Key Points:

• Creating a security-first culture within your organisation involves embedding security awareness and practices into the company's values and operations, making employees more vigilant against cyberthreats.
• Benefits of fostering a security-first culture include heightened awareness of phishing scams and cyberattacks, increased vigilance among employees and addressing the human element, which is often a weak link in security.
• Strategies to establish a security-first culture include onboarding processes that emphasise security, interactive training sessions, incorporating security training into daily routines and more.
• Data security platforms like Metomic can strengthen your security-first culture, giving you visibility over your sensitive data and helping you control it. 

Culture is a huge part of any business, encompassing the way your company works and operates. 

Making security a key part of your organisation's culture can help your team become more aware of the risks posed by cyberthreats. And the more eyes you have on potential phishing scams or other attacks, the better.

What is meant by a security-first culture?

To build a strong defence against cyber threats and ensure that security is ingrained in every aspect of your business, you need to foster a security-first mindset across the entire organisation.

Defining a security-first culture

A security-first culture is all about making security a central part of everything your organisation does. It isn’t just the IT team’s responsibility - everyone plays a role in keeping data safe. 

From the senior leadership team to the most junior roles, the idea is to make security something that’s woven into your company’s daily routines and decision-making. 

Core elements of a security-first culture 

In practice, a security-first culture means your whole team understands why security matters and what they can do to help.

Here are a few key things you’d see in action in a security-first culture.

• Strong password habits: Everyone will be using strong, unique passwords and tools like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to keep their accounts secure.
• Ongoing security training: Regular training sessions will be employed to keep teams sharp and up to date on the latest threats and best practices. For instance, cyber security awareness has been shown to lead to a 70% reduction in security-related risks. 
• Quick reporting of issues: When team members spot issues - like a phishing email - they don’t just brush it off. They report it right away so the security team can jump on it. 

Aligning security with company values

In a security first organisation, security is treated as more than just a box-ticking exercise; it’s part of your company’s DNA. 

Just like  emphasising values such as teamwork and customer service, prioritising security shows that protecting data is a core part of who you are as a company. 

When employees see security as part of their role, it feels less like an extra task and more like an important way they contribute to the organisation’s success. 

The long-term commitment to building a security-first culture

Building a security-first culture doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, commitment, and a lot of ongoing effort. 

But over time, the benefits are clear: fewer vulnerabilities to cyber attacks, better data protection, and a stronger, more secure company overall. 

What are the benefits of creating a security-first culture?

Building a human firewall within your company can make employees more aware of phishing scams, and other cyberattacks. It means you have more eyes on potential risks to the business, and strengthens your weakest link when it comes to security - your people. 

In 2022, Verizon’s Data Breach Investigation Report found 82% of data breaches involved a human element, showing just how critical it can be to get your employees on board when it comes to caring about security. 

💻Webinar: Fireside Chat: The Human Element in SaaS Data Security

This fireside chat with Rich Vibert, Metomic CEO, and Susan Richards, VP of InfoSec at Tend, seeks to explore the profound impact that employees at all levels, have on an organisation's data security posture. While technological safeguards such as firewalls and encryption remain essential, they are only part of the defence strategy. It's the human factor, with its capabilities and limitations, that often determines the success or failure of data security measures.

How can a security-first culture be created? 

There are a few ways you can create a security-first culture:

1. Get everyone on board with it

If you’re struggling to get people to care enough about security (which has traditionally been seen as quite a boring topic), it can let down the whole team. Making sure it’s highlighted in your hiring and onboarding processes to instill this throughout your entire organisation should be a one of the first steps in your data security strategy. 

Use interactive training sessions to engage your employees and run workshops where they can put what they’ve learned into practice. Once your team understands the importance of security and what the impact can be if they don’t take it seriously, it’ll be easier to create your human firewall. 

2. Emphasise that there is risk involved 

You’ll need to get across that security isn’t something to take lightly. Showing the risk that is involved can make your point stick:

• You could use real-life examples to show the financial and reputational losses of companies who have gone through it to emphasise the damage cyberattacks can cause, pointing out the exact mistakes made. 
• If you can find a company in your sector to base your case study on (like how Numan's Chief Medical Strategy Officer keeps sensitive patient data protected, using Metomic), you can show the very real dangers posed by cyberthreats like phishing scams, and make it relatable to your own business. 

3. Keep people updated on new threats to the business 

It’s easy to assume that everyone keeps up with the news but that’s not always the case. Make sure your employees are aware of any new emerging threats that may be a risk to the business, and let them know what to do if they encounter any. 

• Who should their first point of contact should be?
• What information will they need to pass on if they come into contact with a new cyberthreat? 

4. Incorporate security training into everyday life 

Rather than an annual training session, incorporating security training into everyday life can ensure you make your policies stick. Support people in varied ways rather than just through online training, and remember everyone prefers different styles of learning so what may work for one may not work for another. 

5. Give rewards to those who make a conscious effort to build on security practices 

Everyone loves a reward. Whether it’s cash, gift cards, or something unique to your business, rewards can help you grab people’s attention when it comes to security. Give your employees the right recognition and they’ll be motivated to get involved. 

6. Build it into your overall mission for the business 

Talk about security when you talk about your overall aims and vision for the company. If your team can see how important it is to the business, they’ll be able to build it into their own individual targets too. 

For instance, if keeping customers’ data safe is a huge commitment of yours, your customer success team is less likely to share sensitive information in their Slack conversations. 

7. Keep it fun 

Security doesn’t have much of a fun reputation. But incorporating security into things like company quizzes or quarterly hackathons can change that. The competitive element of these can bring out the best in your team, helping them to think outside the box when it comes to security. 

Changing the narrative around security - that it can be an interesting topic, rather than a dull one - can change your team’s entire outlook on security training. 

How can Metomic help?

Data security platforms like Metomic can strengthen your security first culture, giving you visibility over your sensitive data and helping you control it. 

With employee notifications activated in SaaS applications such as Slack, you can let your team know where they’re going wrong and make them aware of your security policies. 

When you make data security the responsibility of everyone, it becomes a whole lot easier to manage. To find out more about how Metomic can help your organisation, book in a personalised consultation with one of our cyber security experts.