In this lesson,
we're going to cover how to create a culture of security
in your organization.
Now, establishing a culture of security
is extremely important in your organization.
After all, you can install all the high-tech firewalls
and encryption systems you want,
but if your employees don't value security,
then they're simply going to bypass
or ignore these technical solutions,
and the threat actor will be able
to infiltrate your networks.
Creating a culture of security
involves weaving cybersecurity
into the very fabric of your organization's ethos,
behaviors, and everyday decisions
being made by all of your employees.
This transformation is a complete shift
in the mindset of your organization,
and must use organizational change management,
strategic development, comprehensive execution,
and constant monitoring and reporting
to achieve your new security-focused culture.
Our goal here is clear:
to ingrain cybersecurity into every part of our organization
so that we can all make better decisions
to protect and defend our organization
and its valuable information.
Now, to create this change,
we're going to rely on the principles
of organizational change management, or OCM.
Now, organizational change management
begins by understanding the human elements role in security
by acknowledging that most sophisticated security systems
can falter without your staff being fully engaged
and adhering to your policies and procedures.
So to be effective,
your organizational change management
should begin at the top of your organization,
within your executive leadership team
to illustrate their commitment to security
so that the tone is set
for all of your organization's personnel,
internal relationships, and operations.
Your leaders must communicate
the importance of cybersecurity,
not as a mandated directive,
but as a corporate responsibility
that is shared equally by everybody,
all the way from the executive suite
to your low-level, seasonal, or part-time employees.
First, we enter the development phase
of our security programs,
where strategic planning takes center stage.
It's not enough to declare that cybersecurity
is a priority for your organization,
but you also must create specific and actionable plans
that are backed up with the proper resource allocations
to make them a reality.
During this phase,
you sould create comprehensive policies
that outline the acceptable practices and protocols
in your organization,
as well as educating your employees about potential threats,
like phishing and social engineering,
and implementing clear guidelines
for handling your organization's sensitive data.
Beyond rules and restrictions, though,
this phase must also build a foundation for empowerment
so that your employees feel confident in their ability
to recognize and respond to potential cyber threats.
Now, once the development is concluded,
the execution phase will begin.
It's important to realize that the execution phase
isn't a one-time event, though,
but it's more of a continual process.
This involves rolling out new policies
and conducting training sessions to mark the start
of what must be a sustained effort over time.
After all, the security landscape
is ever-changing and ever-evolving,
so your strategies and tactics must also adapt over time.
Your organization must also ensure
that regular training updates,
simulated cyberattacks,
and consistent communication about threats
are part of your standard operating practices
on a daily basis.
This is the key to making security considerations
a habit in your organization,
and not just an afterthought.
So it's crucial that you always embed these practices
into your everyday workflows.
However, without a system for reporting
and monitoring in place,
even the most thorough strategies
will ultimately face failure.
To ensure the strategy is successful,
you should begin with some initial monitoring
after the rollout of a new security program
to address any immediate issues that must be identified.
Then you should move into a more recurring set of check-ins
that helps to maintain the program's integrity
over the long term.
This approach means that we are monitoring the network
for potential breaches,
as well as ensuring that we're tracking employee compliance
with our security protocols,
assessing the effectiveness of our current strategies,
and identifying any areas for potential improvements.
Additionally, all of your employees must be educated
on how and where they can report any suspicious activities
within your organization.
An atmosphere where staff members
are hesitant to report incidents
because they fear being blamed for a potential issue
is considered to be very counterproductive
to our goal of increasing our security.
Instead, we are aiming to cultivate an environment
that encourages the reporting of potential incidents
and one where employees' input is valued highly
to help us improve our organization's security measures.
To help with this, we need to create feedback loops
to ensure that any insights gained
from our monitoring and reporting activities
will be directly influencing our future actions,
so that our program can continue to evolve
and increase in its effectiveness.
This cycle of learning and adapting
is what really helps organizations
to stay ahead of any new or novel cyber threats
that may be introduced over time.
So remember, creating a culture of security
is a comprehensive endeavor
that is all about making the organization
more resilient against the cyberattack
by ensuring that each individual understands their role
in safeguarding the organization's sensitive digital assets.
When security becomes second nature in your organization,
you're going to see that employee vigilance
becomes an inherent trait inside of your culture,
and that your organization
doesn't just protect its interests against current threats,
but it also becomes better equipped
to face the uncertainties
that may appear further out in the future.
By having a more proactive security posture,
your organization will build its reputation
on the basis of trust,
and it will allow your organization
to improve its operations
while maintaining the security of its most sensitive data.