What is Localization for Security Awareness Training and Why It Is Important for Learning and Behavior Change

Security awareness training has become a cornerstone of organizational defense strategies. However, despite widespread adoption, traditional "one-size-fits-all" security awareness training approaches often fall short of engaging employees and driving lasting behavioral change. 2024 Security Awareness Training Statistics show that personalized training can increase employee engagement and knowledge retention by 92%.

Localization in Security Awareness Training (SAT) involves tailoring educational content to align with the specific cultural, linguistic, and contextual nuances of a target audience. This customization enhances the relevance and effectiveness of training programs, leading to improved learning outcomes and fostering positive behavior changes among employees.

Neglecting localization in SAT can expose organizations to significant cybersecurity risks, resulting in financial losses, operational disruptions, and reputational damage. Below are data-backed examples illustrating these impacts:

Organizations that fail to implement effective security awareness training, including localization, are more susceptible to cyber incidents, which can lead to substantial financial losses. For instance, the average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million, encompassing expenses related to detection, response, and lost business opportunities.

Inadequate security training can result in operational disruptions. A study revealed that 27% of organizations experienced business disruptions or shutdowns due to third-party-related security incidents, highlighting the importance of comprehensive and localized training programs to mitigate such risks.

A notable example is the 2013 data breach at Target, where attackers exploited a third-party vendor's access, compromising personal data of 110 million customers. This incident led to a 54.6% decline in customer perception within a year, underscoring the severe reputational damage that can result from insufficient security measures and training.

These examples underscore the critical importance of localized Security Awareness Training in mitigating cybersecurity risks and their associated impacts.

In this post, we’ll explore why localization is important for effective learning and how it can lead to meaningful behavior change across diverse teams, fostering a stronger security culture.

What is Localization in Security Awareness Training?

Localization in security awareness training refers to the process of adapting learning materials, examples, and content to reflect the local culture, language, environment, and experiences of the learners. It ensures that the educational content is relevant and relatable to the specific community or region where the students live. Localization takes into account local customs, traditions, values, and resources, making the learning experience more meaningful for the students. Localization helps with the following:

Enhanced Understanding: When lessons incorporate familiar examples and concepts from the student's local environment, they become easier to understand, helping learners relate to and engage with the material more effectively.

Cultural Preservation: Localization helps preserve and promote the unique culture and traditions of the local community by integrating indigenous knowledge and practices into the curriculum.

Increased Engagement: Students are more likely to stay interested in their education when they can see the relevance of the content to their own lives and surroundings. This can reduce dropout rates, especially in marginalized or Indigenous communities.

Promoting Inclusivity: Localization ensures that education is inclusive by respecting and incorporating the diverse cultural backgrounds of students, which can boost self-esteem and cultural pride.

Practical Relevance: It allows students to apply what they learn to their everyday lives, making education more practical and useful in their local context.

Localization makes security awareness education more accessible, relatable, and meaningful, ensuring that it meets the unique needs of different communities.

Examples of Localization in Different Contexts

Localization is a significant process that enhances the relevance and impact of cybersecurity awareness training. It aligns the learning experience with the specific needs and contexts of an organization's diverse workforce, thus supporting a more effective behavior change journey.

Referring to the Security Learning Curve by Hielscher (2021), localization can facilitate different stages of this learning curve, from sensitization to secure behavior.

• Time Zones: For multinational organizations, training localization ensures that sessions are conducted at optimal times, aligning with employees’ local working hours. This helps move learners from the Information stage towards Sensitization by engaging them during periods of peak attention, thereby increasing participation rates.
• Language: Providing training in the employees' native language aids in the understanding/knowledge phase of the learning curve. It ensures that language barriers are minimized and critical security concepts are fully grasped, leading to greater Concordance as learners agree with and understand security policies and practices.
• Cultural References: Incorporating culturally relevant examples in security awareness training materials ensures that employees can relate to and recognize real-world threats, supporting their journey through the Sensitizing and Embedding phases. For example, phishing scams that exploit local holidays resonate better with employees, leading to better alignment with the organization’s security protocols. These cultural cues help learners transition from Self-Efficiency to adopting Secure Behavior, where security practices become second nature.

By embedding localized content throughout sensitization, repetition, and nudging stages, the workforce moves towards unconscious competence, resulting in sustained, secure behaviors.

