What do you consider key success factors for an effective security champion program?
Sort by:
A key success factor is ensuring that everyone in the organization understands that security affects everyone, not just the IT department or the CIO or the CISO. It's a team effort, much like a game of flag football. The idea is to foster a culture where everyone feels responsible for security.
I agree with Xavier. Additionally, tracking and monitoring activity is essential. For instance, we use a tool that runs our phishing campaigns. Having champions share the message and actively communicate their experiences with phishing attempts within their departments or team chats encourages interaction. A key metric for success is the enthusiasm of these champions and their willingness to continue in this role. If they lose interest or see no value, it's a sign that the program needs adjustment.<br><br>
Building on what John said, it's important to remember that we're discussing this conceptually as we don't have a fully operational program yet. However, the security champion must effectively lead cybersecurity within their organization and meet all the metrics and thresholds. Peer recognition is crucial, as is professional development for the champion to stay current with industry trends and issues. Networking and industry participation are also vital, as we all need to work together to address the global challenge of cybersecurity.<br><br>
A successful program should be self-replicating. If it requires indefinite external support, it may not be as useful as we'd like. It's powerful to have individuals who can talk to their team members about security issues, even informally. This can lead to a long-term cultural shift. Setting up and maintaining a program is a lot of work, so if some people internalize it, it drives a culture change, which is what we ultimately need.