Managed security awareness training: protection against cyber attacks

MSAT: Why Managed Security Awareness Training is good protection against cyber attacks

The importance of IT security in companies cannot be overestimated. While technical protection measures such as firewalls and antivirus programs are important pillars of cyber security, one central weak point is often overlooked: people. Employees play a crucial role in defending against cyber threats, as many attacks are specifically targeted at human error.

This is precisely where Managed Security Awareness Training (MSAT) comes in: It sensitizes the workforce to current threats, strengthens employees' security awareness and teaches tried-and-tested strategies for defense. Through continuous training, a sustainable security culture can be established in the company that goes far beyond a one-off training course.

What is MSAT?

Managed Security Awareness Training (MSAT) is a systematic training program that aims to raise employees' awareness of cyber threats and provide them with specific recommendations for action. The aim is to minimize human error as a gateway for cyberattacks and thus effectively protect the company. Employees should be strengthened in their holistic security awareness through understanding and not through fear.

Our MSAT is deliberately structured in such a way that it is not just a one-off training course, but a continuous learning process. Monthly training impulses in the form of videos, interactive quizzes or micro-lessons as well as targeted phishing simulations, which are carried out quarterly, achieve a long-term learning effect. We work with learning content from the tried-and-tested KnowBe4 ModStore, a huge library of content in several languages.

What are the most common cyberattacks?

The threat of cyber attacks is constantly growing. Phishing, ransomware and CEO fraud are just three of the many methods used by attackers to infiltrate companies. Under the umbrella term of social engineering, there are numerous attempts by cyber criminals to gain access to confidential information. They use manipulation techniques and target human trust. They often know relevant or sensitive information in order to gain access, data or money. Common cyber attacks are:

• Phishing is one of the best known and most widespread cyber attack methods. Criminals try to steal personal information, login or bank details via fake emails, websites or messages. They often use deceptively genuine messages that appear to come from legitimate companies or internal departments.

• In CEO fraud, fraudsters pretend to be high-ranking executives and try to manipulate employees. They are contacted by email or telephone and urged to transfer money.

• Ransomware is malware that encrypts files on a computer or network and demands a ransom for decryption. The attack is often carried out via phishing emails or unsafe downloads.

Why is MSAT indispensable?

A look at the website of the Swiss Federal Office for Cyber Security (BACS) quickly reveals that fraud attempts, spam and phishing are among the most frequent reports received by the BACS. Between the beginning of August 2024 and the beginning of March 2025, the number of reports almost tripled. Whether it's a lack of knowledge, carelessness or time pressure - there are many reasons why employees and companies fall victim to cybercrime.

One mistake companies make is to invest once in IT security training and then lull themselves into a false sense of security. But cyber criminals never sleep. They are constantly adapting their methods and becoming more sophisticated. A one-off training course is not enough to counteract this development. Continuity is the key.

Cyber attacks are not just limited to large corporations. Small and medium-sized companies are also targeted by attackers. Cyber criminals use targeted social engineering techniques to deceive employees and gain access to sensitive company data. Phishing emails in particular are often so professionally designed that even IT-savvy employees do not immediately recognize them as a threat. One wrong click is enough to cause immense damage, not only financially but also to a company's reputation.

MSAT is essential as part of a comprehensive cyber security strategy, particularly in light of regulatory requirements such as the Data Protection Act (DSG), the Ordinance on Information Technology Security (ISO/IEC 27001) or requirements issued by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for financial institutions and other regulated companies, for example.

With our MSAT, your team stays regularly informed, learns through realistic scenarios and receives brief, comprehensible input. This maintains vigilance in the long term without overburdening employees.

The components of an MSAT program

Effective security awareness training consists of several core components:

It needs practical, industry-specific content that is realistic and relevant. Employees should not be overwhelmed with technical depth, but rather with everyday scenarios and practical security behavior. Interactive learning modules, short explanatory videos with concrete use cases, interactive quizzes or micro-lessons help here.

Targeted phishing simulations with realistic test scenarios to identify vulnerabilities, such as self-developed phishing emails with company logos that look real, sensitize employees to such dangers. Realistic test scenarios are so important because they prepare employees for actual threat situations. Phishing emails and other cyber attacks are often so cleverly designed that they can hardly be distinguished from real messages. Through practical simulations, employees learn to recognize suspicious features and react correctly before a security incident occurs.

Such scenarios also help to uncover weak points in the company. Individual feedback and targeted follow-up training make it possible to continuously improve the security culture.

New threats are promptly integrated into the training courses. After all, the methods used by cyber criminals are constantly changing and phishing emails look very different today than they did a year ago. However, it is not just content updates for employees that are important, but also updates on the company's own progress. This can be measured using the Security Awareness Proficiency Assessment (SAPA test) and ensures that the awareness level can be categorized.

This is because tracking one's own training level and the development of awareness not only makes it clear where a company stands in terms of security standards, but also motivates employees to keep at it.

With our MSAT, you receive a quarterly evaluation of progress and new phishing campaigns. This keeps you up to date. Thanks to this holistic approach, IT security becomes part of the corporate culture and is not just an IT issue.

5 success factors for an effective MSAT program

In order for a security awareness training program to have the maximum effect, a few key success factors should be taken into account:

1. regularity and longevity

IT security is not a one-off measure, but an ongoing process. Monthly training impulses in small, digestible units help to anchor the knowledge in the long term. A genuine security culture can only develop through repeated and continuous training.

2. involvement of the management level

If company management actively supports the training, employee acceptance and motivation will increase. Security awareness should be exemplified from the top. Managers who take part in the training themselves and emphasize its importance signal the relevance of the topic for the entire company.

3. practical and interactive learning methods

Dry theory alone is not enough to ensure lasting safety awareness among the workforce. Interactive training formats, such as gamification elements, realistic case studies or simulated phishing attacks, increase motivation to learn and improve knowledge transfer.

4. measurability and transparency

Regular reports on training progress and phishing simulations help to analyze the success of the measures and make targeted adjustments. Our MSAT provides detailed evaluations and identifies development potential.

5. adaptation to the specific needs of the company

Every company has different IT security requirements. It is therefore important that the awareness training offers industry-specific content and adapts to the respective corporate culture. With Dinotronic's MSAT, content can be customized to your industry or company to ensure maximum relevance.

Important: IT security should not just be seen as an IT issue, but as an integral part of the corporate culture. Awareness of cyber threats should be reflected in employees' everyday working lives so that security measures become intuitive and natural.

MSAT: Conclusion and recommendation for action

IT security starts with the employees. Technical protective measures alone are not enough to effectively protect companies from cyber attacks. Managed Security Awareness Training (MSAT) is an essential building block for sustainable IT security by permanently strengthening security awareness and conveying real threat scenarios in a practical way.

We offer a flexible, practical and customizable MSAT that responds to current threats and establishes IT security as an integral part of the corporate culture. Rely on continuous learning, targeted phishing simulations and transparent performance measurement and contribute to the secure future of your company.

We offer MSAT as part of our service portfolio and will be happy to advise you on sustainable IT security in your company.