The Role of Technology in Enabling Localization

Technology is important in enabling and scaling localization efforts in security awareness training. Best security awareness training platforms often include features that automate the localization process. For example:

• Automated Scheduling: Advanced platforms can automatically adjust training delivery times based on employees' local time zones, as mentioned earlier. This eliminates the need for manual scheduling and ensures that training reaches employees at a time that is most convenient for them.
• Human Risk Management (HRM) Platform: An inclusive HRM platform allows organizations to manage multiple localized versions of training content. This system ensures consistency across different languages and cultural contexts while allowing for quick updates and modifications as needed.
• AI-Powered Personalization: Artificial Intelligence can be leveraged to analyze employee behavior and learning patterns, further enhancing localization efforts by delivering content that is not only region-specific but also tailored to individual learning preferences.

Localization in security awareness training is about more than just translation—it’s about creating a training experience that is relevant, engaging, and effective for a diverse, global workforce. By leveraging the right technology, organizations can efficiently implement and manage localized training programs, ultimately leading to better security outcomes.

The Importance of Localization for Effective Security Awareness Training

Effective security awareness training hinges on the relevance and relatability of the content being delivered. Security awareness training means more than just providing information—it’s about ensuring that the information resonates with employees across different cultures and linguistic backgrounds.

Therefore, tailoring content to reflect local customs, idioms, and practices makes it easier for employees to understand and apply security principles in their daily work.

For example, a training module that uses culturally familiar scenarios can make the content more engaging and memorable for the learners.

How Localization Improves Engagement and Retention

Localization significantly boosts both engagement and retention rates in security awareness training programs. Studies have shown that employees are more likely to engage with training material presented in their native language and reflects their cultural context, particularly when it addresses region-specific security risks such as phishing attacks and social engineering attacks. According to the eLearning Industry, 90% of people favor learning in their native/local language.

When employees feel that the training is relevant to their specific environment and includes content tailored to their employee roles and compliance requirements, they are more likely to pay attention, participate actively, and retain the information provided, ultimately helping them protect themselves and their organizations more effectively.

In fact, according to Keepnet research, localized security awareness training can lead to a 60% increase in retention rates compared to generic, non-localized content. This improved retention translates directly into better application of security practices, reducing the risk of breaches and enhancing overall organizational security.

The Role of Localization in Behavior Change

Behavior change is a complex process, especially in the context of security awareness. It involves altering long-standing habits and ingrained responses, which requires more than just providing training material—it necessitates a deep understanding of the psychological triggers that motivate individuals to act differently. Incorporating phishing simulations and social engineering attacks into the training can make the content more relatable, helping employees recognize and respond to real-world threats like phishing emails.

Theories of behavior change, such as the Transtheoretical Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior, emphasize the importance of relevance and perceived control in the change process. When employees see that the security risks and scenarios presented in their training are directly applicable to their environment and experience, they are more likely to internalize the lessons and adjust their behavior accordingly, better protecting themselves and their organizations. This approach not only strengthens overall security but also fosters a more resilient security culture.

How Localized Content Can Influence Behavior More Effectively Than Generic Content

Generic content often fails to resonate with employees because it lacks the specificity and relevance needed to make a lasting impact. In contrast, localized content speaks directly to the individual’s environment, making the training more relatable and actionable.

For example, if employees receive training that references common local scams or social engineering tactics specific to their region, they are more likely to recognize and respond to similar threats in real life. This connection between the training content and the employee’s daily experience increases the likelihood that they will adopt the desired security behaviors.

Localized content also helps to overcome resistance to behavior change. Employees may resist changing their behavior if they perceive the training as irrelevant or if they don’t understand how it applies to their specific role or context.

By using language, examples, and scenarios that align with the employee’s cultural and regional background, localization reduces this resistance, making it easier for employees to accept and implement new security practices.

The Importance of Contextually Relevant Examples in Driving Behavior Change

Contextually relevant examples are key to driving behavior change in security awareness training. When employees are presented with scenarios that mirror real-world situations they are likely to encounter, the training becomes more than just theoretical—it becomes practical and immediately applicable.

For instance, an employee in Japan might receive training that includes examples of phishing emails that exploit popular local events or holidays. This type of contextually relevant content not only grabs attention but also reinforces the practical importance of the training, making it more likely that the employee will change their behavior in response.

Practical Examples of Localization in Security Awareness Training

One of the most practical and impactful examples of localization in security awareness training is time zone localization. This feature allows training platforms to automatically schedule and send training sessions at a time that aligns with the employee’s local time zone.

For instance, if a training module is set to be delivered at 10:00 AM, the platform ensures that it arrives at 10:00 AM local time for each employee, whether they are in New York, London, or Tokyo.

