Online courses are becoming increasingly popular and this market is expected to grow to $325 Billion by 2025. After all, developing your skills, whether face-to-face or online, is critical in order to offer the right legal advice and assistance to your clients. Choosing an online course over a traditional face to face environment, definitely has its positives, especially for those who are looking for added flexibility in their learning, particularly as you can log on from the comfort of your home without having to worry about attending classes in person. However, as with all things digital, cyber safety should always be a key consideration. There has been a marked increase in cyber-attacks in recent years with over half of British firms reporting them in 2019, resulting in the fear of getting key information stolen when surfing the net. For our blog this week, we’ll be reviewing the safety of online courses and will give you some easy tips on how to stay safe while making the most of your online training.
Make trust a priority
When looking for a professional course online, whether you would like to learn something new or expand your existing skills, always opt for a trustworthy source. Research the company online and always check what other clients have to say about it. Third party reviews sites are an excellent source to put your mind at ease and help you make a decision based on other people’s opinion of the business. Before accessing any website or links, whether this has been sent via email or popped up on your screen, make sure to double check the source: as they always say, better safe than sorry – you don’t want a virus working through your firm’s system. Trusted providers like Altior will always be on hand to explain and guide you through your choices before asking for any details from you.
Protect your information
In 2017, the Guardian reported that more than 17 million people in Britain were victims of cybercrime, resulting in financial losses. The SRA also highlighted that £10.7m of client money was reported as lost in 2017 and even more shocking, phishing emails have seen a 125% increase in 2019. In the age of heightened network security, we understand that these are all valid reasons for which you might be reluctant to choose an online course. In order to avoid this, we highly suggest that you never share your bank details or personal information at an early stage, especially over email. If you receive email communications that look suspicious, you’re probably right. This is why various systems have been developed to help protect your information. We also recommend that you never connect to public Wi-Fi connections, especially when signing in to your account. Stats have shown that in this case, it’s unlikely that you will have any control on your privacy and security, particularly on unsecured networks – this is one of the best opportunities for hackers to steal your information. If you are working remotely from a laptop with firm information stored, make sure you have anti-virus software installed to help protect you from risk.
Choose your courses wisely
As well as focusing on your digital safety, you need to ensure the quality of your chosen training to ensure that you don’t waste your valuable training resources. After all, online courses certainly don’t equate to lower standards of training and can be a valuable addition to any L&D plan. As a matter of fact, a recent study, has shown that online education is equal or superior to attending a class in person. However, you need to make sure you choose a training provider that you can trust so that you don’t squander your firm’s L&D funds.
In a digital economy we can’t deny that operating online can pose some risks. We all should be taking necessary precautions to protect ourselves from hackers, particularly in the legal industry where the SRA has highlighted cyber-crime as a key risk. Despite this, choosing an online training course like Altior’s innovative Live Online system, can help you to gain and develop professional skills that will benefit you and your business with practical results that you can implement. Making the right and safe decision is essential to develop your knowledge and competencies, so make sure you protect your or your firm’s information at all times and do your research. If you have any questions about our Live Online course offering or would like to discuss your training options with a member of our team, call us today on 02920 451 000 or email us on infoaltior@barbri.com