In today’s digitally-centric world, the ramifications of data breaches, viruses and online scams have grown increasingly more significant for businesses, meaning a strong cyber security culture has never been more important.
Despite this, within organisations there isn’t as much emphasis placed on cyber security culture as you might think. Establishing a positive cyber security culture can mean creating and nurturing a working environment that promotes and encourages secure behaviours. It also means that your team feels empowered to better protect themselves and others through knowledge, awareness and positive behaviour changes.
When implemented efficiently and consistently throughout all levels of a business, cyber security culture can work as an additional layer of protection as part of a broader security solution.
4 cultural cyber security measures to action in your business
The more work you put into your cyber security strategy now, the less likely you are to be affected by an attack in the future. And in the event that an attack does arise, a sturdy strategy can help to reduce the severity of the incident and get you back to business faster.
Here are our four top tips to empower your team to start building a positive cyber security culture and strengthen your security strategy.
1. Team education
Mistakes can be common when employees are juggling many different tasks, deadlines and commitments,. The challenge is that when we’re talking about cyber security errors, they can sometimes compromise your entire organisation and be costly to fix.
In fact, according to global cyber education company, Cybint, 95% of cyber security breaches are due to human error. Breaches can occur, for example, due to the actions of an employee who is not aware of the types of scams that may be circulating, how to identify them, and what to do when confronted with one.
It’s true that this sort of education should be paired with tangible security solutions that help mitigate threats from surfacing somewhere like an employee’s inbox. However, delivering consistent cyber awareness to your team is an active (and cost effective) way for employees to protect themselves and important business data.
2. Rethink the conversation
Cyber security may seem like a complex or time-consuming topic for those who are focused on their individual tasks. This mindset can be detrimental to an organisation’s security culture and often stems from a misunderstanding of the importance of the subject at hand. While cyber security is important in professional settings, it can also impact personal wellbeing. This makes it important for teams to understand, in practical terms, how expanding their knowledge and upskilling their behaviours can help have a direct, positive impact on both themselves and the business.
This helps rethink cyber security as fundamentally important, rather than a tick-box training exercise or simply a work-related priority.
3. Encourage good cyber behaviour
It’s important that security training doesn’t involve fear tactics – fear of retribution is not the ideal way to educate your team to avoid clicking on a phishing email.
A more effective and rewarding way to reframe the conversation is by making security training something that your team actively wants to engage in. Reward good security behaviours like reporting a phishing attempt, completing the weekly security quizzes on time or even doing voluntary activities.
Rewards and incentives will likely vary depending on your business and circumstances, but reframing security participation and achievement as something to be commended, rather than feared or avoided, can have long lasting effects on your business’ cyber security strategy. Not to mention the lasting effects this can have on your employee’s individual online safety.
4. Implement more automation
Establishing a strong cyber security foundation for your team is another way to foster a strong culture. Incorporating more automation into daily processes, computer updates, software developments etc., makes your team’s jobs easier. By looking towards cultural improvements as well as certain cyber security technology, it reinforces more robust protection to combat potential threats.
Step up your business’ cyber security culture with TBTC Victoria West
Cyber security is multifaceted and should be tailored to the specific needs and strategic goals of your business. In the same way that no two businesses are alike, there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creating a holistic cyber security solution.
At TBTC Victoria West, we can provide the support you need to help become a cyber resilient business. With a cyber security audit, we can help identify points of risk – asking questions like what kind of data you hold, how sensitive it is, and how you’re protecting it. We can also help you to devise an appropriate disaster response and recovery plan, and assist with cyber security education.
Reach out today, and let’s get securing.
