As the world continues to become more interconnected, Cybersecurity threats have become more sophisticated, and the stakes are higher than ever. Security is no longer just an IT issue but a business risk that affects the entire organization. This is why we need to take a more holistic approach, where we focus not only on technology but also on people.
Having served as a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for over 25 years, I have found the most rewarding experiences in engaging the entire organization to tackle difficult security issues. My approach has been to foster a culture where employees are seen as the strongest link in security, rather than the weakest. By working alongside employees and promoting transparency over secrecy, we achieved remarkable results. Recently, I co-founded Anzenna (meaning “Safe” in Japanese) with the aim of bringing these impactful experiences to every organization. I am thrilled to share my insights and contribute to enhancing security practices.
One of the biggest challenges organizations face when it comes to security is people. 82% of breaches are due to humans and despite that, investment in getting employees to embrace security is limited to ineffective annual awareness training and periodic, punitive phishing simulations. Attackers know this and use every available tactic to trick employees into downloading malware or giving away sensitive information.
In order to remediate this, we need to move away from the current approach of content-based, centralized security awareness to context-based, employee-driven security awareness. Security teams need to make every employee part of their security program, and Anzenna provides a systematic way to achieve this using three key pillars:
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- Contextual Engagement: Anzenna understands each employee’s unique security posture, and provides them visibility, remediation and training directly via Slack or Microsoft Teams. By providing contextually relevant, bite-sized training, employees become more vigilant and strengthen the organization’s overall security posture.
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- Employee Empowerment: Anzenna recognizes that a robust cybersecurity strategy requires the collective efforts of all employees. Leveraging its AI and customizable workflow platform, Anzenna empowers employees to actively contribute to the organization’s security efforts, effectively expanding the cybersecurity team to unprecedented levels.
- Unified Visibility: Anzenna’s comprehensive platform seamlessly integrates with existing SaaS, security, and collaboration tools, providing a centralized hub for all security-related activities. By delivering just-in-time training and high-impact security content, Anzenna drives exceptional employee engagement and awareness, while streamlining security operations.
Cybersecurity is no longer a nice to have, but a necessity. Organizations that fail to take security seriously put their business at risk. Anzenna’s cyber awareness platform is a powerful tool that enables organizations to create a culture of security and empower their employees to be the first line of defense against cyber threats.
