Why Employee Cybersecurity Training Matters More Than Ever in 2025

What would happen if one of your employees unknowingly took some action that led to a cyber incident, causing significant financial damage and operational disruptions. For many small and medium-sized businesses, a lack of employee cybersecurity awareness has become a business liability.

With cybersecurity incidents on the rise, have you ever asked yourself: “Would my employees recognize and stop a modern phishing email if it landed in their inbox today?” 
Or maybe: “Is our cybersecurity training really keeping pace with the speed and sophistication of AI-driven threats?” 

The growing number of cyberattacks both here and abroad means no organization is completely safe from the tentacles of threat actors looking to gain unauthorized access to your systems by tricking an employee into taking some adverse action.

A careless or unsuspecting mistake—such as unknowingly sending money to an account controlled by the attackers, clicking on a malicious link, or downloading an infected file—could spell financial ruin for many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

In this article, we’ll examine the key benefits of educating your employees about how to spot new and emerging cyberthreats and how to steer clear of them.

After reading this article, you’ll have a better understanding of the importance of employee cybersecurity awareness training and why not providing it can be just as harmful—if not more so—as not having adequate physical and technical cybersecurity measures in place.

With this information, you’ll know exactly what kind of employee cybersecurity awareness training you need and what it should entail to best ensure the ongoing safety and security of your business, systems, devices, and critical data.

Why Are Attackers Targeting Your Employees More Often Than Your Technology?

Today’s cybercriminals have at their disposal advanced tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help them compile background information on their targets and predict behavior.

The attackers may initially strike up a conversation with their target via email or text, for example, using readily available information obtained from the person’s social media pages, LinkedIn profile, company website, and other sources.

Armed with this information, bad actors are able to build a rapport with the target as a way to develop blind trust. This is critical to the attackers being able to successfully carry out their scheme.

That’s because hackers understand that it’s often much easier to get a foothold into your systems by exploiting the weakest security link within your organization—your staff—rather than attempt to penetrate your technical security defenses.

How Are AI-powered Phishing Attacks Evolving? Why Are They Getting Harder To Detect?

For instance, consider this scenario:

An employee in your finance department receives an urgent email supposedly sent from your finance director asking that money be transferred to a new account to pay a vendor. Wanting to make a good impression, the employee promptly complies with the request, despite having quiet misgivings about the unusual ask.

Although the request appeared legitimate, it was actually a sophisticated phishing attack. Threat actors are using AI to create convincing fake emails, texts, phone calls, and videos. These phishing schemes rely on human error to provide a backdoor way into your network.

Once inside, attackers have easy access to snoop around your systems and databases, study your behavior, and launch larger cyberattacks to steal or compromise your data or cause other harm.

How Can Having Inconsistent Or Outdated Training Leave Businesses Exposed?

Organizations that are not providing regular, ongoing employee cybersecurity awareness training is like putting an X on their own backs.

That’s because studies have shown that employees are responsible for the overwhelming majority of breaches—as much as 95 percent!

Failing to provide adequate cybersecurity training is equivalent to not fixing a known security vulnerability. Doing so invites trouble, significantly increasing the cybersecurity risks to your business.

What Does Modern Phishing Look Like And Why Is It Harder To Spot? 

In 2025, phishing isn’t solely about pushing out emails with links to fake websites or corrupted files. Attackers are using AI to: 

• Generate emails and other communication that can convincingly impersonate your vendors, staff, or even company executives 

• Match tone, style, and language so messages look authentic 

• Time their attacks to land when you’re busiest and less alert to potential threats

Without continuous training, even your most careful employees may miss many of these red flags. It only takes one person taking an adverse action, such as clicking on a malicious link or downloading an infected file, to expose sensitive data or compromise entire systems. 

Why Is It No Longer Enough To Provide Annual Employee Cybersecurity Awareness Training? 

You might be thinking: I already provide cybersecurity awareness training to my team every year. That should be sufficient.

The problem with that argument is that cyber threats are constantly evolving and cybercriminals are deploying increasingly sophisticated methods to get around your technical defenses to worm their way into your systems.

