Human Error is still the number one cause of most data breaches. Employees are putting the businesses they work for at risk because of their lack of knowledge, unintentional actions or lack of action, inability to recognize and intercept threats and attacks. As a result, they fall victim to social engineering or phishing attacks.

Implementation of security awareness training can help turn this situation around by making employees understand the role they play in combating security breaches. An effective SAT program that develops their knowledge so that employees become strong links, should be at the forefront for improving organization’s security posture.

Most employees are not excited about cyber security trainings. Long lectures, boring presentations, and unrelatable examples won’t help keeping their attention throughout the whole training. They key is to make the training interactive and that’s where gamification comes in.

“ Games are the only force in this known universe that can get people take actions against their self-interest, in a predictable way, without using force.”

– Gabe Zichermann

Why gamify security awareness training

As Cybercrimes show no sign of slowing down, many businesses are looking out for effective security awareness training programs that are not only educational but also engaging. Gamification is changing the way organizations think about and roll out cyber security training. It can make a better learning environment for SAT programs by applying game concepts and mechanisms to engage and motivate users. With gamified learning, you can maximize user engagement and retention. By making the training more interactive and fun, the users are engaged, interested, paying attention, and learning.

Studies show that gamification has positive effects in improving learning outcomes on multiple occasions. These gamified initiatives have increased workplace engagement by 48%. 72% of employees claim gamification inspires them to work harder. It has been demonstrated to boost employee productivity by 90%.

As our world becomes more connected through advancements in technology, hacking methods and cyber-attacks are advancing too. It’s time for people to take cyber security seriously and learn more about it. Gamification can really change the game when users are not keen to learn about a certain topic. The motivational aspects of game-like elements and rewards can put phishing training in a positive light.

Conclusion

Employees are now the first line of defense for cyber-attacks, so they need to recognize the threats and make decisions when time is of essence. Hence, it is imperative for companies to educate their workforce on cyber security and equip them with the right knowledge and training. Having a creative and innovative approach to training can make a huge difference — not only will it be engaging for employees, but it is more likely they will be more proficient in identifying cyber-threats.

We at Progist have built a pool of games that can be incorporated with your employee awareness program for a fun, interactive experience for your employees.

We also offer free trial for ProPHISH platform based phishing simulation. To know more about ProPhish Employee Awareness Program (PEAP) — reach us out at info@progist.net