How to Build an Effective Cybersecurity Awareness Program
TechTarget, Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
CISOs should replace annual check-box training with a continuous, risk-based human risk management program that measures behavior.
TechTarget argues that many cybersecurity awareness programs fail with dull, outdated content that checks compliance boxes but doesn't change behavior.
The real problem is unmanaged human-related cyber risk rather than insufficient knowledge, since employees face social engineering continuously, not once a year, and generic content ignores the organization's actual threat profile.
CISOs should treat awareness as a human risk management capability by starting with a risk assessment, prioritizing business needs, running training continuously and measuring outcomes rather than completion rates.