Employee Security Awareness Videos: Now Playing...

Employee education films aren't just for HR anymore. There are some sharp training films on the market to educate employees about security policies. We reviewed offerings from Icon Training Materials and Commonwealth Films.

By Daintry Duffy

June 01, 2005 — CSO — Take It or Leave It! Internal Loss Prevention for Retail

Two disgraced employees recount how their lives were ruined when they stole from their employers. Through interviews and reinactments, the actors paint a vivid picture of how small infractions such as cheating on time cards snowballed into larger crimes like stealing from the till. They describe the humiliation of being arrested and the aftermath. ****

Terrorism At Work: Be on the Alert After a bizarre beginning narrated by prop-gun toting commandos, this video improves markedly. Covering a range of topics, including access control systems and vulnerability awareness, this film empowers employees to speak up when they notice something unusual. ***

Now You See It; Now You Don't. Preventing Laptop Computer Theft

A mild-mannered couple use a variety of distract-and-grab schemes to steal laptops from business travelers. This video shows how simple measures like disguising the laptop case can prevent losses. At this point the film should have ended, but instead it shifted focus from the business traveler to the corporate security manager by launching into a discussion of the technologies that can be used to protect corporate assets on laptops. **

Targets of Opportunity: Information SecurityThe Human Factor

InterTrack Corp. hires intrepid security consultant Jack Scanlon to test its security protocols after a fax containing sensitive data goes missing. By the end of his third day, he has the salaries of all top executives, a copy of the firm's bid for another company and a backup copy of its entire network. The film ends with Scanlon and the VP of IS detailing how employees can prevent these lapses. ***

The Plugged-in Mailbox: E-Mail Uses and Misuses

Four employees detail how they have seen e-mail misused at their company and how people have lost their jobs and damaged the company as a result. The film covers a host of concerns, including the dangers of overwhelming recipients with junk mail and inappropriate use of the Internet, such as gambling and pornography. Each anecdote is followed with clear bulleted advice. ***

Computer Virus Attack: Defending Against Viruses and Hackers

Starting with the tale of an employee who opens an attachment sent from his niece, this film details the havoc that viruses can wreak and the steps employees can take at work and at home to prevent virus infection and propagation. ***