Four Tips for Building a Culture of Cybersecurity
Today, nearly every business or organization relies on steady and secure IT operations, so cyber risks deserve the same conscientious attention as other types of risks. Having the right tools and resources will go a long way on your journey to creating a stable and secure organization, but this is only part of the process. If your employees do not take cybersecurity seriously, you will have a problem on your hands. From indifference to inconvenience, there are several reasons why employees may not want to buy into a culture of cybersecurity.
Progressively, businesses and organizations understand the importance of building a culture of cybersecurity and that the culture has to be consistent and effective. The majority of security and IT leaders understand how important it is to develop a strong cybersecurity culture. Security and IT leaders will also state that employees are critical in keeping businesses and organizations secure.
However, as important as creating a cybersecurity culture, very few are actually getting it right. Employees who are working in a workplace that lacks the presence of a strong cybersecurity culture will likely make more mistakes than employees working in a workplace where there is a strong cybersecurity culture. Human error and cybersecurity attacks are often associated. With a vigorous cybersecurity program in place, cybersecurity education can help ensure your employees are armed with the proper tools and knowledge.
To ensure your employees are making smart security decisions, We will give you a few key tips to take to ensure you are able to establish a strong culture of cybersecurity for your business or organization:
Tip 1: Change Your Mindset
Your business or organization should no longer have the mindset that cybersecurity is only the responsibility of those in the IT department. We are living in the digital era, and this mindset will no longer translate. Executives need to shift their mentality and adopt a mindset that cyber threats are everywhere and one department should not have to carry the weight of cyber threats on its shoulders.
For many industries, over 30 percent of data breaches are caused by internal employees. Phishing attacks continue to confuse users, and human errors continue to lead to increased vulnerabilities and data breaches. A phishing attack occurs when cybercriminals send emails that look legitimate in an attempt to trick users into entering confidential and sensitive business information.
When you change the way you view cybersecurity risks, you will realize the opportunities presented by creating an effective and efficient cybersecurity program. Your business or organization’s leadership must buy-in to establishing a strong cybersecurity culture and employees must get on board and stay on board to build their familiarity and understanding of all the risks that are presented.
Tip 2: Document Cybersecurity Policies
Your security policies are a part of the foundation of your cybersecurity culture because it offers guidance to your employees. You will need to develop an official security policy that members of the IT department have prepared, and every stakeholder should officially sign the security policy. The security policy should specify procedures and rules that every employee in each department will have to follow.
You can also develop an informal security document that thoroughly explains your mission and vision of security in the workplace. This document can also provide insight into why it is so important for your employees to follow the security guidelines and how it can lead to greater success within the workplace. You can also include information about what could potentially happen if employees fail to follow the best practices outlined in the security document.
Tip 3: Develop Training Programs
If you notice any weaknesses within your business or organization, I recommend developing security awareness training programs based on those weaknesses. An effective security awareness program should be viewed as a way to improve all the security issues within your workplace. Your cybersecurity program should be about delivering the proper content that will allow your business or organization to meet its goals and change the way people feel about security incidents.
To have an effective security awareness program, you want the program to be as engaging as possible. By identifying key concerns and issues within your workplace, you will be able to develop a training program that will appeal to your employees. Also, by identifying common issues that concern your employees, you will improve your chances of having a successful training program because you will be able to train employees based on specific issues. You will discuss points that will be relevant to all your employees, and this will make your training programs more appealing.
Tip 4: Eliminate The Blame Game
Viewing your employees as weak links and creating a culture where employees fear retribution for security failures is not a great way to run a business or organization. However, some businesses and organizations have taken supreme measures to punish employees who have made errors. When employees live in fear of being fired or sued for a mistake, this will make them less likely to come forward when something goes wrong — this also puts your data at risk because no one wants to come forward when something goes wrong.
You want your employees to feel comfortable and that if a mistake has been made, you want them to feel comfortable coming to you and revealing what took place. You want to build a level of trust and comfort so they can know you were there to support them and not blame them if something does go wrong. You want to develop a culture where people will willingly report an issue.
Creating a solid culture of cybersecurity will take planning and persistence, but it will be worth it. We have been working with businesses and organizations to change their mindsets and develop the type of cybersecurity culture that businesses in today’s digital era need. To keep pace with the increasing cybersecurity threats, your business or organization needs to grow and strengthen its approach to cybersecurity.
For more information on the importance of developing a strong culture of cybersecurity, contact us today.