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Posted January 15, 2017
Not every security vulnerability gets as much media attention as HeartBleed. True, there is a good reason for all the attention – labeled by some as a catastrophic development – and the general public should be made aware of the risks associated with the bug. Yet there are countless other risks that employees encounter on a daily basis which get far less attention, so the question becomes: how do we motivate our employees to pay attention to the seemingly mundane yet essential policies outlined in the company’s security plan?
Organizations can greatly increase the effectiveness of a security plan by recognizing and taking advantage of the ways in which employees’ motivation to comply with the plan can influence their intentions to do so. Specifically, management should seek to increase employee motivation (thereby increasing intention) for observance of security guidelines by creating an environment whereby:
These objectives, along with examples of effective methodologies to accomplish them, are discussed in the paragraphs below.
Most employees view information security as the obligation of the IT department only, so an initial goal for management should be to change this perception. One way to accomplish this can be with a casual reminder to all personnel that, as employees, they are the information agents of the organization, and as such the protection of organizational data is their responsibility as well. Additionally, the implementation of a company-wide reward/recognition program after measurable periods of incidence-free business operations can help create an incentive for increased security plan awareness.
Another popular misconception by employees is the belief that the security of organizational information should not a concern for them individually because, after all, it is organizational information – not their own, personal data. Thus, clearly communicating to the employee that they will, in fact, be personally affected by the loss of organizational information is another highly effective method for enhancing the motivation to follow a security policy. Informing the users that a lax attitude towards security could result in the theft and/or manipulation of employee data – since much of the organization’s sensitive data is personal employee information, such as social security numbers and payroll records – could have a far-reaching influence.
Also, something as seemingly inconsequential as identifying the security personnel by name could have a great impact on risk perceptions. For example, instead of telling employees that “the Network group” is monitoring all Internet activity, stating that “John Smith and Bob Jones in the network group” are monitoring. In this way, the risk is individualized by the employee and the potential loss will be seen as more personally affecting.
Management must be cognizant of the organization-wide opinion of a security plan, as the influence of this opinion on employee intentions can be quite broad. Creating an environment where employees are able to voice their opinions/concerns over the security plan and are able to suggest improvements can help promote a positive attitude toward the proposed guidelines.
Also, the work atmosphere must be one which reinforces all employees’ consistent observance to the plan; therefore it is vital that the organization not only promotes the importance of following the policy but that they establish an analytical basis to measure employee adherence, such as setting monthly/yearly benchmarks for security success. Regardless of the particular method used, the main objective is to facilitate a culture of self-sustained reinforcement by increasing motivation and producing security-seeking intentions.
In Part 3 of this series, we will discuss effective techniques for reducing employees’ security-related errors by understanding the different types of errors and common causes of each. Stay tuned…
Gary Braglia is a Security Specialist at GreyCastle Security with over 10 years of experience as an IT professional. Gary began his career as an application developer with the NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), is a graduate of SUNY Albany with a Master’s degree in Information Science (M.S.I.S.) and the owner of industry-recognized certifications including Tenable Certified Network Auditor (TCNA) and CompTIA Security+.
At GreyCastle, Gary consults with clients in a wide range of security domains, including penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, security assessments, network security, application security and policy development.
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Ho Chin is Chief Financial Officer at GreyCastle Security. In this role, Ho leads Finance, HR, IT and Professional Development. As part of the executive leadership team, Ho works to establish the company’s overall strategy and ensure proper execution of the supporting initiatives pertaining to the above areas of responsibility.
Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Ho led finance and administrative functions at multiple private equity and venture-backed portfolio companies across multiple industries. Ho holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Prior to becoming CEO, Dan served as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, during which he supported multiple acquisitions and helped the organization achieve substantial sales growth. In addition to serving as CEO at GreyCastle Security, Dan continues to hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Assured information Security (AIS) in Rome, New York, a company he co-founded in 2001.
Over the course of the last 22 years, Dan has been committed to advancing the state of cybersecurity and has played an instrumental role in the identification and development of critical, next-generation cyber capabilities. He has held positions in almost every facet of cybersecurity, beginning as a computer forensic examiner and progressing through the management and executive leadership ranks. In addition to co-founding AIS, Dan has facilitated multiple cybersecurity startups, raised investment capital and has served in various lead and support roles toward the acquisition of five companies in the last eight years.
Dan has a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity from Utica College in Utica, New York.
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Mike holds certifications in numerous security and technology related areas, including the Department of Homeland Security and other security technologies like Symantec, Cisco and Microsoft.
Mike plays an active role in his community and serves as a board member and Vice President of InfraGard Albany as well as an advisory board position with the Capital Region YMCA.
Mike has been recognized for his numerous achievements through various honors including the Albany Business Review’s prestigious 40 Under 40 award.
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Dan has enjoyed a 30+ year career in the Information Technology and Telecommunications industry, during which time he has held various leadership positions for organizations such as Rochester Tel/RCI, Citizens Communications (Frontier), PAETEC Communications, IntegraOptics, tw telecom/Level3 and Centurylink.
In addition to various voice and data technology platforms, he possesses a strong background in leadership development, sales and marketing leadership, transformational leadership and strategic planning. Dan has a thirst for knowledge and as a committed lifelong learner, he encourages and supports professional development initiatives for his teams and continues his involvement with Vistage International.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was selected as a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
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Dan has been a cybersecurity practitioner for more than 20 years and uses his knowledge and experience to develop cybersecurity solutions that ensure readiness and preparedness.
Dan received his bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, New York, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a master’s degree in Information Assurance from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.
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Before joining GreyCastle Security, Francesca worked as an OD consultant and focused on strategic culture change at The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. for more than six years. There, she facilitated client education sessions, coached leaders and teams, developed and executed consulting interventions and served as strategy project leader on various client engagements. Her work has taken her into Fortune 100 companies and across borders including Panama, Singapore and beyond.
Francesca is a Lean Six Sigma–certified Green Belt, a proud YWCA-GCR board member and in 2013, she coordinated and emceed the inaugural TEDx Troy—a livestream of TEDCity 2.0. Since 2012, she has coordinated and emceed the Troy 100 Forum, a biannual forum for government, religious and community leaders to discuss issues vital to the future of Troy, New York.
Bilingual in English and Italian, Francesca holds a bachelor’s degree in Management and Technology from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management & Technology. She was awarded Cybersecurity Recruiter of the year North America in 2017 by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards.
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Prior to joining GreyCastle Security, Jamie has held leadership positions with Annese and Associates, ConvergeOne and BlueSky IT Partners with a focus on delivering cost effective information technology solutions for companies across multiple verticals.
Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, a master’s degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.