Startups: Why the human factor could be your cybersecurity advantage

We know that as many as 74% of data breaches involve human error of some kind. Every cybersecurity leader on the planet understands how important the human factor is when it comes to security – and this knowledge drives cybersecurity awareness and training programs worldwide. 

Large organisations invest vast sums of money in upskilling employees. According to Zion Market Research the global cybersecurity awareness training market was valued at USD $4.30 billion in 2023, and predicted to rise to $21.12 billion by 2032. That’s an expected CAGR of 17.30% in the forecast period. 

And established enterprises have to invest a lot in cybersecurity awareness. They have large numbers of employees, often with high staff churn rates, and their operations are complex – reaching into multiple markets with expansive supply chains. They established these complex systems on the security landscape as it was at the time, but that landscape changes all the time; and large organisations can have a hard time changing fast enough to keep up.

Which is exactly why if you run a startup in any industry, the human factor could be your cybersecurity advantage. 

Startups can grow with cybersecurity awareness programs that engage everyone 

You’re not limited by established training policies, contracts, or existing training materials. So as a startup, you have real potential to create a training system that is…well, not boring. 

We’ve written before about personalised cybersecurity training programs (read that article here) and the power of microlearning (read that one here). And there’s now a vast array of tools and learning systems you could adopt and adapt to suit your startup’s needs. 

You could leverage gamification to make your security education fun and engaging in your business; for example, by offering interactive learning modules and points, badges, or rewards to motivate your team to participate. You could use learning platforms to simulate real life situations that your team might encounter, and offer adaptive learning pathways to meet the needs of individual skill levels. 

With the advantage of starting from the ground up, startups could leverage just-in-time training to improve their team members’ knowledge and skills every single day, with tips and micro learning modules delivered in bite-sized doses throughout the week. 

These are just a handful of many options available to you. Essentially, the world is your oyster – you don’t have to teach cybersecurity in a boring, formulaic way. It doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Instead, you can build it into the daily working life of your organisation. 

Why is the human factor in security easier for startups to manage? 

A number of reasons. Not least of which, startups have far fewer people within their organisation – so it’s much quicker and cheaper to get everyone up to speed on cybersecurity best practices. 

It’s not quite as simple as that though. Even a startup with ten (or less) team members is likely to have other businesses in its supply chain, and each of those businesses has the potential to become a vulnerability. But startups can mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities by establishing a culture of security right from the start. You can include cybersecurity conversations and agreements in your onboarding conversations from the moment you start working with a partner or supplier, and establish clear protocols for monitoring and maintaining security and security updates across your supply chain. 

In other words, it’s much easier to do this from the beginning than to implement cybersecurity controls across a supply chain than to do it retroactively. And if cybersecurity awareness and operations are among your criteria for selecting other businesses to work with, you’re less likely to be let down further down the line. 

As a startup, you have complete control over the security culture in your fledgling business. You can build a business with security architecture woven through every aspect of your work. And most importantly, you can establish clear frameworks to ensure that everyone who enters or leaves your company does so while adhering to cybersecurity best practices at every stage of their journey with you. 

The human factor isn’t everything in cybersecurity. But it is a lot of the things. Human knowledge and skill has the power to make or break your security architecture – so make the most of your small size and agile operations to make cybersecurity a priority for everyone in your company from the very beginning. You won’t regret it. 

Join us at Black Hat MEA 2025 to share your perspective and meet potential partners – and shape the future together.