A brand’s reputation can suffer significant damage when the company experiences a cybersecurity incident. Customers, partners and other stakeholders all turn inward and look at the company, holding them accountable for the incident and for any cybersecurity deficiencies that led to the incident..

Because of that, it is important for businesses to have their cybersecurity readiness sharp and on-point. It all starts with cybersecurity training throughout the company, despite a myth that cybersecurity training is ineffective because employees feel less satisfied in their positions.

Cybrary looked into this myth and found that 73% of companies, as noted in the recent “Myths of Training Cyber Professionals” report, say their teams’ cybersecurity performance showed more efficiency because of ongoing professional cybersecurity training.

With efficiency, companies lean more toward the parts of the cybersecurity operation that are behind the scenes, such as asset inventory, threat intelligence and compliance. Remember that these three things are crucial for successful cybersecurity strategies.

As for cybersecurity through the business, 62% of companies say training improved their organizations’ cybersecurity effectiveness. The obvious signs of improved cybersecurity are fewer successful intrusion attempts (i.e., breaches), fewer annual security events compared to industry and vertical market averages, better risk posture, and the ability to qualify for cybersecurity risk insurance.

Cybrary also found was that professional cybersecurity training decreases the likelihood of professionals leaving the organization, with almost half of the respondents backing up this statement. But cybersecurity training only decreases the turnover rate when it is paired with career advancement opportunities, which is likely the reason nearly six out of 10 organizations see a 15% annual cybersecurity staff turnover rate.

“The benefits of professional training are seen in the impact the employee has on the organization, in the overall risk posture of the organization and in the costs associated with finding and retaining highly skilled employees,” said Omdia Senior Analyst Curtis Franklin

Cybrary CEO Kevin Hanes (News - Alert) agreed with Franklin and added that proactively improving cybersecurity defenses also helps organizations “retain invaluable security talent despite market and organizational uncertainty.”