Ditch The Techie Jargon Getty Images 688776842
Ditch The Techie Jargon Getty Images 688776842
Ditch The Techie Jargon Getty Images 688776842
Ditch The Techie Jargon Getty Images 688776842
Ditch The Techie Jargon Getty Images 688776842

How to Ditch the Techie Jargon and Improve Your Organization’s Cybersecurity

Nov. 1, 2019
An office memo that tosses around terms like DRM, botnet, FTP, spear phishing and worm could be a quick, easy read for the head of the IT department. But for […]

An office memo that tosses around terms like DRM, botnet, FTP, spear phishing and worm could be a quick, easy read for the head of the IT department. But for everyone else in the organization it may or may not be one big mass of confusion.

And with that bewilderment comes potential danger.

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There’s a serious gap in communication skills between cybersecurity pros and their general audiences, and it’s essential for the people on the IT side to bridge it. Increasingly complex security threats demand that cybersecurity professionals use plain language when they are communicating with those less familiar with tech talk."

Otherwise, an organization could be vulnerable to hackers even if the staff had been warned about what to look for, simply because the employees didn’t understand the language behind the warning.

After all, cyberthreats aren’t just a technology problem — they are a people problem. People are the weakest link in computer security, and many companies don’t promote a company philosophy of "computer security is everybody’s business".

Here are a few ways to improve communication between those in charge of cybersecurity, and everyone else in the organization:

Incorporate this need into the hiring process. When hiring new staff for your IT and cybersecurity team, look for experts who have not only tech skills, but also have the skills necessary to comfortably interact socially and clearly communicate in lay terms with all the stakeholders in the organization.

Focus on training. Cybersecurity teams can be trained to become solution designers who can connect the dots. They can then capture, clarify, and address, all stakeholders’ concerns, helping them to determine and keep their goals aligned. Such cybersecurity pros enable success by listening to everyone involved before sharing their own viewpoints.

Realize this is an ongoing process. It’s important to ensure that the improved communication is sustained over the long haul, and people don’t revert to old ways down the road. You will want to monitor the situation so that you can quickly spot and head off any problems. You can create a feedback loop so that the employees are encouraged to let you know how things are working.

Data breaches, data ransom plots, and email hacks intimidate us all. Cybersecurity teams themselves feel hard-pressed enough to prepare themselves for the onslaught of these gremlins, let alone to accomplish the challenging task of communicating to stakeholders about how to mitigate and deal with cybersecurity risks. But for organizations to keep their information and systems safe, that communication needs to be done, and in a way everyone can understand.

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About the Author: J. Eduardo Campos is co-author with his wife, Erica, of From Problem Solving to Solution Design: Turning Ideas into Actions. Campos spent 13 years at Microsoft, first as a cybersecurity advisor, then leading innovative projects at the highest levels of government in the US and abroad. His consulting firm, Embedded Knowledge Inc., works with organizations and entrepreneurs developing customized business strategies and forming partnerships focused on designing creative solutions to complex problems. For more information, please visit https://www.embedded-knowledge.com/.

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