Report: Employee awareness is key to security efforts

Oct 16, 2003 12:00 PM

Seventy-five percent of organizations find lack of user awareness hurts overall security program effectiveness, according to a report from the Meta Group, Stamford, Conn., an information technology research and consulting firm.

Policies that control the selection and deployment of technology may have automated enforcement, but a significant part of security consists of policies governing the behavior of individuals. Traditionally, security professionals have regarded "awareness programs" as a requirement, but few organizations have proven willing to fund strong communication programs of this type.

Meta Group research indicates that more than 75 percent of organizations identify a lack of user awareness as moderately or severely reducing the effectiveness of their current security program. In addition, 66 percent identify a lack of executive awareness as having similar levels of impact.

"An ideal answer is to establish a well-funded and well-staffed security communication program," says analyst Chris Byrnes. "But developing the corporate culture to support that level of investment takes years of effective communication by the existing security staff."

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