The spate of ongoing data theft incidents in Australia has escalated in recent months with the country being the fifth-most targeted in the world in January 2023 (IDCare). At a rate of one cybercrime report being made every seven minutes (EFTsure) combined with an average increase in cost of cyberthreats by 14%, cybercrime is becoming an increasing concern for organisations.
As the threat of cybercrime continues to escalate, preventative measures are more important than ever to ensure sensitive data is protected. Organisations should strive towards having a strong security culture that ensures security is woven into the fabric of the entire organisation. This article shares some steps on how to achieve a strong security culture in your organisation.
1. Assess your company’s current security culture situation
Start by ascertaining what your organisation’s security culture is like and measuring this against your security goals. From there you can develop an action plan towards achieving your security culture objectives.
2. Develop a security policy
The next step is to establish a formal security policy, outlining processes and regulations around the use of an organisation’s IT resources. In particular, the policy should define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors as well as rules around access controls.
3. Educate your employees
While culture generally starts at the top where leaders should set the standards to be upheld by all employees, security prevention can only be possible if every employee accepts responsibility. A security culture can be cultivated through a combination of knowledge and confidence to take action. To achieve this, ensure that all employees are educated on security awareness and the organisation’s security policy.
4. Reinforce good cybersecurity practice
Employees should be encouraged to report any security concerns or incidents immediately and reward those who do. Establish an open-door policy that allows employees to discuss security issues or concerns and highlights who to reach out to for help.
Building a strong security culture within your organization is essential to protect your organisation from cybercrime. By following these steps, you can create a culture of security that will help keep your data safe and your organisation secure.
Cubility is a management and technology consultancy in Perth that works with businesses to solve operational problems and we specialise in helping clients. If your business needs any assistance with building its resilience against cybercrime, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.
