Security awareness is on the rise. A decade ago, it wasn’t even on the agenda within certain sectors. But, in today’s technology era, it’s important to act safely in any digital environment, understand the threat landscape, and contribute to keeping the internet safe. At Visma, we’ve created a security awareness strategy with the goal to change how people think about and implement security measures.
As a mission-critical software provider, maintaining top-notch security efforts is at the top of our priority list. Here are some of the initiatives we’ve implemented, which can serve as a guide for your own organisation’s security awareness strategy.
Make security a core part of company culture
In large companies, it can be difficult to get everyone on the same page in terms of security efforts. This is especially true for organisations where multiple companies come together because each company might have their own approach to implementing security measures. It’s important to establish a unified security culture that everyone can connect with – so every employee sees security at the core of their work. It’s also important to consider people’s mindset and meet them where they’re at. The goal should be to engage, inspire, and motivate people to drive their own security learning and progress.
At Visma, we provide security guidance and information across the organisation, but we also empower each company – and every employee – to drive their own security education. We’ve learned that facilitating mandatory security training isn’t always a desired option. So, by encouraging employees to become ambassadors and drivers of security awareness, our strategy becomes more sustainable and efficient for the entire organisation in the long run.
Keep cyber security information and reminders flowing
We’ve created a security awareness strategy that aims to cover our internal needs and contribute to online safety on a more global scale. We do this by engaging our security colleagues to share their knowledge and findings externally using both digital and traditional media channels. This includes posting on social media, speaking at security conferences, and working booths at events where security awareness is relevant.
We also have a continuous internal security awareness campaign. Throughout the year, dedicated security experts do deep-dives into various security topics and share their experiences, insights, and tips with the entire organisation. We’ve found that exposing our colleagues to a constant flow of security-related information all year round, rather than just a few times a year, has a much bigger impact on their understanding of and participation in our security efforts. This, in turn, strengthens our position as a pure-play software company.
Cyber security threats are always a risk, which is why it’s so important to remind people how to stay safe online. One might take for granted that they’ll recognise phishing or a ransomware attack. But, the reality is that hackers are constantly getting more creative, and their attacks more advanced. One small mistake by an employee can potentially cause irreversible damage to the entire organisation. That’s why it’s crucial to engage all employees to work together for a safer digital space for everyone.
