Your company is like a living, breathing organism, evolving and growing. And fending off dangerous threats.
That makes solid cybersecurity much like an immune system, protecting and defending your company from all sorts of attacks.
And a good immune system needs to be strong, adaptable, and constantly evolving and learning to keep up with threats.
If we can push this analogy further, then knowledge is power, and therefore good training is absolutely vital!
Enter the world of cybersecurity training videos.
Simply put, cybersecurity training videos are just what they sound like: videos that help train employees on everything from best practices to keeping them on the cutting edge of the latest threats and software updates.
It’s for anyone who uses passwords, and has access to sensitive company data–really, anyone on your team that handles a computer or device.
Remember that like a chain, your organization is only as strong as its weakest link!
You might think that the main threat is from malicious hackers.
However, the majority of security breaches and leaks are caused by innocent mistakes as a result of lax cybersecurity protocols.
These include simple things like employees sharing passwords and logins, logging in remotely through insecure networks, unknowingly or unwittingly sharing data to the public, and so on.
This only underscores the importance of constant cybersecurity training for all employees, not just your IT team.
Is your cybersecurity training strategy as healthy and effective as it could be?
In this day and age, you can’t be too diligent.
Drop us a line below if you want to find out how video can supercharge your training to whole new levels!
There’s a perception that cybersecurity is something only huge Fortune 500 corporations need to worry about and that it doesn’t affect small businesses. But this is a dangerous mindset to hold.
The Federal Trade Commission crafted this simple but effective animated cybersecurity training video to shed light on the risks and threats that target small businesses in particular.
It also offers good advice on how to protect yourself and your business from these threats in practical ways.
While outside threats and hacking attacks are probably what you think of when it comes to cybersecurity, there’s another threat most companies don’t think too much about threats from within.
And often, done innocently and without malice.
Your employees are only human, and even the most driven and enthusiastic team can get frustrated and stressed out at times.
But in today’s completely interconnected world, even an innocent joke said in private can easily leak out and go public in the worst ways.
Your employees need to be mindful of internal communications spreading to people who never intended to see it.
So rather than being a downer, this video went the route of using humor.
It demonstrates the consequences of careless email conversations that get a little too honest.
Brilliantly acted and sharply written, this one entertains while still making its point clear to the viewers.
This is a great example of how you can use the power of storytelling in employee training!
By presenting a character in a commonplace situation, the viewer can connect with the story in a personal way.
And through this, the story teaches its audience about the risks involved in oversharing on social media.
And it does so in a way that feels real and relevant because the viewer realizes this could easily happen to them.
The animation helps to attract and hold attention easily, too, amplifying the story and bringing it to life.
The Crash Course series by the educational YouTube channel SciShow features lessons on a range of topics, using a mix of live expert hosts paired with beautiful animation.
They’re carefully crafted to go immersively in-depth but without overwhelming even a novice audience.
This is their cybersecurity overview lesson in their computer science course, and we can see their expert-level educational content at its best.
The animation is beautiful and sublime, with just the right levels of humor and levity to keep things interesting.
Note how they use kinetic typography in the form of blocks of text to emphasize the critical points.
These videos are a prime example of what the power of animated storytelling can do for your cybersecurity training!
Here’s a video we created for Comviva’s Tokenization system.
Since it was aimed at banking and IT professionals who are already familiar with cybersecurity applications, you’ll notice that it gets somewhat technical and in-depth to match.
We’re speaking the audience’s language here, so there’s no need to water it down much.
We used bright, dynamic imagery for a mixed-media style to grab and hold the viewer’s attention.
We’re pleased to say that our client was delighted!
We’d love to delight your team too.
We think of hacking as this sophisticated, complex operation. But a lot of malicious attacks are surprisingly simple in nature.
This one-minute video is from a series on cybersecurity, summed up in simple bite-sized little videos.
By making their videos just a minute long, Carnegie Mellon University’s course on cybersecurity feels like something we could all breeze through and learn a lot quickly.
The script is clear, friendly, and accessible to viewers at any knowledge level.
A great example of how to do effective cybersecurity training!
Speaking of the holiday season, here’s a more in-depth and beautifully animated video on the topic.
Using a warm and friendly animated character helps keep your interest while teaching you how to stay safe while you do your gift shopping.
It’s designed to disarm and relax the viewer so they feel comfortable and not overwhelmed by tech babble they might not fully understand.
