How to Engage Other Departments in IT Security

IT security is an issue that is often left to those working in tech, but it is something that affects the whole company. In addition, it can only ever be 100 per cent successful if everyone in the business is at least aware of what the main threats are, and what actions they can take to prevent them.

But, as someone working in IT, how can you engage other departments with security? Tech is often given a dull reputation and many employees may find it difficult to motivate themselves to engage with it. With this in mind, how can IT professionals support the rest of a company when it comes to security?

Make it relevant

Data security is a term that is thrown around a lot, especially if your employer works within marketing or another area where collecting data is crucial for tracking performance. This often means that people in the rest of the business are de-sensitized to the threats associated with IT security. To counteract this, make it clear to individuals how they could be putting themselves at risk with their bank details, personal data, and photos placed on social media.

Once they understand it in a wider context, you can relate it back to the importance of data security in the workplace and the potential problems. Of course, one of the main areas will be device management and making sure people are limiting the amount of information they take out of the office and encrypting it if they are.

Measure success

Having training around data security can often go in one ear and out the other, but having a short test afterwards can help ensure information has been understood. This can be in the form of an online quiz or as a practical session, whichever you think will be the most successful with participants.

You can then introduce awards for those who perform the best or the teams that work together the most to arrive at their conclusion.

Summarize clear actions

Creating a 'data security checklist' or something similar can make it much easier for people to put what you've taught them into practice. It will also help them see themselves as someone that can make a difference to the wider business, rather than believing their actions don’t matter.