What is Security Culture?

When we bring up security culture, the first thing that might come to your mind is the industry as a whole. Classes, conventions and the camaraderie that comes with working in the same job field. However, individual organizations can have their own security culture, and in fact, building a positive one may help your business run smoother. We'll help you get acquainted with the idea of security culture and how you can apply it to your own company and team. In no time you'll be reaping the benefits that come along with this effective method of mutual support.

What is Security Culture?

Security culture on a small scale refers to encouraging your entire workforce on an individual level to engage in security in a positive way. This means allowing them to observe and report possible threats, teaching them how best they can be aware within their department and more. Encouraging individual staff members beyond a security team to be security aware is a great way to not only increase your team's eyes across an organization, but encourage employees to stay safe and act accordingly in the event of an emergency when an individual security guard cannot be there to guide them.

What’s the Point?

Believe it or not, good security culture has been Shown to reduce the risk of incidents occurring as a result of an insider, increase the amount of security threats caught before they become a true problem, and more. in a security conscious organization, the security team itself are the ones who carry out large tasks, but they are also there to teach and inform staff members whose jobs do not revolve around security. Once informed, these staff members are better equipped to lookout for themselves and their fellow team members and report back to security when there could be a dangerous situation.

Not only does good security culture increase the safety of an organization, it can reduce the anxiety of individual employees. Rather than relying on their security team to be everywhere all at once, individuals can feel empowered to identify possible threats and report them, thus giving them more agency when it comes to staying safe.

How to Cultivate Culture?

A huge part of culture comes from the people who are creating it. Your employees already have some level of awareness of what goes on in their company, but keeping them informed on new security protocols, possible threats and who is on their security team is very important. Don't simply stop at mandated fire drills, run your employees through different strategic security protocol so that they can be prepared for various situations. You can even encourage departments to run their own security drills from time to time so that they can feel prepared even if a security team member cannot reach them.

If you feel lost on where to start, reach out to your employees to gauge how much understanding they have of relevant security threats to their company and how they're being managed. Ask their opinions on current security practices and if there is anything that could be done to make them feel safer. when employees are not only informed, but have a hand in their own safety, they are much more likely to follow protocol in an actual emergency.

Remember that building a good security culture isn't about replacing your security team, but rather about adding more eyes and allowing individuals to learn how to identify potential threats and report them before they become real problems.