A cybersecurity-first culture is more than just compliance—it’s about embedding cybersecurity into the fabric of everyday business operations. When employees understand that security is everyone’s responsibility, they can proactively defend against evolving threats and become active participants in protecting the organization.
Why Does a Cybersecurity-First Culture Matter?
In today’s digital landscape, cyber threats are constant and rapidly changing. Simply having technology in place is not enough. According to the Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, 68% of breaches involved a non-malicious human element, such as falling victim to a social engineering attack or making an error. This highlights the importance of empowering employees to make informed security decisions. Fostering a security-first culture helps ensure that employees adopt secure behaviors as a natural part of their work routines.
How Does Learning Relate to a Cybersecurity Awareness Culture?
For a cybersecurity awareness culture to succeed, learning needs to be actively shared. It is not enough to deliver an annual awareness training course and assume your organization is “aware” all year round.
For effective learning sharing, it requires two key actions: the donation of information to others and the harvesting of necessary information others may possess.
Learning sharing is not about creating subject matter experts, but about giving all employees an equal voice, helping to evolve collective understanding.
1. Procedural/Tacit Learning: Procedural or tacit learning cannot be easily explained and is best learned through experience and observation. For example, learning to ride a bike begins with declarative instructions, but the activity is complex and requires practice. If employees aren’t given opportunities to practice what they’ve learned in training or observe it in others, particularly in remote settings, more complex tasks will struggle to become habits.
2. Implicit Learning: It’s self-contained but can be described when needed. Sharing learning held in the minds of employees should be encouraged through collaborative meetings and online portals. Employees should be provided with a way to fill gaps in others’ learning, reducing situations of knowledge hoarding.
3. Explicit Learning: The learning embedded in security policies and awareness programs needs to be easily digestible for effective sharing. It also needs to be continually optimized and updated through feedback processes that leverage the learning of employees to improve its clarity and usability.
4. Declarative Learning: Declarative learning can be articulated, often through awareness training. A learning-sharing culture should encourage this learning to continue beyond training sessions by sharing new insights with others who may not have attended the training or may need a refresher on certain topics.
How OutThink Supports a Cybersecurity-First Culture
OutThink’s Human Risk Management platform is designed to help organizations build and sustain a security-first culture through data-driven insights and continuous learning:
- Behavioral Data & Risk Scoring: OutThink’s platform uses advanced analytics to measure employee behaviors and identify potential security risks in real time. By understanding which areas pose the greatest risk, organizations can tailor their security training to address specific gaps.
- Role-Relevant Learning Experiences: OutThink offers adaptive, personalized training that’s relevant to each employee’s role, ensuring that security education resonates and sticks.
- Continuous Learning & Improvement: Building a security-first culture requires ongoing training and reinforcement. OutThink’s platform provides continuous learning opportunities that evolve with the latest cybersecurity trends and threats, helping to keep employees engaged and informed.
Strengthening Cybersecurity Through Collaboration
OutThink recognizes that cybersecurity is a team effort. By promoting open communication, encouraging employees to report suspicious activities, and providing role-specific insights, OutThink’s platform helps organizations create an environment where employees feel empowered and responsible for cybersecurity.
Learn more about OutThink’s Adaptive Security Awareness Training Playbook and discover how it can help your organization build a strong, security-conscious culture that thrives on continuous learning.
