

Annual sessions don’t work. People forget.
Use microlearning. These are short, engaging sessions delivered monthly or biweekly.
Repetition builds habits.

“Once or twice a year doesn’t work. At the very least, two mini-trainings per month.” – Eric Kong

Step 2 — Tailor Content to Roles & Risks

Different jobs face different threats.

Finance → wire fraud attempts
Customer service → phishing disguised as client requests
Customize content so training feels relevant and practical.

Step 3 — Use Realistic Phishing Simulations

Phishing is the #1 attack vector.
Run realistic practice tests to find weak spots in your organization before the bad guys do. If someone makes a mistake, use it as a chance to coach them, not punish them.

“If you don’t test your own user base here and there, you don’t know what will happen in a real attack.” – Eric Kong

Step 4 — Measure and Track KPIs

Track metrics that show progress.

Phish fail rate (clicks on test emails)
Time-to-report suspicious messages
Completion rates for modules
Repeat offenders who need extra help

Step 5 — Get Leadership Buy-In

Culture starts at the top.
When executives take training, talk about it, and model good behavior, employees follow.
Security awareness isn’t IT-only. It’s a business risk issue.

Awareness Training Maturity Model

Not every organization is at the same level when it comes to security awareness. Some companies are only covering the basics, while others weave cybersecurity into everyday work. Knowing where your business stands today helps you set the right next steps and expectations.

Stage 1: Ad-Hoc / Compliance Only

Annual or one-off training sessions
Focused on passing audits or meeting insurance demands
Employees disengaged, training feels like a checkbox

Stage 2: Risk-Based Training

Regular training, often monthly
Includes phishing simulations and role based modules
Performance tracked through metrics to find weak spots

Stage 3: Culture-Driven Awareness

Training becomes part of daily operations
Continuous microlearning backed by leadership
Employees report threats, hold peers accountable
Metrics tied to real outcomes like faster detection and lower incident costs

Security Awareness Training Checklist for Executives

“For security awareness training to really work, leaders have to see it as more than just an IT project. It’s a business priority. The right program cuts risk, keeps you compliant, and builds trust with customers and partners. Here’s a quick checklist to see if your training program is hitting the mark.

Do we deliver training continuously?
Annual training isn’t enough. Employees need short, regular sessions to build lasting habits.
Do we run phishing simulations?
Testing employees in realistic scenarios reveals vulnerabilities before attackers do.
Do we measure KPIs?
Metrics like phish fail rate, reporting time, and training completion show if progress is real.
Is training tied to compliance?
HIPAA, PCI DSS, and CCPA all require proof of employee awareness. Training should align with these standards.
Do executives participate?
Security culture starts at the top. When leadership takes part and communicates openly, employees follow their example.

The ROI of Security Awareness Training for SMBs in California

For small and medium businesses, the math is simple. Training costs little, a breach costs everything.

Take one California healthcare practice. A phishing email slipped through, staff missed the warning signs, and patient data was exposed. The result? A HIPAA investigation, a six-figure fine, legal fees, and reputational damage.

Now compare that to another SMB in the same region. They invested in ongoing security awareness training with phishing drills and reporting practice. When a real attack hit, staff caught it immediately. No breach. Their entire program cost less than 1% of the fine their peer paid.

For California businesses, the stakes are rising. The CCPA enforces strict data handling rules. HIPAA and PCI DSS add more requirements in healthcare, retail, and finance. Cyber insurers now demand proof of training before renewal and reward effective programs with lower premiums.

The ROI goes beyond compliance. Keeping training going all year helps catch more threats, spot problems faster, and save money when something does slip through.

Final Takeaways. Building a Culture of Security in 2025

Security awareness training isn’t a checkbox. It’s the foundation of business resilience in 2025. For SMBs, the choice isn’t about compliance alone. It’s about real risk reduction and proving to customers, partners, and insurers that you take security seriously.

As Eric Kong puts it, “Training isn’t about making people IT experts. It’s about giving them the confidence to make the right call in the moment.”

When training is continuous, relevant, and supported by leadership, employees stop being the weak link. They become your strongest defense. For small and mid-sized businesses in California and beyond, this shift can be the difference between suffering a costly breach and running a business people can trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should you do security awareness training?

Once a year is not enough. People forget what they learn and fall back into old habits. The most effective programs use short sessions delivered on a regular schedule. Monthly or biweekly micro trainings work well because the repetition helps employees build confidence and good instincts. Phishing simulations should also run throughout the year so employees keep their awareness sharp.

Is security awareness training mandatory?

For many businesses, yes. Rules like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and California’s CCPA expect organizations to show that employees understand how to protect sensitive data. Cyber insurers also require ongoing employee training before they renew a policy. Even when training is not legally required, most regulators view it as a basic control and expect to see it in place.

How do you measure training effectiveness?

Good programs track a few simple metrics. Start with phish fail rate, which is the percentage of people who click on fake phishing emails. Then watch how fast employees report suspicious messages. You can also measure completion rates for training modules and identify people who need extra help. When these numbers improve over time, it shows that training is working.

What is the best way to train non technical employees?

Keep the training short, practical, and tied to real workplace risks. Avoid technical terms and long lectures. Use quick lessons, simple examples, and realistic phishing tests so people learn by doing. When employees see how threats show up in their daily work, they pay attention and remember what to do. This approach works in every department, even for people with little or no IT background.

What Is Security Awareness Training & Why Your Business Needs It