{"id":18017,"date":"2026-02-19T09:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T14:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/?p=18017"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:48:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:48:00","slug":"cybersecurity-employee-awareness-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/cybersecurity-employee-awareness-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Cybersecurity Employee Awareness Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18018 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pexels-silverkblack-20955061.jpg\" alt=\"employee cybersecurity awareness tips\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pexels-silverkblack-20955061.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pexels-silverkblack-20955061-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pexels-silverkblack-20955061-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p><audio controls><source src=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7-Cybersecurity-Employee-Awareness-Tips.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mpeg\">Your browser does not support the audio element.<\/audio><\/p>\n<p><em>If cybersecurity is a concern for your business (and if not, it should be), one of the best ways to protect yourself is to ensure all of your employees are following the proper procedures and know what to look out for. But how do you do that effectively? Our cybersecurity partner, <a href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/2025\/01\/25\/cybersecurity_employee_awareness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OrbitalFire<\/a>, provides these tips on how your employees can help protect your data.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s no secret.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">No matter how many times we say \u201cdon\u2019t click that,\u201d someone <em>still<\/em> will. But here\u2019s the good news: with the right mindset, some smart training, and a little creativity, your people can become your strongest defense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Here are\u00a07 employee awareness tips\u00a0to help you build a\u00a0<em>Culture of Security <\/em>without putting everyone to sleep.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Establish the Right Goals<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">Before you launch a security awareness program, stop and ask:\u00a0<em>What are we trying to accomplish?<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Security isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all checklist. Understand your business, culture, risk tolerance, and your regulatory landscape. Then set\u00a0<strong>achievable goals<\/strong> that feel like opportunities and not obstacles. An achievable goal creates a sense of opportunity for the team!<\/p>\n<h2>2. Set Clear Expectations<\/h2>\n<p>From day one, employees should know exactly what\u2019s expected regarding cybersecurity.<\/p>\n<p>Integrate cybersecurity responsibilities into job descriptions, onboarding, and performance reviews. Define what\u2019s acceptable and what\u2019s not, and integrate these into the company culture.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Mandate Training (and Make It Matter)<\/h2>\n<p>If employees aren\u2019t doing their training, the issue probably isn\u2019t laziness. There&#8217;s usually a broken process or expectations problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Start building a\u00a0<em>Culture of Security<\/em> during onboarding. Make a training routine, make testing frequent, and tie it to evaluations.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Use Carrots, Not Sticks<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">Nobody learns well under a microscope. Instead of shaming mistakes, reward success. Public recognition, gamified training, and a little swag go a long way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Recognize top performers and turn training into a friendly competition. Never underestimate what people will do for bragging rights and a coffee gift card.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Never Waste a Crisis<\/h2>\n<p>When an incident happens, big or small, use it as a learning opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Talk openly about what went wrong, what it impacted, and how it can be prevented next time. Involve the team in the solution. Ownership builds awareness. Awareness builds resilience.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Have Some Fun With It<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, cybersecurity is serious. But training doesn\u2019t have to be boring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Add humor, memes, and mini-games to your modules. Hold a \u201cPhish Bowl\u201d competition. Print posters that make people stop and think. If they\u2019re laughing, they\u2019re learning.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Conduct Regular Incident Response Tabletops<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">Simulations aren\u2019t just for big enterprises. Tabletop exercises build muscle memory, so when the real thing happens, your team doesn\u2019t freeze.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Make them regular, low-stakes, and inclusive. Your people don\u2019t have to be techies to be part of the defense.<\/p>\n<h2>Final Thought: Culture &gt; Compliance<\/h2>\n<p class=\"\">If you\u2019re only training your team to check a box, you&#8217;re not building a true <em>Culture of Security<\/em>, which\u00a0means investing in people, not just policies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Start with one of these tips. Then another. Before you know it, your team will avoid risk and help shut it down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Employee_Awareness_Tips_2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download a cybersecurity employee awareness guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Need help getting started?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/orbitalfire.com\/\">Contact OrbitalFire.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>GTM\u2019s Cybersecurity Practices<\/h2>\n<p>Security is integral to our operations. It\u2019s at the core of what we do with multiple layers of protection embedded into our products, processes, and infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/why-gtm\/data-security\/\">state-of-the-art security measures<\/a>\u00a0are designed to safeguard your data from unauthorized access and cyber threats. We employ a robust combination of physical, administrative, and technical controls, including advanced encryption technologies, continuous network monitoring, and strict access controls, ensuring your data is protected around the clock.<\/p>\n<p>GTM undergoes annual security assessments conducted by the New York State Department of Financial Services and adheres to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity standards. GTM also undergoes several third-party audits, including SOC 1, Nacha, and financial statement audits.<\/p>\n<h3>Cyber and Data Breach Liability Insurance<\/h3>\n<p>As an additional security measure, cyber and data breach liability insurance is available to cover costs in the event of a cyberattack or data breach. A cyber liability and data breach insurance policy can help if your business\u2019s computers are infected with a virus that exposes private or sensitive information, your business is sued for losing customers\u2019 sensitive data, or your business incurs public relations costs to protect its reputation after a data breach.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in cyber and data breach insurance, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gtminsurance.com\/business-insurance\/cyber-data-breach-liability\/\">GTM Insurance Agency<\/a>\u00a0can discuss your options.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gtminsurance.com\/contact-us\/\">Contact them<\/a>\u00a0for a free quote or more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover employee cybersecurity awareness tips\u00a0to help you build a\u00a0culture of security and use your workers as your best of defense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[287,104,18,42],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-18017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gtm-biz-blog-isolved","tag-cybersecurity","tag-data-security","tag-employer-policies","tag-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18017"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18274,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18017\/revisions\/18274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18017"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gtm.com\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=18017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}