When it comes to strengthening security within your business, there are plenty of options available.

Be it installing security software as a way of protecting your systems or installing a team or individual to monitor and manage security, there are many important practices you can put in place to help protect your business.

However, these solutions alone are not enough to provide a comprehensive level of security. Why? Because studies have found that 90% of breaches occur due to human error, with employees accidentally leaving their employers vulnerable to cyber attacks.

That’s why, alongside investing in powerful security technology, you should also invest in building a positive security culture, where employees are an integral part of your security strategy.

But what is a security culture, we hear you ask. The simple answer is that when we talk about a culture, we are talking about the attitudes and behaviours of employees.

A positive culture is one where all employees work together and take responsibility for protecting the business by displaying cyber security awareness and taking the right actions.

So, how can you build one within your organisation? Read on.

How to develop a positive security culture

These are some effective ways to start building a security culture in your workplace:

Make security awareness an ongoing priority

Some businesses make the mistake of pushing security awareness at certain points, but leave it off the agenda for the rest of the year. Needless to say, that’s a shortcut to failure.
Security awareness needs to be a constant priority within the business and employees need to know it is important all year round, not just when they complete an annual security awareness course.

Quite simply, secure thoughts and behaviours can only build if regular communications and training are in place, rather than just annual activities.

Outline the desired behaviours

For employees to develop the desired behaviours, they need to have a clear understanding of what the expected behaviours are.

For example, having visual reminders with memorable statements such as “think before you click” helps to embed the importance of thinking before clicking a link in an email, on a website or otherwise.

Lead by example

For any type of culture to be fully adopted, employees need to see the leadership team displaying the expected behaviours. Managers should lead by example in regards to good security practices. This should be evident in meetings, as well as general day-to-day actions and conversations to show employees that leaders are as committed to protecting the company as they are.

Incentivise good security practice

Another way to encourage employees to think about security more and to motivate them to display the required behaviours is to recognise and reward good security behaviour. For example, someone who reports a phishing attack could receive a small reward, which will inspire other employees to replicate the behaviour, so they can be rewarded too.

Developing a security culture does not happen overnight, it requires time and commitment. It involves leaders getting on board, as well as being incorporated into the internal communications strategy. Most importantly, having the right type of cyber awareness training solution is key.

Bob’s Business provides award-winning phishing simulations that can be used all year round to ensure that employees stay up to date on the latest cyber scams. Find out more about the cyber awareness training solutions we offer.