New Course: End-User Security Awareness

Believe it or not, the biggest IT security threat for organizations can be its very own employees. So it's paramount that end users be properly trained when it comes to using any electronic devices. Keith Barker's latest course, aptly named End-User Security Awareness, aims to help end users get up to speed on the latest IT security best practices, dos and don'ts, and more.

During the 26-video course, Keith covers topics including social engineering attacks, common password mistakes, two-factor authentication, and even how to respond to security incidents.

We asked Keith to share some thoughts about his new course, as well as IT security in general.

Q: Why should companies train their end users on IT security awareness? What value does developing security awareness skills bring to an organization and IT pros? A user may be the first or last line of defense against an attack, and is often the weakest link in security. Improving security awareness can assist in preventing loss.

Q: Who should learn security awareness skills? Every person who uses any type of computing device, or interacts with other people or systems, needs to have security awareness.

Q: From a learner perspective, what did you keep in mind when creating this course? I wanted every Nugget to be easily consumable, both in content and in length, by the average (as well as the exceptional) user.

Q: Any out-of-the-box tips for learners to get the most out of your course? Look at the concepts taught in the videos, and ask yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being high) how you are doing regarding that concept. If there are any items lower than a 4, work on those items first, to improve security.

Q: What was your favorite Nugget to create in this course? Multifactor authentication, password management, and social engineering were all fun topics to cover.

Q: What's the most important thing you hope learners take away from this course? Security is as much the end user's responsibility as anyone else.

Q: What course(s) or certification(s) should learners complete before diving into your End-User Security Awareness course? No prerequisites exist. This course is for everyone.

Q: What course(s) or certification(s) should learners look to jump into after they complete your End-User Security Awareness course? Perhaps more training on a topic that is of specific interest, based on what the user may have learned in the course.

Q: What's the most common end user threat to security that you've seen in your IT career? Several flavors of social engineering.

Q: What's the most incredible security breach due to end user Kill that you can recall? There are tons and the companies don't like to be named, but if I wanted a fairly current breach, I would include Mattel Corp.

Be the end user who IT pros love, up your security awareness with Keith's course today!