Human Risk Management:

The Definitive Guide

Human risk management enables organizations globally to mitigate cybersecurity risks, 
strengthen threat resilience, and create a robust security-aware culture.

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What Is Human Risk Management

Human risk management is the practice of educating users to recognize, avoid, and report cyber threats, helping to reduce human cyber risk and protect the organization and its stakeholders. 

 

Why Is Human Risk Management Important?

Human risk management matters because 68% of breaches come down to human error. It helps people recognize and avoid threats like phishing and malicious downloads, reducing risk and creating a stronger, safer workplace.

By targeting risky behaviors and protecting sensitive data—like PII, intellectual property, and account credentials—training keeps organizations secure and compliant with regulations like GDPR. As teams become more security-aware, businesses see fewer cyber incidents, lower costs, higher productivity, and even stronger trust with customers. 

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What Should a Human Risk Management Program Include

A security awareness program should address specific risks faced by the organization, using real-world examples and engaging formats like microlearning, gamification, and simulations to drive participation and retention.

Key components include risk-based training tailored to employee roles, regular phishing simulations, and clear guidance on reporting suspicious activity. Programs should also cover compliance with data privacy regulations and reinforce the importance of protecting sensitive information like PII and intellectual property.

Finally, ongoing measurement and updates are critical to ensure the program stays effective against evolving threats. 

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Building a Security Awareness Program That Engages and Reduces Human Risk

In this interview, Dane Boyd shares strategies to build a security awareness program that engages your team and drives real behavior change.

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Engaging, bite-sized video content is a powerful component of human risk management, supporting knowledge retention and user engagement. View sample videos showcasing the risks, consequences, and best practices related to a given topic.

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FAQs

Human risk management is budget friendly especially when compared to the cost of significant downtime or a ransomware payment. Investing in security awareness training for employees is as important as it is inexpensive.

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Security awareness programs vary in length depending on an organization’s goals, resources, and existing maturity level. The most important ingredient for any awareness campaign is content quality. For example, engaging learning modules that are 3-5 minutes in length can significantly augment participation rates and keep critical subject matter top of mind. Stale or boring training content will be ineffective, regardless of how long it lasts.

Fortra recommends deploying security awareness courses on three different topics each quarter, accompanied by at least one phishing simulation during the same timeframe. Over the course of a year, this model will educate employees on 12 cybersecurity topics and require them to complete four phishing simulations.

General security awareness refers to an employee or business unit’s ability to spot cyber threat warning signs in their daily activities and, based on an organization’s cybersecurity or IT policy, act accordingly. Security training is associated with process of acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to strengthen their security awareness levels.

There are many ways security awareness professionals can promote and grow a strong security-first mindset within their organization. These include:

  • Get executive buy-in by tying security awareness activities to business objectives
  • Democratize cybersecurity by ensuring everyone plays a role in its success
  • Gamify the training experience to further incentivize employee participation
  • Appoint internal ambassadors to increase interest in various training activities
  • Invest in the long-term by gauging performance and optimizing campaigns over time

To know where your security awareness program stands in relation to your goals, investing in customizable dashboards and reporting capabilities is a must. To learn more about how you can implement and grow awareness training analytics, download our free whitepaper on this topic.

Adopting and growing an effective security awareness solution can deliver a host of benefits to any organization, regardless of industry, size, or region. Some of these advantages include:

  • Less downtime per year for organizational networks and systems
  • Stronger regulatory compliance with various data privacy and security mandates
  • Improved consumer confidence in the brand’s ability to protect their data
  • Time and money saved on cyber security practices and processes
  • A thriving security-aware culture that empowers employees through knowledge

To learn more about how your organization can benefit from building an internal security awareness community, download your copy of our definitive guide.

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Beyond the avoidance of data breaches and confidential information leaks, strong cybersecurity can minimize operational and employee-related costs. Many organizations see a significant reduction in insurance, liability, and cyber threat compensation expenses. With lower costs, organizations can benefit from major revenue increases over the course of a fiscal year.

An organization’s CISO normally leads any project related to human risk management. They work with stakeholders from both within and outside the cybersecurity or IT department to create information security policies and execute a strategic vision regarding one or several training programs.

The CISO is also responsible for creating an emergency response plan to respond to a data breach.

CISOs and other security awareness peers looking to enhance cybersecurity knowledge throughout their organization must include a generous number of topics in their training programs. Essentials include phishing, social engineering, ransomware, malware, working remotely, and so on.

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Experience cybersecurity awareness training that delivers real results. Fortra Human Risk Management offers tailored courses, interactive quizzes, and game-style activities, along with practical tools to fit any industry, organization size, or budget.

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