Turning over employee instruction to computers can save you a bundle of time and money --but turning your back on your security training program merely because it's automated will set you up for disaster. Instead, integrate computer-based training (CBT) into your comprehensive security plan both to ease your training budget and please examiners.

When you don't have a large, dedicated training staff that can sit down and go over security policy with employees, CBT is a logical fix. After the initial expense, automated tools save in terms of efficiency, explains Alberto Pinuel, Jr., compliance officer at Valley National Bank in Wayne, NJ. His bank implemented an online product from BankersEdge about a month ago in order to cut down on the number of staff members running from branch to branch to conduct training sessions.

Warning: Despite its benefits, CBT is not a catch-all solution to your training needs. CBT is a passive tool that relies on one mode of instruction --reading --and that can account for limitations in retention of material, informs Janeé Sweeney, senior consultant in the information technology group at Little Rock, AR-based DD&F Consulting. You get a higher level of retention in classrooms because they are interactive and combine reading with hearing and seeing the material, she explains.

Once you know what CBT can and cannot do, you are ready to use it effectively as part of your training program. The Bottom Line: "Whatever management chooses to implement as a delivery method, the most important thing is to have an effective training program that outlines the expectations, the scope of the program, and how user training is documented and reported back for auditing purposes," Sweeney reminds.