• How This Reduces the Manual Effort of Scheduling: Time zone localization eliminates the need for manual adjustments when scheduling training across different regions. Without this feature, training administrators would have to manually calculate and set different times for each region, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Automated time zone localization streamlines this process, ensuring that all employees receive the training at an appropriate time, regardless of where they are located.
• The Impact on Participation and Engagement Rates: Delivering cybersecurity awareness training at an optimal time—when employees are most likely to be attentive and engaged—can significantly boost participation and engagement rates. For example, receiving a training module at 10:00 AM during working hours is far more effective than receiving it outside of work hours, where it may be overlooked or ignored. Organizations that implement time zone localization often see higher completion rates and more active participation in their training programs, as the content is delivered when employees are most likely to engage with it.

Another significant aspect of localization is adapting cybersecurity awareness training content to the language and cultural context of the employee. Providing training in an employee’s native language ensures that they fully understand the material, reducing the risk of miscommunication or misunderstanding. Moreover, incorporating culturally relevant examples and scenarios makes the training more relatable and impactful.

• How This Enhances Comprehension and Relatability: Language is a critical factor in comprehension. When employees receive training in their native language, they are more likely to understand the content fully and apply it effectively. Additionally, using culturally relevant scenarios—such as local holidays, common social engineering tactics, or region-specific cybersecurity threats—enhances the relatability of the training. Employees are more likely to remember and act on information that feels relevant to their own experiences and environment.

Examples of Culturally Specific Security Threats:

• Phishing Scams in Asia: In some Asian countries, cybercriminals might exploit local festivals or holidays, such as Chinese New Year, by sending phishing emails that appear to offer holiday deals or promotions. Localizing training to include examples of these types of scams helps employees recognize and avoid them.
• Social Engineering in Latin America: In certain regions of Latin America, trust-based social relationships are often exploited by cybercriminals through personalized social engineering attacks. Training that highlights these culturally specific tactics can better prepare employees to identify and counter such threats.
• Spear Phishing in Europe: In Europe, where GDPR regulations are strict, spear phishing attacks often target companies with threats of legal action or data breaches. Localized training that includes examples of these legal threats can be more effective in teaching employees how to handle suspicious communications.

Practical localization efforts such as time zone scheduling and adapting content to language and cultural contexts are vital for the success of security awareness training.

These practices not only reduce administrative burden but also significantly enhance employee engagement, comprehension, and the overall effectiveness of the training program. By making training more relevant and accessible, organizations can foster a more security-conscious workforce equipped to handle the unique challenges of their specific environments.

Empower Your Workforce with Keepnet's Localized Security Awareness Training

Keepnet Security Awareness Training offers a powerful set of tools that not only enhance cybersecurity but also ensure the content is tailored to your organization’s specific needs through effective localization. With over 2,000 training modules in 36 languages, Keepnet allows businesses to deliver security training that resonates with a diverse global workforce, driving deeper engagement and better results.

Some of Keepnet's key features that can help your business with localization include:

• Sending Traning Based on Time Zones: Using Keepnet, you may get training based on multiple time zones you choose. Keepnet’s localization feature allows training sessions to be scheduled according to the local time of each employee, ensuring that the cyber security awareness training is delivered at an optimal time to improve participation and engagement.
• Local Languages: Keepnet provides security awareness training in employees' native language which is one of the most common forms of localization. This not only helps in overcoming language barriers but also ensures that the nuances of security practices are communicated.
• Training Tailored to Cultural Needs: Keepnet’s security awareness training includes culturally relevant examples that address employees in different locations and regions.
• Comprehensive Content Selection: Keepnet’s extensive library, sourced from 12+ top training providers, is available in multiple languages, allowing you to cater to the cultural and linguistic needs of your team while addressing information security and compliance requirements like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
• Behavior-Based Training: Through simulations of phishing (including Smishing, Vishing, Quishing, etc.), Keepnet tailors training to employee responses, ensuring that regional security risks are addressed effectively and helping employees recognize and defend against phishing emails and other phishing attacks.
• Personalized Learning & Gamification: Make training sessions engaging and relatable with localized leaderboards, certificates, and storytelling features, keeping employees motivated while reinforcing security lessons. This helps to create a more robust security culture within your organization.
• SMS Training Delivery: Keepnet ensures employees in regions where email use is less common are still protected, delivering critical training via mobile devices and addressing threats like smishing.
• Regulatory and Role-Based Training: Ensure compliance with region-specific regulations like GDPR and provide tailored training that aligns with the diverse employee roles within your organization, ensuring that every staff member is equipped to protect sensitive information.

With these advanced features, Keepnet helps businesses localize their security awareness training for maximum impact, ensuring employees from different regions receive content that is both relevant and effective.

Watch the video below for more details on how Keepnet enhances localization, boosts engagement, and ensures compliance across your global workforce.

Editor's Note: This blog was updated on December 11, 2024.