Certified: The Security+ Prepcast

Strong cybersecurity doesn’t come from tools alone. It comes from people who understand the policies, recognize the threats, and know how to respond when something doesn’t look right. That’s why user guidance and training are such essential parts of every security program. In this episode, the first of two on this topic, we’ll explore how organizations can use policy handbooks to set clear expectations, and how situational awareness training helps users become the front line of defense against cyber threats.
Let’s start with policy awareness and handbooks. Every organization has rules—some are written down, others are just part of the culture. But when it comes to cybersecurity, clarity is everything. If employees don’t know what’s expected of them, they can’t follow the rules. And if those expectations aren’t documented, enforced, and revisited regularly, compliance becomes guesswork.
A good security policy handbook should explain in plain language what employees are allowed to do, what they are not allowed to do, and what steps they should take if something goes wrong. It should include sections on acceptable use, password requirements, physical security, data handling, remote access, reporting procedures, and disciplinary actions. And it should be accessible—not buried in a folder or locked behind a portal no one visits.
Now, having a handbook isn’t enough. Employees need to know it exists, understand what’s in it, and agree to follow it. That’s where awareness comes in. New hires should receive the handbook during onboarding and be required to sign an acknowledgement form confirming they’ve read and understood it. But even beyond that, organizations should revisit the policy regularly. That means incorporating policy highlights into training sessions, team meetings, newsletters, or even login screens. The more often people see and hear the rules, the more likely they are to follow them.
Let’s walk through a real-world example. A healthcare organization updates its security policy to include restrictions on using personal devices for accessing patient data. The update is included in the new employee handbook, and everyone is required to re-sign the acknowledgement. But instead of just emailing the change, the organization also holds a five-minute briefing during department meetings. Posters go up in break rooms. And when employees log into the system, a quick policy reminder appears on the screen. The result? Fewer policy violations, fewer support tickets, and stronger overall compliance. That’s what happens when policy awareness becomes part of the culture—not just a checkbox at hiring.
Another important part of policy communication is the tone. A handbook full of legal language, technical jargon, and vague statements isn’t helpful. Users need to know what actions are okay, which ones are not, and what happens when mistakes occur. The tone should be firm but supportive. The goal isn’t to scare employees—it’s to empower them with knowledge.
And finally, policies should be kept current. Technology changes. Threats evolve. And regulations shift. If your handbook hasn’t been updated in two years, chances are it’s already outdated. Organizations should schedule regular policy reviews, ideally once a year, and involve stakeholders from security, legal, human resources, and operations to ensure the content is relevant and accurate.
Now let’s shift to the second part of today’s episode: situational awareness training. This type of training goes beyond policy. It teaches employees how to spot potential threats in the real world, how to make smart security decisions on the fly, and how to react quickly when something goes wrong.
Situational awareness is about being present, alert, and proactive. It’s the difference between clicking a link without thinking—and noticing that something feels off. It’s the ability to recognize patterns, respond to unusual behavior, and know what to do when your instincts say, “This isn’t normal.”
Situational awareness training includes scenarios like identifying phishing attempts, recognizing tailgating at secure doors, noticing strange behavior on shared devices, and understanding what to do during a ransomware attack or data breach. These aren’t abstract concepts. They’re real-world situations that employees might face every day.
Let’s consider a practical example. A marketing assistant receives an email that looks like it’s from the company’s IT department. It says there’s a critical security update and provides a link to log in and apply the patch. But something feels strange. The tone of the email is more urgent than usual. The link doesn’t go to the company’s normal support portal. And the email signature looks generic. Thanks to situational awareness training, the assistant doesn’t click. Instead, she reports the message to the security team. It turns out to be a phishing campaign. Her awareness prevents what could have been a serious breach.
That’s the kind of mindset training should build. Not paranoia—but healthy skepticism. Not fear—but confidence. When users know what threats look like and feel empowered to act, they stop being the weakest link and become one of the strongest defenses in the organization.
Situational awareness training should be interactive and realistic. Static PowerPoint slides and hour-long lectures don’t work. Instead, use short videos, role-playing scenarios, phishing simulations, tabletop exercises, or even gamified quizzes. The goal is to make training memorable and practical—not just something to check off once a year.
And just like with policies, repetition matters. One training session isn’t enough. Situational awareness should be reinforced throughout the year with tips, alerts, reminders, and refreshers. If there’s a new phishing trend, let employees know. If there’s a breach in the industry, use it as a learning opportunity. Keep awareness alive and relevant.
Situational awareness also includes knowing who to contact and what steps to take when a threat is suspected. Employees should never feel unsure about how to report something. The process should be clear, simple, and immediate. Whether it’s clicking a “report phishing” button, calling the help desk, or filling out a quick form, users should know exactly what to do. The faster a threat is reported, the faster it can be investigated and contained.
Here’s one more example. A team member at a law firm notices that their shared printer has started printing documents they didn’t send. It seems random—until they realize the documents contain client records from another department. Rather than ignoring it, the employee reports the issue. IT investigates and finds a misconfigured print server that was exposing documents to the wrong network segment. Thanks to that situational awareness, a data leak is stopped before it becomes a breach.
As you prepare for the Security Plus exam, expect questions that touch on policy awareness, user education, and threat recognition. If a scenario involves clear communication of rules and expectations, think policy awareness. If it describes real-time user decisions, threat spotting, or incident reporting, that’s situational awareness in action.
For downloadable training handbooks, policy templates, and awareness posters, visit us at Bare Metal Cyber dot com. And for the most complete, exam-ready Security Plus study guide—packed with training strategy, policy coverage, and hundreds of practice questions—go to Cyber Author dot me and grab your copy of Achieve CompTIA Security Plus S Y Zero Dash Seven Zero One Exam Success.