Rallying The Troops: Practical Tips for Raising Information Security Awareness

For IT professionals in higher education it is no surprise that for the past three years information security has been identified by EDUCAUSE as the top IT risk facing post-secondary institutions. However, for many faculty,... [ view full abstract ]

For IT professionals in higher education it is no surprise that for the past three years information security has been identified by EDUCAUSE as the top IT risk facing post-secondary institutions. However, for many faculty, students, and staff outside of IT, information security means nothing more than persistent reminders about password changes.

Despite advances in technology, human error is still a leading factor in successful cyber attacks. In order to offer the best defense against this, IT departments need to effectively communicate about the importance of information security and explain how everyone has a role to play. But how? In a university environment there is a fine balance between discussing threats and offering reassurance, as well as inspiring action without cultivating a climate of fear. Many institutions also struggle with human and financial resources to support these types of efforts. So how should you go about “rallying the troops” and getting everyone on board to address information security?

In this interactive session that offers perspectives from three different universities, we will explore best practices and lessons learned derived from a variety of communications initiatives used to educate university communities about information security. Participants of this session will leave with practical ideas for encouraging employees to make information security a priority and how to reinforce key behaviours that will help to raise awareness and mitigate cyber security risks at their own institution.

Presenter Bios:

Carrie Leslie is a Marketing & Communications Specialist for the Cybersecurity team at the University of British Columbia. She began her communications career writing advertisements for dentists and has (thankfully) moved on to creating complex communication campaigns for cybersecurity. She also has a great fondness for alliteration.

Allison Yanke is the ICT Manager, Communications and Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University. Having held communications-centric roles in various industries over the past 9 years, Allison has come to feel at home at Laurier, translating “geek speak” for non-technical people like herself. 

Stephanie Stewart is the Communications Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, at Simon Fraser University. Her 14-year career in communications has focused on the audience journey, and her mission, aside from being the positivity police, is to lift the digital curtain surrounding IT at SFU.