Cybersecurity culture in business

Corporate culture is cultivated through the people who make it up, but also through their behavior. Cybersecurity culture is part of corporate culture and follows the same pattern.

In this article you will learn how to implement a cybersecurity culture in your company

According to Cybint Solutions , 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error . So how can you limit these errors in your SME? One solution that immediately comes to mind is cybersecurity culture. By cultivating a cybersecurity culture within your company, you will undoubtedly limit security breaches.

But what is “ cybersecurity culture ”?

We will first look at what cybersecurity culture is, then we will look at its importance in business, and finally we will see what concrete actions you can take to implement it.

Definition

Cybersecurity culture refers to the beliefs, perceptions, values, and attitudes shared by employees related to cybersecurity. It exists within every company, whether you are proactive about it or not.

If this is the first time you've heard of it, your company's cybersecurity culture likely has significant room for improvement. Having a good cybersecurity culture requires proactive efforts! But don't panic, we'll explain everything.

Why is cybersecurity culture important?

Because employees are an easy (and often preferred) target for cybercriminals. They are the perfect victim because they often fall for phishing attacks, work on confidential documents, use the web without restraint, don't use strong enough passwords... So many habits that may seem harmless until the company is the victim of an attack.

Hence the importance of developing a cybersecurity culture within your company. In addition to protecting your employees and your data, this helps create a healthier corporate culture and team cohesion.

Finally, a cybersecurity culture also helps build credibility among your customers. It's an additional factor in building trust for them.

How to implement it ?

Now that you understand the importance of cybersecurity culture, all that's left is to develop it within your company. Here are several areas of development to establish a cybersecurity culture among your employees:

1. Training and awareness

One of the first things you can do is train your employees. Regular training (at least once a year) is essential to raise employee awareness and keep their knowledge up to date.

If possible, tailor training to employees' positions. Some are much more likely to be targeted by attacks, so training should be designed accordingly.
Ideally, you can put this knowledge into practice throughout the year, such as through phishing tests.

TIP: Disseminate cybersecurity best practices internally: on wallpapers, on posters, etc. This may seem trivial, but by reading them, you and your employees will integrate these tips even more quickly!

2. Policies and procedures

To make cybersecurity an integral part of your company's culture, it is necessary to integrate cybersecurity principles into your policies and procedures. These principles must be understandable by all (because yes, if no one understands them, no one will apply them), updated regularly but also accessible to all at all times.

We also suggest having new employees sign a network usage policy when they hire you. This way, they'll be familiar with cybersecurity policies and procedures from the start.

If you wish, you can also obtain ISO/IEC 27001 certification . This certification defines the requirements for implementing an information security management system. Obtaining it will help make your company even more credible with your customers, especially if you have access to their confidential data.

3. Designate a person responsible for cybersecurity

If you want to maintain a cybersecurity culture in your company, having designated staff will be an important step. You can choose to hire someone to manage your company's cybersecurity internally. Or you can choose to outsource the management of this department.
Don't hesitate to contact us; our experts will be happy to assist you in this process!

The goal is to give this department an important role. This demonstrates that you take cybersecurity seriously and makes the issue credible to your employees.

4. Communication

Raising awareness, of course, requires communication. Cybersecurity is often rarely discussed in companies, and sometimes even considered taboo. This is why it's essential for managers to engage in conversations about it. This makes the topic more accessible and helps raise employee awareness.

Similarly, the IT department or individual within the company must communicate with other team members. A dialogue must exist within the company, thereby normalizing discussions about cybersecurity. The topic becomes accessible and less intimidating.

Therefore, when a cybersecurity incident occurs, it's important to talk about it. We sometimes tend to want to hide it, but this makes the subject even more taboo. It also helps avoid the shame some people feel when faced with an error that has hampered the company's cybersecurity.

All of these elements will encourage employees to be more attentive to their online security, thus embedding the cybersecurity culture into the overall corporate culture.

5. Spirit of group responsibility

Finally, the last aspect we address often stems from the others: developing a team spirit, a certain group responsibility for the company's cybersecurity. Communication and the involvement of all team members during training are two key elements in developing this team spirit.
To foster this sense of responsibility, it is also important to encourage employees to report problems when they arise (thus encouraging discussion).

Alternatively, you can also think of team members as attack "detectors," which engages teams while valuing their work.

And finally, this team spirit helps cultivate a culture of mutual aid around cybersecurity, but not only that!

In summary

Cybersecurity culture is an integral part of corporate culture. Developing it within your company will require initiatives like the ones we've mentioned. But overall, this culture stems simply from management and the way cybersecurity is approached.  

Finally, developing a cybersecurity culture will of course be beneficial for the security of the company but will also be beneficial in many other aspects: group cohesion, internal communication, motivation, responsibility, etc.

So what are you waiting for?

About Nexxo

Nexxo Computer Solutions specializes in providing IT and technology services to Quebec businesses. Its mission is to offer Quebec companies IT services tailored to their needs. Acting as an external IT department, it handles all of a company's IT tasks, allowing it to focus on its business activities. It achieves this by collaborating closely with its clients and putting their interests at the center of its concerns.