Effective Security Awareness Training

Security awareness training makes everyone aware of the potential security risks and ensures adherence to security processes. It is essential to a security culture that safeguards people, information, and assets.

Determine training requirements

Knighthood uses a consistent and structured method to determine your organisation’s training requirements.

What the training covers

Security awareness training is designed to:

Address risks identified during risk review
Ensure compliance with security policies and processes
Encourage employees and contractors to take personal responsibility for effective security, regardless of role or access level

Training covers the security measures in your facilities, in facilities handling your information and assets, and in places where your employees or contractors work. It includes policies and processes for:

Personal safety
Asset protection
Official information protection
Reporting — security incidents, changes in personal circumstances, and mandatory or legislative reporting requirements
Attending security briefings when required

Who is trained

Knighthood provides security awareness training and briefings to all employees and contractors based in your facilities.

Training goals

Everyone in the organisation needs to understand the security rules and the responsibilities that apply to their role or work area. They must also understand the threats the security measures are designed to combat, so the training sustains security rather than just describing it.

Training process

Training programmes use a mix of delivery methods based on customer requirements, and run as an ongoing, regular part of operations.

Onboarding

Include security awareness training in the onboarding process from the start.

Refreshers

Regular refresher training reminds employees of security measures and alerts them to new ones.

Emergency, safety, or security roles

People in emergency, safety, or security roles receive extra training so they can help keep everyone safe in a threat, and run exercises to practise their skills and confirm ongoing competence.

Communication

Stay engaged about security measures between formal training sessions:

Run security campaigns to address ongoing needs or special requirements tied to sensitive areas, activities, or timeframes
Broadcast security processes and hints through publications, electronic bulletins, and visual displays such as posters
Conduct security drills and exercises
Include security questions in job interviews
Include security attitudes and performance in the performance management programme

Employee safety handbook

Create an Employee Safety Handbook and make it readily available to everyone. It should include emergency response guidelines and contact information, safety requirements and procedures, and safety measures for areas of heightened risk such as public areas.

Protecting assets

Everyone should know how to safeguard the organisation’s assets. Before granting access, provide training on:

Using access control systems and other methods to secure assets
Complying with legal requirements for protecting assets
Reporting lost, damaged, or stolen assets
Following audit and inventory protocols for assets

Reporting security concerns

Create an internal process for reporting security concerns and train everyone to report the risks they encounter — for example:

Suspicious behaviour
Threatening behaviour communicated through letters, bomb threats, and phone calls
Lost, stolen, or broken security equipment
Security infringements and breaches
Full secure waste bins
Lost identity or credit cards
Lost protectively marked or official material
Serious wrongdoing (within the organisation or another)