Security Series: Part 3 — Best Practices & Strategies for Employee Training (Security Awareness, Phishing, Passwords, Data Handling)

Human error is still the number one cause of security breaches. Even with advanced firewalls and endpoint protection, a single employee clicking a phishing link or mishandling sensitive data can compromise your entire organisation. 

One of the most effective ways to prevent this is by delivering regular employee security awareness training that covers phishing, password security, and data handling. When done right, these programs don’t just reduce risk, they build a culture of security awareness across your business. 

In this blog, we’ll explore why employee training is critical, share examples of companies that suffered from neglecting it, and outline best practices to help you build a truly effective awareness program. We’ll also look at how Fortinet and Acronis, key partners of Britannic, provides tools and solutions to strengthen your people-first defence strategy. 

Why Employee Training Matters

People sit at the heart of every cybersecurity strategy - and every breach. Attackers increasingly target employees because it’s often easier to exploit human trust than to breach a firewall. 

A strong security awareness training program empowers employees to recognise and respond to risks confidently. 

• Phishing: Employees learn how to identify suspicious emails, links and attachments before interacting with them. 
• Password Security: Training reinforces the importance of unique, complex passwords and introduces secure password management tools. 
• Data Handling: Staff learn to classify, store and dispose of sensitive information correctly, ensuring compliance with GDPR and other regulations. 

 

“Employees are high-value targets for threat actors … an untrained workforce can introduce serious risk.” - from Fortinet’s Security Awareness & Training service description. 

In fact, Fortinet’s 2024 Security Awareness & Training report notes that 75% of organisations plan campaigns monthly or quarterly, indicating that regular reinforcement is already considered best practice.  

When Training Is Neglected: Case Studies & Failures 

Several businesses have suffered costly breaches due to inadequate training or poor security awareness. These examples show how a lack of education and engagement can open the door to major incidents. 

1. MGM Resorts (2023)

In 2023, MGM Resorts was hit by a major cyberattack that began with a social engineering call to an employee. Attackers convinced them to reset credentials, gaining access to key systems and causing days of disruption across operations. 

Impact: The breach cost MGM tens of millions and forced critical systems offline. 
Lesson: Regular awareness training on social engineering and verification could have prevented the compromise. 

2. 23andMe (2023)

A credential-stuffing attack on 23andMe exploited reused passwords from other data breaches. Without awareness of secure password practices and MFA, the incident compromised over 7 million user profiles. 

Impact: The company faced reputational damage and multiple class-action lawsuits. 
Lesson: Training on password hygiene and identity protection remains one of the simplest, most effective defences. 

3. Phishing Simulation Study (2024)

A national railway organisation ran a phishing simulation and found over 10% of staff clicked malicious links. After tailored awareness training, subsequent tests showed a dramatic drop in risky clicks. 

Impact: Real-world simulations revealed measurable behavioural change. 
Lesson: Continuous education and testing work - training is only effective if it’s ongoing. 

Best Practices for Building an Effective Security Awareness Program 

Creating an effective security awareness training program requires more than an annual e-learning course. It’s about changing behaviour, building confidence and embedding security into everyday culture. 

1. Segment Training by Role, Risk and Behaviour

Not all employees face the same threats. Tailor training by department and risk exposure. 

• Finance teams: spotting payment scams and invoice fraud. 

• Executives: defending against targeted spear-phishing. 

• Developers: practising secure coding and data handling. 

Use analytics to identify at-risk users and deliver more frequent refreshers. Reward employees who improve; recognition builds engagement. 

 

2. Use Real-World, Contextual Learning

Training must feel relevant. 

• Base examples on recent breaches or attacks in your industry. 

• Run phishing simulations that mimic your own communication tools. 

• Explain why policies matter, link outcomes to real consequences like lost revenue or GDPR fines. 

“Security awareness becomes effective only when people see themselves in the story.” - Jonathan Sharp, CEO, Britannic Technologies 

 

3. Make Training Continuous and Adaptive

Annual training is a tick-box exercise. Security habits fade without repetition. 

• Deliver microlearning modules regularly - short, engaging sessions improve recall. 

• Adapt training difficulty based on each employee’s progress. 

• Roll out new content when emerging threats appear, such as deepfake phishing or AI-generated scams. 

 

4. Simulate, Measure, Improve

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. 

• Conduct quarterly phishing simulations using varied techniques. 

• Track metrics: click rate, report rate and improvement trends. 

• Share department performance with leadership and celebrate improvement publicly. 

 

5. Integrate Training with Technical Controls

Training is most powerful when supported by enforcement. 

• Combine awareness with automated controls such as enforced MFA or password resets. 

• Use Fortinet’s FortiSIEM to correlate behaviour and identify ongoing risks. 

• Integrate data handling lessons with Fortinet’s DLP and Britannic’s managed monitoring services for real-time protection. 

 

6. Create a Security-First Culture

Training only sticks when culture reinforces it. 

• Get leadership involved - executives should participate in simulations. 

• Recognise positive behaviour, not just failures. 

• Encourage open reporting of phishing and “near misses” without blame. 

 

7. Align with Compliance and Risk Frameworks

Map training to frameworks like ISO 27001, PCI DSS and GDPR. 

• Track completion rates and behavioural metrics for audits. 

• Use Britannic’s reporting dashboards to show measurable progress and compliance alignment. 

 

8. Leverage Automation and Analytics

Automation ensures consistency and scalability. 

• Use Fortinet’s Security Awareness & Training Service to automate campaigns and track engagement. 

• Integrate with FortiSIEM or Acronis Cyber Protect for real-time visibility and response. 

• Use Britannic’s managed dashboards to translate human risk into actionable business intelligence. 

How Britannic And Our Partners Can Support Your Training Strategy

Fortinet Security Awareness & Training Service provides ready-made, gamified modules that cover phishing, password security and data handling. Built with behavioural science and real-world examples, it helps employees retain knowledge and change habits.

Britannic’s Managed Services ensure these training programs are seamlessly integrated with your network and security infrastructure - automating reminders, enforcing compliance and monitoring progress.

Acronis Cyber Protect complements this by reinforcing data protection best practices, enabling organisations to simulate recovery and response exercises safely.

Together, these solutions help organisations strengthen their human defences while maintaining measurable compliance and operational resilience.

Conclusion: Empowering People, Protecting Businesses 

Cybersecurity isn’t just about technology; it’s about people. Every phishing email ignored, every strong password created and every sensitive file handled correctly contributes to a stronger security posture. 

By investing in employee security awareness training focused on phishing, password security and data handling, businesses can reduce risk at its source. 

With Britannic, Fortinet and Acronis, your people don’t just become more aware- they become active participants in your defence strategy. 

Don’t wait for a mistake to expose your vulnerabilities. Build resilience from the inside out. 

Book A Meeting To Discuss Your Security Awareness, Phishing, Passwords Data Handling Training