5 Key Points to Convince Your Boss to Pay for Your Cybersecurity Training
By: Ronda Payne
Published On:
August 17, 2021
Cybersecurity is here to stay. The criminals aren’t going to take a break from hacking, phishing, malware, password attacks, ransomware, or any of the other multitude of ways of causing chaos. In fact, cyberattacks are only going to grow in their diversity and number. And so will the targets.
It used to be that governments, large corporations and companies with sensitive data were the only ones who needed cybersecurity, but those days are over. Now that cyber-criminals make use of the ease of automation, breaches are possible on any organization that has weaknesses. Small, large, high-profile, every-day operations – all are liable to experience a brush with cyber-criminals at some point in time.
The only way to prevent these ongoing risks of attack are to fix the weaknesses, prepare for attacks and know what to do if there is a breech. If your boss doesn’t know about the risks of attack, the potential costs, and the ways to help prevent them, this is your first in the 5 key points to convince them to have the company pay for your cybersecurity training:
- Ensure your boss understands the issues and the risks. There is no shortage of news reports and articles about the growth in cyber attacks and the need for securing an organization’s data and systems. Find information from a resource you know your boss trusts like this one from Fast Company about small businesses needing cybersecurity. There is also this one from the Financial Post about businesses not conducting regular penetration testing and the risks in that lack of diligence. Share these with your boss in a helpful way that indicates you’re interested in helping address the issue.
- Explain the benefits of having someone trained on the company’s team. Cybersecurity courses give employees the training they need to help the organization identify weaknesses and work towards prevention. The reality is that taking security+ certification training courses may not enable you to deal with every cybersecurity challenge, but you will be far more capable of seeing what needs to be done and what additional resources are required. If you have time to spare in your day, you might be able to convince your boss that it’s better put towards cybersecurity than helping in the warehouse or other tasks. This may also be what allows you to add additional training like network+ certification.
- Provide information about cybersecurity training. Your boss may be concerned that cybersecurity training is both expensive and time-consuming. The truth is that many education providers offer courses like CYSA+ certification and many others in short-term, bootcamp-style training workshops that are much more affordable than many post-secondary programs. This is because cybersecurity changes constantly and the need for accurate, actionable information must be delivered quickly in ways that can be applied immediately. You’ll be back to work and making a difference to the company’s security in less time than a vacation.
- Review your organization’s professional development policy. It could be that your boss agrees that getting A+ certification is a great idea, but they have no clue how to make it happen. Many organizations lack a standard professional development process, so training needs to be discussed on an individual and needs-based basis. It may come down to having an open conversation outside of the office with your boss about how the two of you can work together to create a plan that is approved by upper management to allow for your training.
- Have a plan for what you will do with the training. No one will want to spend money on your training if you can’t prove how, it will benefit the organization. While it seems obvious how cybersecurity training will help, you must prove that you will apply that training going forward. Take the time to understand what you’ll learn in your cybersecurity courses and know what you can reasonably tackle within the first 6, 12 and 24 months.
There’s no doubt that cybersecurity training is a necessary element for organization team members, and it may take time and planning to get your boss onside. Look at the need from the company’s point of view and be sure to follow through on your commitments after your first course. Chances are, you’ll be able to continue advancing your education – and your career – when you can give real-life demonstrations of your learning.
Disclaimer
The information contained in this post is considered true and accurate as of the publication date. However, the accuracy of this information may be impacted by changes in circumstances that occur after the time of publication. Ashton College assumes no liability for any error or omissions in the information contained in this post or any other post in our blog
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