C-levels: why is their support critical to a successful awareness program?
In the age of technology, security awareness programs are fundamental within any company and in any industry. After all, they propose training to reduce the likelihood of security incidents caused by human error by teaching best practices when it comes to using the Internet, electronic devices, and handling information.
It’s thus a little surprising that this initiative is so neglected in many companies, especially by CEOs. Many professionals responsible for implementing cybersecurity awareness programs report that the lack of support and involvement from C-levels in the project creates barriers that hinder the attainment of elevated levels of information security maturity.
Among allegations like a lack of time, resources or even interest, the business environment has become increasingly exposed and vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals.
Beyond Compliance: prevention is better than cure
Cyber security problems go far beyond a checklist of regulations to avoid penalties. Despite many attempting to ignore reality, cybercrime is a critical issue that needs to be taken seriously.
According to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach 2022 report, the average global cost of a data breach is $4.35 million. And, of course, the post-incident scenario goes far beyond financial losses: it involves loss of productivity, a drop in stock value, C-level layoffs, reputational damage, and, of course, fines for violating data protection legislation.
The truth is, investing in prevention is much cheaper than bearing the costs of a cyber incident, such as an organizational system invasion or a sensitive data leak.
According to Arctic Wolf's The State of Cybersecurity 2022 report, 90% of cyberattacks are aimed at tricking people, not bypassing security systems, making it clear that human awareness must be seen as a crucial strategy in keeping a company protected.
Leaders mirror the organization
Within a business context, it’s not a stretch to say leaders are considered role models in terms of behavior and attitudes. The conduct adopted by leaders can significantly influence the posture and conduct of employees: leaders who are involved and committed to a project tend to inspire and motivate their employees to also be engaged and committed to the project.
For this reason, it is imperative that, as a leader, you take an engaged and motivated stance concerning cybersecurity awareness programs. This means getting involved in the dynamics, actively promoting it, participating in the awards, and recognizing the most engaged users.
Simple actions like these can go a long way in helping employees understand the importance of the initiative, participate in the proposed dynamics, and consequently become even more dedicated to keeping the company protected against cyber threats.
A veritable strategic decision
Finally, C-level executives need to keep in mind that supporting the cybersecurity awareness program goes far beyond a simple contribution to increase user engagement: this is a veritable strategic decision, which is directly related to the sustainability and continuity of the company's business, as related to regulatory compliance, data breach prevention, and reputation protection.
A mature information security awareness program can significantly impact a company's operations and image in the marketplace. In short, we can all agree that the decision to invest in customer, employee, and partner data security is also one of the responsibilities of a C-level executive.
