I admit, I’ve been skeptical of Cybersecurity Awareness Month over the years — figuring those paying attention already know the lessons to be learned, while those who could benefit from reminders on best practices barely take notice.
But now, as we enter October, the circumstances have changed. The last year — longer even — created a sense of urgency within the cybersecurity community, but also among the general public. Incidents impacted business operations, critical infrastructure, and national security.
People noticed. And everyone realized that we still have a lot to learn.
So then, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an opportunity not to just enlighten, but to engage; to encourage pragmatic response. To quite simply rally around success, and make some noise about failures. For our part, we’ll be showcasing throughout the month what we’re calling “security by design” — not in the traditional sense of baked-in security standards, but rather in how different organizations within various verticals position their own security practices as a competitive advantage.
Of course, the need to protect data and systems is not — or should not be — a huge epiphany for the business community. But the stakes have changed. Organizations recognize a heightened understanding by customers and partners of the risk, which in turn transforms security from a rather burdensome necessity to a potential differentiator.
Throughout the month, we'll roll out a series of video interviews with security leaders from organizations in health care, retail, technology and finance, as well as in-depth features that examine how different markets incorporate security into their broader mission for success. We'll also be hosting an SC eSummit Oct. 19 centered on cybersecurity training and awareness, featuring our 2021 Outstanding Educator, as well as industry experts sharing the latest in tools and techniques. And catch from the Cybersecurity Collaborative special episodes of the CISO Stories podcast, and a DevSecOps Best Practices guidance document developed through the leadership of Rockwell Automation CISO Dawn Cappelli, in partnership with CISOs at over a dozen Fortune 1,000 organizations.
You'll see the official Cybersecurity Awareness Month logo incorporated into all of our associated coverage throughout the month. And be sure to track us on social media — we will be pushing out polls to tap the perspective of our community. As always, we'd love to hear your stories.
So yes, I by my nature tend to be skeptical. But this month I see the potential.
