Five Key Tips To Improve Your Company’s Cyber Security Culture 

An organization’s biggest threat may not come from far away hackers but from its own employees. Your first line of defense is to develop a cyber security culture within your organization that embraces and rewards the adoption of good cyber security behavior. Remember, it’s not just up to the IT department – the entire company must work together.

These five tips can help you evaluate and improve your cyber security culture by training your employees and encouraging the right behaviors.

1. Educate new employees. Include cyber security training in your new employee orientation program. Establish from the beginning the organization’s expectations for how each employee manages their online activities, and software and device use. Teach them to be aware of their surroundings and how to report concerning situations or observations.
    
2. Reward good behaviors. Recognize employees who practice the right cyber security practices on a regular basis. Consider having contests each quarter to keep employees engaged and aware of the importance of these desired behaviors.
    
3. Integrate a login system message. Many companies have integrated a message window upon login to their corporate networks that reminds employees of their responsibility to protect the organization and their co-workers by practicing proper cyber security behaviors.
    
4. Enable easy reporting. Make reporting suspicious behavior or security concerns as easy as possible for employees. For example, add a one-click link to your email platform that allows users to forward suspicious emails directly to the IT team for review. If your company has an intranet, add a link on the home page to report cyber security concerns or recognize good behaviors.
    
5. Lead by example. Behaviors are learned by the example of our leaders. Develop an annual cyber security training certification for leaders to communicate new information and ensure they have the right tools and updated information to deliver to their teams.

It is important to educate your employees on the responsibility of developing healthy cyber security awareness habits to lay the foundation for a solid cyber security culture within your organization.