Organisations must ensure that personnel and relevant interested parties are equipped with the knowledge and skills to uphold information security principles. ISO 27001’s Clause 6.3 emphasises the critical role of awareness, education, and training in fostering a culture of security and compliance.
This article explores how to implement an effective information security awareness, education, and training programme to fulfil organisational responsibilities.
The Purpose of ISO 27001 Control 6.3: Training and Awareness
The primary purpose of information security awareness, education, and training is to ensure all personnel understand and fulfil their responsibilities concerning information security. By doing so, organisations can:
- Protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information.
- Enhance overall cybersecurity preparedness.
- Build resilience against emerging threats.
Key Principles for Designing Training Programmes
1. Alignment with Policies and Procedures
An effective training programme must align with the organisation’s information security policy, topic-specific policies, and related procedures. Training content should reflect the organisation’s specific needs and address the information security controls in place to protect sensitive data.
2. Regular Updates and Periodicity
Training and awareness activities should be conducted regularly, ensuring ongoing engagement and knowledge retention. Initial training is vital for new hires and personnel transitioning into roles with different security requirements. Periodic updates should incorporate lessons learned from security incidents and emerging threats.
3. Tailored Content
Awareness and training materials should be customised to reflect the diverse roles within the organisation. For example:
- General staff should be trained on basic security practices, such as password hygiene and reporting incidents.
- Technical teams should receive advanced training on configuring and maintaining secure systems.
- External personnel, such as contractors and suppliers, should understand their responsibilities under the organisation’s policies.
Components of an Awareness Programme
An effective information security awareness programme should encompass the following elements:
Awareness-Raising Activities
Organisations should employ various methods to engage staff, including:
- Campaigns, posters, and newsletters.
- E-learning modules and webinars.
- Briefings and information sessions.
- Websites and digital resources.
Core Topics to Cover
Awareness initiatives should address:
- Management Commitment: Reinforce leadership’s dedication to information security.
- Compliance Requirements: Familiarise staff with policies, laws, and regulations.
- Personal Accountability: Highlight individual responsibilities for protecting organisational information.
- Incident Reporting: Teach the importance of timely reporting and the correct procedures to follow.
- Security Basics: Emphasise best practices such as password security and recognising phishing attempts.
Evaluation of Effectiveness
Assessing understanding at the end of training activities is crucial. This can be achieved through:
- Quizzes and knowledge tests.
- Feedback surveys to gather participant insights.
- Metrics such as completion rates and incident reduction.
Education and Training for Technical Teams
For roles requiring specialised expertise, organisations should develop targeted training plans.
These plans may include:
- Classroom-based or web-based courses.
- On-the-job training and mentoring by experts.
- Attendance at conferences and industry events.
- Subscriptions to technical newsletters and journals.
If skills gaps are identified, organisations should prioritise acquiring these skills through training, recruitment, or external consultants.
Integration with Other Programmes
Information security training should complement other organisational initiatives, such as:
- Privacy and data protection training.
- ICT and general security programmes.
- Safety and operational management training.
This integrated approach ensures consistency and reinforces the organisation’s commitment to a secure and compliant environment.
Building a Programme That Passes Audit and Changes Behaviour
Annual e-learning completion is a record-keeping exercise, not an awareness programme. If your phishing click rate is the same after three years of annual training, the training is not working, and that data point should drive a change in approach.
How the requirements fit together
- Clause 7.3 (awareness): everyone working under your control, including contractors, must know the policy, their contribution to the ISMS and the implications of not conforming.
- Clause 7.2 (competence): people in security-relevant roles must be able to perform those tasks correctly, which is a higher bar than awareness.
- Control 6.3: adds regular updates as policies and threats change.
Role-specific needs worth planning for
- Finance: invoice fraud, business email compromise and payment redirection, beyond generic phishing content.
- HR: personal data handling, access provisioning and leaver processes.
- Management and ISMS owners: internal audit, management review and interpreting metrics. They also need to model the behaviours; a management team that ignores clear desk undermines everything else.
- New starters: induction before system access, with a signed acceptable use agreement, triggered by the HR join date rather than left until habits have formed.
Format that works
A shorter annual module, monthly one-topic security tips, quarterly phishing simulations with varied templates and alerts on active threats will beat a 45-minute annual module. Use real or sector-specific examples, tell people what to do (how to report, and what happens next) rather than only what to avoid, and use simulation results to target extra training at those who need it.
Evidence and metrics
- Completion records with dates and scores, the training content itself, induction records, role-based certifications or CPD, simulation results and a simple log of security communications.
- Track click rate (want it falling) and report rate (want it rising). A rise in self-reported incidents is often a sign of better awareness, not more incidents.
- Review the metrics at least annually, ideally quarterly, and report them at management review.
Common audit gaps
- New starters trained weeks late, or not at all, with no block on system access.
- IT competence assumed rather than evidenced.
- Contractors with years of access and no training record.
- Completion at 85 to 90 per cent with no follow-up. Have a chase and escalation process, with Control 6.4 (disciplinary process) as the final step.
Final Thoughts
By implementing a robust information security awareness, education, and training programme, organisations can effectively mitigate risks, ensure compliance, and foster a culture of security. Tailored, regular, and engaging training activities are the cornerstone of long-term organisational maturity in information security.