Measuring WISP Training Effectiveness: Are Your Employees Truly Secure?
Before you get on a flight, which person would you want checking bags in security – the employee who watched a one hour on-demand training and checked a box stating that they understood what threats to watch for? Or, the employee who has ongoing training, passed a quiz to prove that they understand the policies, is actively tracking activities for review, and works in a culture where security is top of mind?
Most likely, we all would feel a lot more at peace with the second employee managing the bags that come into the airport – an effectively trained employee who proved understanding when onboarding and continues to learn about the latest threats, keeping a high level focus on your security.
This is why measuring WISP training effectiveness is just as important as the WISP itself.
Even the most extensive cybersecurity plan is only as effective as the employees trained to enforce it. That’s why it’s important to continually review how effective your IRS WISP training truly is. It’s not enough to check the box with one training session as a new hire or even an annual check in. Your staff’s security training must be ongoing, trackable, and always improving. A WISP is a “living” document.
Why measure WISP training effectiveness?
Employees are the first barrier against data breaches. These common IT vulnerabilities can put your organization at risk:
- Phishing emails
- Weak passwords
- Mishandling of sensitive information
Even if your IRS WISP is strong, policies are only as strong as the people who put them into place. Evaluating how well your employees understand your policies means that you can:
- Find where understanding is lacking and how you can improve it
- Make sure everyone is following best practices
- Reduce the chances of a data breach
- Prove to auditors and clients that your firm takes data security seriously
WISP Training Effectiveness Metrics
- Initial understanding of key policies: This can be done through quizzes or assessments that give you and your employees insight into how well your employees understand what the policy is and how to put it into action.
- Follow through: Once your employee has learned what the policy is, have regular check-ins set up to ensure that they are following security procedures day to day. Are they storing and sharing documents appropriately, using best password best practices, and following protocols on who has access to what data? These are the day-to-day situations where it matters most to be security focused.
- Track incidents: Keep an eye on the cadence of incidents involving employees. Ideally you want to see a decrease in errors or breaches signaling that your training is doing what it’s meant to do. If not, find out why and work to improve your training effectiveness.
- Encourage feedback: Keep the conversation open by inviting feedback on the company’s training materials: Is it easy to understand? Is the training short enough to stay engaged, but long enough to ensure all of the key details are included? Simple insights into training materials can help you continue to make improvements and grow a stronger, more secure team over time.
- Review your audit logs and activity: Your secure client portals and other systems should give you insight into employee behavior. Review these logs regularly noting areas where you may need to provide additional training.
WISP Builder makes training easy and affordable
WISP Builder not only helps you create, manage, and store your WISP, but it also provides tools and resources to help you effectively train your employees and measure WISP training effectiveness.
An IRS WISP is only as strong as the people who follow it.
It’s important to measure the effectiveness of employee training to help prevent data breaches, protect your client’s information, and maintain compliance. By tracking how well your employees understand and implement your WISP and by leveraging training tools from WISP Builder, you can have more peace of mind knowing your cybersecurity plan is in good hands. To get moving on your WISP, start here.
