What Stage Is Your Security Awareness Program In?
Click on your best guess
STAGE 0 – Under Water
Plagued by too little time, execution is inconsistent & labor intensive.
Security awareness outreach is pulled together when time allows, or in a business emergency situation such as pending inspection or discovery of a security breach. Driven by resource and time constraints, this reactive approach ensures that frequency, quality, documentation, and inspection readiness are inconsistent. The work may get done, but it depends too heavily on limited staff time and last minute production effort, creating unnecessary stress and compliance risk.
STAGE 1 – Productivity Drain
Rough process makes work repeatable, but still too labor intensive.
With greater attention, security awareness outreach follows a more predictable rhythm. A rough process is in place consisting of a sequence of tasks that may or may not lead to desired quality. The work consumes significant specialized security time every cycle. Frequency and quality is still affected by competing priorities and resource availability.
Wearing too many hats in your security role?
Small team constantly stretched thin?
STAGE 2 – Efficient & Inspection-Ready
Execution is reliable, systematic, always inspection-ready
The process no longer depends on heavy recurring production effort by the security team. The major steps are simplified, resourced, templated, delegated, automated, or otherwise made easier to execute. Because work gets done without requiring the team to rebuild the effort every cycle, inspection readiness is easy to maintain, and documented consistency is simple to demonstrate to inspectors.
Get the feeling people aren’t engaged?
Want to actually see awareness grow and improve security behaviors?
STAGE 3 – Engaging & Inspection-Impressive
Busy employees don’t routinely tune out security messaging.
A thoughtful communication and content strategy ensures security messaging is not routinely tuned out by busy employees. The intended audience receives content that covers a variety of topics and is interesting, relatable, concise, and easy to engage with. This creates the necessary conditions for security awareness to take hold and security-savvy behaviors to increaser across the workforce. The substance of the program is impressive internally and with inspectors.
Consistency and flexibility important to you?
Looking to ensure the team’s time and energy is being utilized efficiently?
STAGE 4 – Enterprise Efficient
Centralized standards, shared messaging, local flexibility
At this level the organization has the right balance between enterprise consistency and local team flexibility. Employees experience a unified, professional voice from the security function, while local teams still have room to address facility-specific needs. A core, branded communication vehicle is available across the enterprise, so local teams are not inefficiently duplicating work or struggling to create quality materials independently. At the same time, mechanisms are in place for local security personnel to communicate location or program-specific guidance, reminders, contacts, procedures, or priorities.
Serious about human risk mitigation?
Are you intentional about creating a realistic security culture across the workforce?
STAGE 5 – Enterprise Strategic
The best security teams integrate into their comms strategy an awareness outreach that is enriching and relatable to everyone.
Security awareness outreach becomes part of a broader effort to build rapport and trust between the security team and the wider workforce. The communication feels realistic, useful, and respectful of employees’ time. It does not come across as another compliance chore, but as practical guidance that helps employees understand real security concerns and respond appropriately.
At this level, the security function is not only reinforcing company responsibilities. It is also helping employees protect themselves and their families from the security threats they encounter beyond the workplace. This strategic approach makes awareness feel more relevant, more supportive, and more valuable to the workforce over time.
What do you want to see next?
The Employee Security Connection gives security program owners a finished employee security awareness campaign they can send to employees, retain for records, and show during inspection. Each campaign includes an 8-page digital newsletter, cover message, logo placement, and optional local update page — delivered ready to use during the first week of each new quarter.