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As part of connected and flexible working operations increasing amounts of sensitive information is being stored on IT systems and cloud networks. In turn this is increasing the risk of data and security breaches. Organisations looking to increase resilience need to work to improve their cyber defences. But of equal value is fostering a security-first culture, where employees play an active role in safeguarding the company.

How To Engender A Security Culture

It takes more than just policies to build a security-first mindset, delivery instead should include education, engagement, and leadership commitment. A robust cyber security culture should also include cyber security within job descriptions, and across the workplace empower employees to prevent unintended cyber incidents while enabling them to harness the advantages of cutting-edge digital tools.

Key Elements To A Successful Security-First Culture:

  • Leaders and management should be shown to visibly prioritise cyber security themselves, to encourage buy-in from employees. They should be seen to participate in training, allocate resources, and incorporate security considerations into their decision-making processes and internal communications.
  • Cyber security shouldn’t be the reserve of the IT department. For a security-first culture to be developed, a business should extend the responsibilities of cyber security across the width of its operations, tailoring guidance, defences and accountability for each employee based on their role.
  • For training programmes to be effective, they should include real-life scenarios and examples. Interactive elements such as phishing simulations, and repeated refresher training to ensure that your employees are able to identify and respond to threats appropriately and confidently.
  • A reliable framework for secure and correct behaviour starts with clear and accessible policies. These should be well-defined, easy to understand and cover focus areas such as password management, data handling, and incident reporting.
  • Cyber security efforts should be regularly evaluated, including employee surveys, metrics on phishing test results, and iterative updates to training and policies to stay ahead of evolving threats.

Why Organisations Should Foster a Security-First Culture

A strong security-first culture demonstrates commitment to safeguarding customers, partners, and stakeholders’ data, instilling confidence in abilities to protect their interests.

A single security incident can have devastating consequences for an organisation’s reputation, and cyber attacks can be costly.

Industries like finance, healthcare, and professional services face stringent regulations around data protection and cyber security. A security-first culture ensures compliance by aligning employee behaviour and organisational policies with legal and industry standards, reducing the risk of violations and penalties.

Employees become more engaged and confident when they understand the role they play in cyber security and how to act. This empowerment in employees supports the development of a positive workplace culture where individuals feel valued and involved in protecting the overall organisation’s success.

Adopting a security-first culture can act as a differentiator against competitors, and organisations that can demonstrate their robust security practices and vigilance often stand out to potential customers and partners who prioritise working with secure businesses.

How Organisations Can Create a Security-First Culture

Encourage Commitment From The Leadership Team

When management makes security a visible priority, it can set the tone for the rest of the organisation. Employees are less likely to follow policies and practices if they are dismissed first by leadership, as they are deemed to not be important to the larger organisation. Without clear commitment from executives and managers, cyber security can -and will – be perceived as an IT-only issue rather than an organisational priority.

Demonstrate leading by example by encouraging management and leadership to participate in cyber security training alongside their teams, regularly communicating the importance of security in company meetings and updates, and allocating budget and resources to ensure cyber security initiatives are well-supported across the business.

Encourage Accountability and Responsibility From Everyone

IT departments are often seen as the sole teams responsible for cyber security, however this mindset can create easy gaps and vulnerabilities for attackers to exploit. By tailoring security expectations to individual roles, this develops a security-first culture that ensures every employee can understand how their actions can either strengthen or weaken your defences.

For example, finance teams should focus on phishing awareness training related to fraudulent invoices, while HR teams may require training on how to manage sensitive personal data.

Cyber security guidance should be communicated as a team effort, highlighting the importance of small actions such as securing devices or verifying email senders, and how these contribute to the bigger picture.

Build Awareness Through Employee Training

Teams can’t protect against something they are not aware of or how this can be affected by their job role. Comprehensive and detailed training programmes can ensure employees are educated on the common threats, and how to respond.

Effective training should use examples of phishing attacks, social engineering, and data breaches, all to demonstrate risks. Interactive elements including quizzes, simulations, and gamified exercises can engage and encourage employee commitment and understanding.

Similarly, employees should follow regular refresher training as cyber threats evolve rapidly. Our Cyber Security Awareness Training will help employees to stay ahead of threats.

Establish Clear Policies and Processes

When it comes to protecting organisations, employees should have a clear framework to follow. Ambiguity can lead to mistakes and misunderstandings, while well-defined policies build confidence and consistency.

Security policies should use plain language, ensuring guidelines are accessible and understandable for all employees – not just technical teams. Policies should cover key areas such as password management, data handling, incident reporting, and acceptable use of devices, while the policies themselves are easily accessible and visible to all employees with regular reviews to align with ever evolving risks.

Promote a Positive Security Culture

Cyber security should not feel like a burden to your employees, instead it should feel like a shared goal. Positive and supportive culture encourages employees to see cyber security as an integral part of their overall roles, rather than an additional administrative inconvenience.

Achievements should be highlighted and celebrated. This can include improvements around phishing awareness and reduced security incidents, demonstrating the tangible impact of employee efforts. Organisations could create a recognition programme for employees who showcase an excellent level of cyber security practices, such as reporting potential threats as they happen, or completing advanced training. Resources should be provided to teams, including cyber security tips and how-to guides, to empower employees to learn and apply best practices.

Integrate Security Into Daily Operations

By using tools such as Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and end-point protection to make secure practices seamless, this begins to embed a security-first culture into everyday workflows.

Employees need to be encouraged to naturally adopt secure practices, and this can be achieved through empowering team members to act as security advocates, providing advice and support within their departments. Newsletters and team briefings can be used to keep employees informed about new threats and improvements to best practices.

Measure and Adapt

A security-first culture should not be static, and instead you should be able to measure progress and effectiveness of your approach. This could involve conducting regular employee surveys, in order to gauge awareness and attitudes towards cyber security, or tracking metrics such as training completion rates, phishing test results, and incident response times. The results of employee surveys or tracking metrics to refine training, policies, and communication strategies.

Stay Ahead of Threats and Ensure Buy-In From Employees

The nature of cyber security threats become more sophisticated as time goes on, and therefore the potential consequences can become more serious. By enforcing Cyber Security Awareness Training across organisations, this can make sure that all staff are trained to the highest possible standards.

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