Information security awareness training
Training solutions for every business
At Red Clover, we customize our training methods to deliver the information your team needs in a way that makes sense for them.
Full-spectrum privacy training
We work with clients to cover the intricacies of privacy requirements for:
Training for teams of 5 or 500
Once the Gap & Maturity Analysis has been run and once the data inventory is complete, you have options for what comes next.
Company-wide training
Privacy involves everyone in your company no matter what industry or niche you’re in. We bring everyone onto the same page that legal requirements surrounding personal information, data access and handling, and the role of privacy protections in your company.
Small group training for departments
Company-wide training is important, but keep this in mind: what your legal team needs to know is different than your marketing team. Your customer service representatives require a different approach than your HR department. (And so forth.)
At Red Clover, we’re prepared for that. We drill down to the industry requirements of specialized staff in your company to deliver nuanced training for everyone who needs it.
Answers you can actually use to questions you actually have
Red Clover Advisors has been making data privacy practices simple and straightforward for clients since Day 1. We bring privacy training to businesses that are looking for solutions that think outside-of-the-box training. (Not just out-of-the-box!)
Whether you’re a fresh startup that wants to prioritize privacy and compliance training from the get-go to an established business needing to reshape your approach, our training provides your team with information that is practical and actionable.
Take your company beyond compliance. Reach out to our team at Red Clover Advisors today to start with your free consultation.
FAQ
Who benefits from privacy training programs?
The big, philosophical answer is that all companies benefit from basic, ground-level privacy training programs when they want to create a culture around privacy and compliance. However, we can get a little more specific than that.
If your company has a mandate to comply with data privacy regulations like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), then it’s essential that your team is fully trained not just on foundational concepts in information security and privacy awareness.
How often does my team need to go through training?
Preparing your staff to handle privacy and data security issues is never a one-and-done deal. Technology, laws, regulations, and the corresponding best practices are ever-changing. Not to mention your staff isn’t static – employees move up in your organization, change roles, or move on to other opportunities. All of this means that you should regularly be evaluating your need for training – and then putting it on your calendar.
That being said, annual training is the industry standard, allowing for meaningful changes to be addressed without overtaxing your schedules. If your business is growing quickly or you’re seeing significant changes that need to be addressed, you can also provide supplement training tips and activities to ensure you’re meeting immediate needs.
Speaking of laws, does my staff have to get trained?
For many businesses, the answer will be yes. However, it does depend on the industry and the scope of business.
For example, the financial services industry is heavily regulated and has a broad range of data privacy and security requirements under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Marketing teams especially require training on privacy issues when it comes to CAN-SPAM, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL) regulations.
Moreover, some states require businesses and other entities have safeguards to protect personal information. California's Consumer Protection Act has been the most widely talked about lately, but Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas are other states that have regulations in place.
Why should my team get trained?
Security awareness + staff training = risk reduction
When you don’t train your staff on security awareness and cybersecurity issues, they’ll struggle to understand and appreciate the very real threats they face when they handle data and engage in online activities. Training can mitigate risky behavior by teaching the best practices for avoiding attacks, protecting your business, and ensuring that your customers’ personal information is handled in the most secure manner possible.
Why is this important? Research has found that 90% of cyberattacks involve human, not computer or software, error. Thankfully, human error can be reduced when your staff understands how they can help identify and prevent them. In other words, demystifying security by turning it into something that is real and actionable has a huge impact!
Data breaches cost a lot more than training
Data breaches pose a major risk to your company, no matter your size or industry. The average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million. Fines, fees, and legal action are part of this cost but most of it stems from the loss of business, which can last well beyond the initial impact and cleanup. According to data from 2019, 67% of costs associated with data breaches occurred in the first year, but 22% followed in the next year, and 11% the year after.
Even more costly are the reputational losses that you’ll suffer from a data breach. Your customers’ trust and your standing in your industry is something that is even harder to recoup than hard dollars.
What do you cover in privacy awareness training?
While getting down into the nitty-gritty of regulations has value for teams, it’s also important to cover big picture issues. That’s one of the big benefits of privacy awareness training – it allows your team to understand all the different ways privacy impacts their work, their personal lives, and others around them. Some of the topics that can be addressed in a privacy training program include (but aren’t limited to):
- Overview of privacy laws like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
- What is personal information?
- What do laws and regulations require?
- Vendor management
- Privacy risk assessment: what is it and when do you need one?
- Individual rights processes
- Best practices for data protection and management
- Software patches and computer updates
- Social engineering
- Identity theft
- Email scams
- Safety practices like password protection, safe browsing, and more
- Incident reporting