The script for this explainer video is simple and friendly, breaking it down so that anyone can follow along.
This is what we mean when we say, don’t be afraid to be creative and use humor to keep things interesting.
Styled as an old-timey 1950s-era PSA, complete with cheesy voiceover and wholesome characters, this video gets your attention right away.
The quirky, amusing style, wildly incongruous with modern cybersecurity, doesn’t just make you smirk.
It makes you pay attention. And that’s what makes it work so well!
Ransomware is a tactic where malicious software is installed in your network, which then takes control of every available machine and locks you out of your own systems until some demand is met (usually money in the form of untraceable cryptocurrency).
Hence the name, "ransom-ware", because your entire company is essentially held at ransom.
It’s exactly as terrifying as it sounds, and can bring a company of any size to its knees overnight.
And it doesn’t end there.
Sometimes the ransomware operation is simply a smokescreen for even deeper hacking and breaching, leading to enormous data leaks.
The problem, of course, is getting your team to really understand all this so they can be ready for when and if it happens.
What we love about this video for Cisco is that they went a different route, using storytelling and drama to bring this threat to life.
By making it an interview of sorts, we can put a face to this faceless, abstract threat.
It tells the story of a corporation reeling from the damage caused by a ransomware attack, making it feel real and plausible to the viewer.
The common perception that most people have of cybersecurity is the Hollywood image of a mysterious hooded hacker typing furiously in the darkness to hack banks and big corporations.
But the truth is that threats come in all shapes and sizes.
Phishing is a form of what’s called “social hacking.”
A common trick is where attackers use convincing emails informing you of winning a lottery, warning you of a needed software update, or providing a link to reset your password.
This way, an unsuspecting employee will be tempted to respond, or even think they’re doing the right thing by keeping their software up to date and/or their passwords safe.
But the attacker gets a foot in the door and gains entry to sensitive networks and does real damage.
Sophos commissioned this slick animated video to help explain how phishing works to novice and intermediate users and give them the knowledge they need to stay vigilant going forward.
Remember that cybersecurity is like a chain–it’s only as strong as its weakest link!
Cybersecurity training videos cover a wide range of topics and can be categorized based on their focus, target audience, and learning objectives. Here are some different kinds of cybersecurity training videos:
These videos provide an overview of cybersecurity fundamentals, explaining basic concepts, terminology, and principles.
They are aimed at beginners and individuals in need of a foundational understanding of cybersecurity.
These videos delve into specific technical aspects of cybersecurity, like network security, cryptography, penetration testing, malware analysis, incident response, etc.
They are aimed at individuals with an existing level of expertise and need more in-depth knowledge in specialized areas.
These are meant for non-technical users, these videos focus on educating employees and general users about cybersecurity best practices, like phishing awareness, password security, data protection, social engineering, and safe internet usage habits.
These videos cover the legal and regulatory requirements related to cybersecurity, such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and other industry-specific compliance standards.
They are essential for organizations and individuals needing to adhere to specific regulatory frameworks.
These videos keep viewers informed about the latest cybersecurity threats, trends, and evolving attack techniques.
They can cover recent cyberattacks, vulnerabilities, and ways to defend against emerging threats.
Simulated cyberattack scenarios or real-world case studies are used to demonstrate how cyber threats can occur, their impact, and the steps taken to mitigate them.
These videos are created by cybersecurity product vendors that focus on training users on how to use their specific cybersecurity tools/software/solutions.
These videos provide guidance about career paths in cybersecurity, certifications, skills needed, and tips for aspiring professionals looking to enter the field.
Live or recorded workshops and demonstrations showcase practical examples, hands-on exercises, and walkthroughs of cybersecurity tools, techniques, or procedures.
Videos demonstrating ethical hacking techniques, red team exercises (simulating attacks), and blue team responses (defending against attacks) to enhance cybersecurity skills.
These categories may overlap, and the content may vary in depth and complexity based on the intended audience and learning objectives.
Cybersecurity training videos can also be found on various platforms, including online learning platforms, cybersecurity organizations' websites, YouTube channels, and specialized training websites.
A training video for a novice fresher working a reception desk won’t be the same as one for a seasoned IT veteran—not just in subject matter, but in the way the information is communicated.
It’s always important to keep it simple, clear, and easy to understand.
However, in highly technical fields- like medicine, pharma, or of course IT- there’s no need to hold their hand and dumb it down so much that your communication becomes ineffective.
