Technology advancements have rapidly increased over the last few years, resulting in an increased importance for a culture of security awareness, especially in the cloud. As we all embrace cloud-first strategies to gain benefits of innovation and flexibility, we also face growing security threats. With sensitive data now spread across multiple cloud environments, building a culture of security awareness has never been more critical.
The Cloud-First Approach
Security awareness has always been at the forefront of our business priorities, but now even more so in a cloud-first organisation. ‘Cloud first’ is defined as a strategic approach that dictates the preference for cloud-based solutions over on-premises options, giving businesses a range of benefits:
Cost Savings: Cloud-first businesses can often reduce the costs associated with maintaining and upgrading on-premises hardware. Cloud services operate on a pay-as-you-go or subscription model, allowing businesses to scale resources according to demand without over-investing in infrastructure. This also reduces the costs related to IT maintenance and personnel required to manage on-premises servers and systems.
Scalability: There is also the benefit of cloud-first businesses having the ability to scale up or down without much effort. Whether you need to support additional users, store more data, or handle a surge in traffic, the cloud offers the flexibility to adjust resources instantly.
Flexibility: Perhaps the largest benefit is the flexibility that a cloud-first structure provides businesses. Enabling access of data and applications from anywhere in the world, hybrid/remote working is supported.
Despite these benefits, there comes some new security challenges as a result. Without proper preparation, the very benefits of cloud computing—scalability, flexibility, and cost savings—can quickly turn into vulnerabilities. That’s where a ‘security aware culture’ comes in.
What is a Security-Aware Culture?
A ‘security aware culture’ is being aware of possible threats and knowing how to respond to them. With 82% of data breaches involving people and their choices, the need for a proactive and informed workforce becomes evident.
A successful security aware culture involves encouraging a mindset where every employee, from top leadership to entry-level staff, understands the role they play in safeguarding the organization from potential threats. It’s not just about knowing that risks exist, but also having the knowledge and confidence to identify vulnerabilities and respond appropriately. Additionally, creating a culture where employees feel comfortable reporting incidents without fear of reprimand is critical. A recent study found that of 36% of people surveyed had made a mistake that compromised their company’s cybersecurity, 21% of employees say they didn’t tell their IT team, showing that there is a large presence of apprehension. So how is a security aware culture built?
Building Security Awareness
Creating a culture of security awareness is not just about implementing policies and procedures; it’s about creating a workplace where every employee knows how they are responsible for protecting business information. A successful security-aware culture requires a foundation built on trust, open communication, and a clear understanding of security measures, especially in a cloud-first and hybrid environment.
Hybrid work set ups make understanding security measures more crucial. There should be specific hybrid / remote work security training and protocols, that give employees a true guideline of expectations. They need to be aware of the shared responsibility model in cloud security, ensuring they understand their role in protecting data in cloud environments.
Frequent training is vital to keeping security awareness alive. From phishing simulations to workshops on cloud security best practices, these efforts ensure employees stay ahead of evolving threats. Embedding security into daily processes—such as using multi-factor authentication, secure data sharing, zero trust and automatic alerts—also reinforces security as a natural part of workflow.
Finally, every employee should be familiar with their business’ incident response protocols, knowing exactly how to react when a security breach is suspected. Empowering employees with a sense of personal responsibility, while giving them the tools and support they need to succeed, can significantly reduce security risks. By making security everyone’s responsibility, cloud-first structures can cultivate a security-conscious culture that protects against modern threats.
Need a help kick-starting your security aware culture? Reach out to Surveil or take a look at our security resources here.