It’s 3 p.m. on a Friday and your marketing director is about to knock off early for the weekend. A quick check of their email shows a message from your accounting department, asking them to update their personal info for payroll. They hurriedly click the link so they have one less thing to do on Monday.

Spoiler alert: The email wasn’t from your accounting department. A hacker has now infiltrated your network using a common social engineering attack called phishing.

Here’s a startling fact: 88% of all data breaches are caused by employee mistakes (not technology failures). With AI powering increasingly sophisticated threats, it’s becoming more challenging for your people to discern between the good guys and the bad ones.

A strong security awareness training plan will arm your marketing director (and everyone else on your team!) with the education and training to spot phishing attempts and other threats before it’s too late.

Here are five key steps to building a security awareness training plan that not only turns employees into a human firewall but builds a strong security culture.

1. Start with Cybersecurity 101 company-wide

Every employee — from interns to executives — needs a solid foundation in cybersecurity basics. Many security breaches happen because of a simple (and avoidable!) mistake, like clicking on a phishing email or using weak passwords.

A company-wide Cybersecurity 101 training session ensures that everyone understands the core principles of cybersecurity, including how to:

  • Recognize phishing attempts and other common cyber threats
  • Create strong passwords and using multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Browse the web safely and spot suspicious websites
  • Protect sensitive data and understand compliance regulations
  • Report potential threats immediately

By starting with the basics, you create a security-first mindset across your company. This foundational training should be mandatory for all employees, incorporated into onboarding and repeated annually to reinforce key lessons.

2. Provide access to relevant, on-demand training

Cyber threats don’t follow a schedule, and neither should your training. When you rely solely on once-a-year training, you're not preparing your people for evolving threats. Adding on-demand, bite-sized training modules will keep employees alert.

To ensure employees stay engaged year-round, offer training through:

  • Interactive e-learning platforms that include videos, quizzes, and real-world scenarios
  • Gamified learning experiences that turn training into a challenge rather than a chore
  • Short, focused micro-learning sessions that cover one topic at a time (e.g., "How to Spot a Business Email Compromise (BEC) Scam”)

By making cybersecurity training accessible anytime, anywhere, employees are more likely to absorb and apply what they learn in real-world situations.

3. Ensure training is customized to specific roles

Cybersecurity isn’t one-size-fits-all. A payroll specialist may face different threats than a software developer or a marketing director.

Tailoring training to specific roles ensures that employees are learning what’s most relevant to their job functions.

For example:

  • Executives & C-suite: High-value targets for whaling and business email compromise (BEC) attacks

  • Finance & accounting: Must recognize invoice fraud, wire transfer scams, and credential theft attempts

  • IT & development teams: Need to understand secure coding practices, insider threats, and vulnerability management

  • Customer service & support teams: Prone to social engineering attacks and should be trained on proper authentication procedures

By making training role-specific, employees become better equipped to handle the unique cyber risks they face in their daily work.

4. Run simulated phishing attacks…often

Phishing remains one of the most effective ways for attackers to break into your company’s network.

Some companies will launch their own phishing simulation campaigns to see if employees click on them.

These simulations should:

  • Mimic real-world phishing techniques, including email, SMS, and voice phishing (vishing)

  • Target different departments with varying levels of difficulty

  • Provide immediate feedback when an employee clicks a suspicious link or enters credentials

  • Track click rates over time to measure improvement and identify high-risk individuals

Frequent phishing simulations help employees develop an instinct for spotting suspicious messages. Instead of waiting for an actual attack to occur, companies can test and strengthen their employees’ security awareness before a real threat arises.

5. Leverage AI to Target High-Risk Users

Not all employees pose the same level of risk — some may be more prone to falling for phishing scams, reusing weak passwords, or mishandling sensitive data. This is where AI - driven security awareness training comes in.

By leveraging AI, companies can:

  • Identify high-risk employees based on past behavior and training performance

  • Personalize training content to address specific weaknesses

  • Automate targeted phishing simulations that adapt to individual learning progress

  • Provide real-time coaching when risky behavior is detected (e.g., warning messages when an employee tries to access a suspicious website)

AI-powered training helps focus efforts on the employees who need it most, ensuring that security awareness isn’t just a blanket initiative but a data-driven, targeted approach to reducing risk.

Once you have a cybersecurity training plan in place, it’s imperative to assess its effectiveness regularly. This way, you can spot gaps and activate training that’s designed to address them — before it’s too late.

The best offense is a well-trained defense

When properly trained, your people have the power to thwart the most cunning threats. By prioritizing training, you’ll build cybersecurity into your company culture.

Not sure where to start (or maybe your training program needs an overhaul)?

Our cybersecurity training specialists can help. We’ve partnered with KnowBe4 for adaptable, AI-driven security awareness training that helps change user behavior.

Reach out to Macro Technology Group today to start building your human firewall.

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