Integrating Cyber into your Culture

This article provides valuable insights into integrating cybersecurity awareness into your organization’s culture. To effectively implement a cyber culture, it’s crucial to supplement your annual cybersecurity awareness training with various everyday activities, such as fishing exercises, newsletters, and rewarding good behavior. By making your organization cyber-aware, you’re essentially addressing the most significant and valuable resource your organization possesses: its people.

• Top-down and bottom-up approaches are essential. Engage senior management and line staff in discussions and practices of good cyber hygiene. When executives demonstrate cyber best practices, and everyone around them follows suit, employees are more likely to adopt similar practices.

• Make cybersecurity best practices easy to follow. By doing so, you encourage people to adhere to policies and utilize the available technology solutions. Conversely, the more challenging it is to comply, the higher the likelihood of individuals discovering or creating workarounds.

• Listen attentively to suggestions from all staff members. They are well-versed in the business operations and understand what yields results. Who better to advise on safeguarding and securing the environment than those who are intimately familiar with its workings.

• Piecemeal awareness is crucial. In addition to the annual security awareness training for all staff, make it an integral part of their daily routines and communication. While posters are effective, they can become ineffective after a few days. Incorporate cyber tips into best practices in every staff update, newsletter, publication, and other relevant materials. Keep the information concise and to the point to ensure its effectiveness and easy comprehension.

• Make cybersecurity relatable to each individual by sharing personal stories and evoking emotions. While technical jargon should be used when appropriate, focus on the most relevant information. Provide actionable tips that can be applied in their personal lives, such as at home with family and friends. By incorporating cyber best practices into their personal lives, individuals are more likely to apply them in the workplace.

• Make it an enjoyable experience. Instead of punishing staff for clicking on phishing test emails, reward those who report phishing emails or successfully thwart threats. This should include individuals outside of technology and cybersecurity. Provide them with a fun incentive, such as candy or a trophy, and share the recognition with the entire organization. During organization-wide and executive meetings, acknowledge and praise good behavior.

• Say yes instead of letting cybersecurity be a reason to avoid something. Find ways to secure business functions and foster new innovation. For instance, improving secure logins could reduce the need for redundant usernames and passwords. By embracing alternative and creative two-factor authentication, you can eliminate the need for passwords altogether. Security should enhance the business rather than hinder its progress.

• Find an evangelist who is passionate about cybersecurity. Identify the staff and leaders who embrace cybersecurity and have them speak about their efforts instead of you. Let the business leader discuss cybersecurity with other business leaders.

Cybersecurity is not solely your responsibility; it’s everyone’s. As a leader, you have the responsibility to influence your organization’s culture to prioritize cybersecurity.

If you found this article interesting and would like to discuss it further, please reach out, and we’d be delighted to schedule a time for a discussion. Sage497 offers a number of cybersecurity and strategic planning services to help your organization.