So, annual training sessions do little to combat the steady bombardment of cybersecurity threats targeting businesses today. Sporadically scheduled training sessions are also ineffective in combatting today’s dynamic cybersecurity threats.

In short, regular, ongoing employee cybersecurity awareness training builds cybersecurity “muscle memory,” keeping employees alert and educated about the latest cyber threats and confident in their ability to spot them and avoid falling prey.

In cybersecurity, knowledge is power. By providing recurring, regular cybersecurity awareness training to your entire team, you will help foster a culture of cybersecurity throughout your organization.

In doing so, your employees become your strongest security defense, not the biggest liability.

How Can Businesses Create A Cybersecurity-Centered Culture Across Their Organizations?

It starts at the top. When business leaders make cybersecurity training a priority, employees follow suit. Training shouldn’t feel like a box to check or another mundane task to complete; it should be part of how your company operates every day. 

That means: 

• Requiring cybersecurity awareness training for new hires 

• Reinforcing your cybersecurity protocols and policies during team meetings and real-world use cases during day-to-day operations

• Encouraging employees to ask questions and follow your protocols for reporting suspicious activity

The goal is to make cybersecurity an ingrained part of your company culture so that every employee feels empowered to protect your data, your IT equipment, and your business. 

The Bottom Line: Ongoing Cybersecurity Awareness Training Is Essential To Keep Your Business Secure.

Cybersecurity no longer means simply installing antivirus and anti-malware software or adopting next generation firewalls. Today, the core part of an organization’s cybersecurity defense is not its technology, but its people.

One of the biggest challenges businesses are facing today is that bad actors are using sophisticated measures to launch stealth cyber incidents that can readily fool employees who don’t have the proper training to be able to spot deepfakes and other ruses.

Inconsistent training creates security gaps attackers are all too eager to exploit. That’s why it’s no longer optional to provide regular employee cybersecurity awareness training to stay one step ahead of crafty cybercriminals.

If you haven’t made ongoing employee cybersecurity awareness training an essential part of your organization’s cybersecurity controls, managed IT services could be an option.

With managed employee cybersecurity awareness training, your staff would receive ongoing training, including modules to simulate real-world cyber threats, ensuring they stay informed about the latest tactics being used by threat actors and how to avoid them.

In addition, by partnering with a managed IT service provider (MSP), you would instantly gain an entire team of IT professionals and cybersecurity experts with the specialized skills and expertise to help you implement the right security tools, systems, and policies to keep your business running smoothly and securely.

Most businesses don’t think they need a strong cybersecurity posture until after a cyber incident. Don’t wait until the worst-case scenario happens.

Proactive steps like employee cybersecurity awareness can go a long way toward helping you build a strong security defense and minimizing risk.

If you’re unsure of your current cybersecurity posture and want to learn more about how managed IT can help protect your sensitive data, valuable IT assets, and your business, we’re here to help. Reach out now to start a conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is employee cybersecurity awareness training?

It’s structured education training that teaches your employees how to spot and respond to common cyber threats like phishing emails, malware, and social engineering tactics that could compromise your entire business. The goal is to reduce human error and strengthen your company’s overall security posture.

2. How often should we train employees?

We recommend monthly training for best results. At minimum, quarterly sessions should be held. Simulated phishing attacks should also be run regularly to test how well your employees apply what they’ve learned, and to keep cybersecurity culture top of mind in your organization.

3. What does a good training program include?

Effective programs cover phishing awareness, password hygiene, mobile device safety, ransomware and social engineering tactics, incident reporting, and role-specific guidance for departments like finance, HR, and IT.

4. How long are the training sessions?

Sessions can range from quick 2-minute videos to 45-minute modules with quizzes. Short videos and quick interactive games are great for monthly refreshers.

5. What does cybersecurity training typically cost?

On average, expect to pay around $5 per user per month. Pricing can vary depending on how interactive or in-depth the training is. Some programs offer basic, short video modules, while others include quizzes, games, and phishing simulations.

6. Why are phishing simulations important?

They help you measure how well employees apply what they’ve learned. More importantly, simulations mimic real-world attacks and provide insight into who clicked, who reported, and where additional training is needed, or what systems may need more attention to improve your cybersecurity.