There’s a level of technical knowledge to consider and your script should match that accordingly, without getting too technical or boring.
Striking the right balance is all about understanding who you’re talking to, and speaking their language.
Video, especially animated video, has nearly infinite potential.
You’re only truly limited by your imagination.
So make full use of it. Use images, metaphors, characters, text— anything that makes your visuals more interesting and engaging.
The point isn’t to replicate long lectures and tedious seminars, it’s to create something far better.
The end result should hold your audience’s interest and attention from start to finish.
If it entertains, that’s a bonus! And it all serves to improve memory retention of what you’re trying to teach them.
To that end, plan out your videos with scripts and storyboards. This helps put you in a visually creative mindset and helps your ideas become reality.
The real secret ingredient in all this is storytelling.
You might think that this isn’t relevant to cybersecurity training videos, but you’d be wrong, and missing out on a powerful and effective tool for better training!
You’ll be tempted to throw in everything but the kitchen sink into your videos.
But it’s important not to overwhelm your audience with too much information, even if it’s highly technical and aimed at the most advanced professionals.
After all, you don’t want to bore your audience.
If there’s simply a lot of content that must be covered, then break it down into multiple videos.
It’s easier to remember the information from three ten-minute videos, than one thirty-minute video.
We keep saying that crafting good videos is more art than science. There’s no one perfect formula to crack it. So don’t be afraid to experiment and try different things, and see what works and what doesn’t.
Don’t forget to include subtitles for differently-abled employees.
Know that creating a suite of top-quality training videos doesn’t end once they’re deployed.
You’ll need to keep things up-to-date and regularly add new content.
After all, learning never ends!
As we mentioned earlier, less is often more.
You want to strike the right balance between covering all the topics well, and not making a video so long that it overwhelms your audience.
Some of the best AI writing generator software will enable you to create a concise, effective, and organized script for your video.
Think of it in terms of efficiency, rather than writing an encyclopedia of training knowledge.
So to sum up: Your video should be as long as it needs to be to explain its points, without overwhelming or boring your audience.
If there’s simply too much information to cover, then it’s better to break it up into a series of smaller videos that cover individual topics.
This leads to better memory retention and makes it easier to hold attention and interest.
This is the question we get asked the most.
And the honest answer is: it depends.
Overall cost primarily depends on the length of the video and the complexity of the animation.
Factors like voiceover also come into play.
Some styles of animation are more complicated and work-intensive than others.
There’s also the factor of whether we’re writing the script or our client is providing one for us.
There’s no one-size-fits-all with video because every video is unique and crafted specifically for a target audience and need.
When it comes to animation styles, that too depends on what you’re saying and who you’re saying it to.
Some requirements demand 3D or character animation, while others can do the job just fine with say, a whiteboard style for example.
Training is essentially delivering information to an audience in a way that’s easy to understand, and more importantly, for them to remember.
To that end, two things you really don’t want your videos to be, are: 1) confusing and 2) boring.
Anything that helps accomplish this goal, is a useful tool to try.
Don’t be afraid to use Humor
Using humor doesn’t mean that your videos won’t be serious or professional.
When done just right, humor can underscore and emphasize the points you’re trying to make, while also keeping things light and entertaining.
Make it personal
A good way to get your audience to pay attention is by creating videos that depict scenarios they would face, using characters and storylines.
This way, you make the training more practical and “real” as it applies to their jobs.
Use storytelling
We can take the scenarios further by using storytelling. It’s a fantastic tool for capturing interest and holding attention.
Want to know more? Check out the next section on storytelling!
Cybersecurity training videos don’t have to be long lectures in video form. With video, especially animated video, you’re free to try all sorts of techniques to drive the point home.
And you might be surprised to learn that storytelling is a powerful way to do this.
Aside from the obvious applications of showing real-world scenarios your team faces, there’s a lot you can do with a good story.
For example, here’s one we did for Suse, with a plucky character hero taking us through their world:
Whatever the size of your company, and regardless of the industry you’re in, it’s just a fact that you must have a robust and dynamic cybersecurity strategy in place and running.
It’s like the immune system of your organization. And if you want to keep it strong and ready for any threats at any time, training is absolutely vital.
And for that training to be effective, it needs to be engaging, easy to understand, and easy to remember.
Video, especially animated video combined with storytelling, is easily the most powerful tool in your training arsenal.
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