The Federal Labor Party has promised to “radically change the Commonwealth’s cyber security culture” and normalise the involvement of the wider information security community, if they win the next federal election.
Cyber security culture often refers to the attitudes, knowledge, assumptions, norms, and values of the workplace of an organization with respect to technology. These are shaped by an organisation’s goals, structure, policies, processes and leadership.
Tim Watts, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security, has raised the need for reform inside the federal government’s cyber functions, which suffer from an accountability deficit. “Australia’s cyber security is a whole-of-nation endeavour. It demands that we draw on the different experiences and perspectives of individuals across these domains.”
Importance of Culture
Cyber security culture is one of the most important elements of an organisation’s security strategy. The security culture of a business ensures it’s success in protecting information, data, employee and customer privacy. Some Australian businesses are beginning to implement a cyber culture, but there is still some way to go.
Businesses are spending close to millions of dollars on different hardware and software, yet neglecting to properly train employees about security practices. This creates a strong mindset in employees that the risk is real, and their daily actions can have an impact.
A strong security culture is more than just being aware. It requires the workforce to not only know the security risk, but also the process to avoid that risk.
To know more about creating a strong security culture and how it can benefit your business, contact Agilient.
Author: Mahdi Kobeissi, Agilient Consultant