In a world where digitization is the backbone of every company, Flemish and Belgian SMEs are faced with new challenges every day. Technology has brought us enormous progress: smoother communication, more efficient processes, better collaboration and unprecedented accessibility to markets and customers. But that same technology also opens doors for malicious people who want to take advantage of ignorance, laziness and a lack of alertness. Cybercrime today is no longer a distant reality, but a daily reality that targets large multinationals as well as small businesses. And the most painful part is that more than seventy percent of all successful cyberattacks start with something that could easily have been prevented: human error.

Security awareness training and regular testing of that knowledge are no longer a luxury in that regard, but pure necessity. It’s about a culture of awareness and responsibility that must permeate every employee, from the administrative assistant to the business manager. In this in-depth analysis, we show why awareness is the foundation of modern cybersecurity, why testing is an essential part of the learning process, and how Belgian SMEs can arm themselves against an increasingly clever enemy.

Digitization has completely changed the way we work. Where physical documents, office meetings and local files used to be the norm, today we work almost exclusively digitally. Cloud solutions such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and numerous SaaS applications have now taken center stage. Employees log in remotely, collaborate through online platforms and share documents in seconds. This is a convenience for customers, an efficiency boost for business owners, but a goldmine for cybercriminals. Because the more digital interaction points there are, the more potential gaps there are in an organization’s defense shield.

The classic reflex of many business owners is to invest in technology: firewalls, antivirus, backup systems, encryption, multi-factor authentication. These are all important building blocks and they absolutely must be there. But technology can only solve part of the problem. If the humans who work with it on a daily basis are not aware of the dangers, or if those humans do not know how to respond correctly, the gate will remain open. It’s a bit like installing the most expensive alarm systems in your home, but leaving your kids open the front door every time because they don’t understand the importance of closing that door. Awareness training teaches employees to consciously close that door, watch to see who rang the bell and report suspicious signs immediately.

One of the most recognizable and at the same time most successful methods of attack remains phishing. Whereas phishing emails used to be easy to spot due to poor grammar or clumsy formatting, today they are almost indistinguishable from real communications. Cybercriminals have understood that trust is key. They send emails that look identical to communications from banks, suppliers, parcel services or even internal departments of your own company. The logo is correct, the language is professional and the links point to convincingly fake websites. Without training, even the most alert employee easily falls for this. One click on such a link can be enough to reveal login credentials or install malware that later leads to ransomware. Awareness training teaches employees not only to look critically, but also to use simple techniques such as hovering over a link to see the actual destination, or checking the sender for abnormal domain names.

Next to phishing is social engineering, a more subtle but equally dangerous form of manipulation. Consider a phone call from someone pretending to be Microsoft support or a supplier who urgently needs payment. Or a new “colleague” who makes contact via LinkedIn and, step by step, rips off sensitive information. Without training, this may seem harmless, but criminals know exactly what questions to ask and how to build trust. Awareness training makes employees resilient to these psychological tricks. It’s about teaching people to say no, daring to report suspicious situations and realizing that even friendly conversation can hide malicious intentions.

The importance of password management should not be underestimated here either. A study by LastPass in 2023 found that sixty percent of employees worldwide still reuse passwords for multiple accounts. Specifically, for Belgian SMEs, this means that one leak at an innocent online store can lead to full access to business-critical accounts. Awareness training teaches not only why strong, unique passwords are important, but also how tools such as password managers make it practical. After all, knowledge without applicability is useless. Training should not only alert employees, but also give them concrete tools.

Some still think awareness training is boring or purely theoretical, but it doesn’t have to be that way at all. Modern programs work with interactive modules, short videos, gamification and especially realistic simulations. For example, a company can simulate a phishing campaign in which employees are deliberately confronted with a fake message. The result is often confrontational: many more people click than expected. But exactly that confrontation creates learning effects. It’s better for employees to make that mistake in a secure testing environment than to do it in a real attack. Moreover, such tests allow you to measure progress: as trainings and simulations are repeated, you see that fewer people click and more reports come in.

What many business owners do not yet know is that awareness training is not only a matter of internal security, but also of external obligations. More and more insurers offering cyber policies are making awareness training a condition. They want to see proof that a company is structurally working on the resilience of its employees. Without that proof, you either pay a much higher premium, or you don’t even get insurance at all. This is not a strict formality, but a logical evolution. After all, why should an insurer cover risks if a company itself makes no effort to mitigate risks? Awareness training thus becomes a decisive factor economically as well.

In addition to insurers, legislators also play a role. With the introduction of the GDPR in 2018, it already became clear that the protection of personal data is central to European legislation. But now the NIS2 directive is to be added, imposing strict requirements on sectors considered essential from 2025. This will also indirectly oblige SMEs operating as suppliers or partners of larger organizations to have their cybersecurity in order. Awareness training is an integral part of compliance, as lawmakers understand that technology alone is not enough to protect data.

What is often underestimated is the impact of awareness training on corporate culture. Cybersecurity is too often seen as something that concerns only the IT department, but in reality it is everyone’s responsibility. When a company succeeds in making security a shared value, everything changes. Employees start spontaneously sharing tips, pointing out suspicious things to each other, and even taking pride when they pass a phishing test. This mentality creates a snowball effect: the more people are aware, the harder it becomes for criminals to find any more holes.

We saw an example of this recently at an SME in the Antwerp region. An employee received a call from someone posing as Microsoft support asking for remote access. Several months before, she probably would have acceded to the request, but thanks to awareness training, she recognized the pattern. She disconnected the call, reported the incident to her supervisor and thus avoided a potential ransomware infection. That one phone call could have cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. One trained employee made the difference.

The cost of a cyber attack for Belgian SMEs is estimated by Allianz to average 50,000 euros. This often does not even include reputation damage, customer loss and legal costs. Awareness training, on the other hand, costs only a fraction: several hundred euros per employee per year. So the question is not whether you can afford to invest, but whether you can afford not to.

There is sometimes a misconception that employees without a technical background will never really understand this anyway. But awareness training is not about technical details. It’s about understandable, practical knowledge that anyone can apply. You don’t have to be an IT professional to know not to share your password, report suspicious emails or secure your smartphone. The best training courses are built in simple language, with recognizable examples and immediately actionable tips. It’s like road safety: you don’t have to be a car mechanic to know that you should wear a seat belt.

Yet we must not blind ourselves to training alone. It should always be combined with testing. Training without testing is like car driving lessons without ever taking an exam. Testing allows you to measure where you stand, simulate realistic scenarios and keep your finger on the pulse. In addition, testing helps keep engagement high. It creates a kind of healthy tension: employees know that a phishing test could come at any time and are therefore more alert in their daily work.

Also important is that awareness training should not be a one-time project. Cyber threats are constantly changing. Techniques used last year are already obsolete today. Criminals are increasingly using AI to generate convincing emails and messages. Deepfake technology makes it possible to fake even phone calls or videos. This means that training from three years ago is of little value today. Just as you continue to train employees in their fields, you must also continue to nurture their digital resilience.

The bottom line is that security awareness training is no longer an afterthought, but a core part of modern business. It protects not only the technical infrastructure, but more importantly the people, culture and continuity of a company. After all, imagine your company being down for weeks because of a ransomware attack. What does that mean for your customers, your employees and your reputation? Awareness training can prevent that scenario.

In summary, cybersecurity doesn’t start with technology, it starts with people. And you can train, test and empower people. For Flemish and Belgian SMEs, that’s the most cost-effective and impactful investment you can make today.