Alewijnse | Digital security is vital to our continuity, our projects and our reputation
When an organisation begins its journey with security awareness, resistance is sometimes inevitable. Occasionally, that resistance comes from colleagues who are unwilling to cooperate or who don’t take it seriously. At other times, it arises higher up in the organisation where there is a lack of understanding or budget for a security awareness campaign. How do you turn that resistance into action and long-term cultural change? We talk about it with Anton Ebens, ICT Team Lead at Alewijnse.
Alewijnse connects people and technology. They build reliable and sustainable integrations of electrical and automation systems. With over 135 years of experience, 1,000 employees, and a recent addition to the Oceanco Group, the company has a solid foundation. To remain strong in the future, security awareness is indispensable. “In today’s world, where the storage and processing of digital data are strategically important for the functioning of business activities and society as a whole, cyber awareness is essential,” says Anton.
“In recent years, we have seen a huge increase in phishing and ransomware. The methods used seem to be becoming ever more sophisticated. At Alewijnse, we have implemented security measures that, fortunately, have so far proved sufficient. In addition, some time ago we complemented our security with security awareness training. The reason for this was that we noticed some employees found it difficult to recognise the difference between a trustworthy and an untrustworthy email. Moreover, the importance of security awareness training is further emphasised by the government (NIS2) and insurance companies.”
The approach to security awareness training got off to a good start. “We drew up a list of requirements and took it to the market.” Important aspects were:
This is how Alewijnse came into contact with Awaretrain. “We found the availability of up-to-date content very appealing. In addition, we received excellent support from Awaretrain in setting up our security awareness campaign. They answered all our questions about the platform and the rollout quickly and clearly.”
However, the actual rollout of the security awareness campaign did not go as smoothly as hoped. “It was a bit messy because we struggled to convince the management of the need for regular training. Training twice a year is simply not enough and does not deliver the results we want to achieve.”
How do you deal with that resistance? “At first, we didn’t involve the right people, but after collaborating with the quality assurance team, we had a clearer plan regarding the launched training courses, reporting and follow-up,” says Anton.
Alewijnse made use of QESH: quality, environment, safety and health. “QESH can help to set and achieve clear goals. For example, our security awareness training is mandatory. Some colleagues experience this as an additional burden or see it as a kind of game. Fortunately, we also see a healthy awareness emerging among our colleagues.”
Anton notices this, among other things, in the so-called ‘exponential’ increase in helpdesk calls about suspicious emails and messages. “There is also more frequent discussion about cybersecurity and active requests for feedback from the IT department. Within our security system, we can see that less traffic is being blocked to unknown destinations because colleagues are clicking less often on fraudulent links.”
It is a noteworthy result of Alewijnse to be proud of, especially because there was initial resistance. Anton shares some tips for other organisations facing similar challenges: “Security awareness doesn’t arise from publishing a nice story once or twice a year. The campaign only really becomes powerful if you provide training every two months and if the subject is supported by senior management. Cybercrime is extremely topical, and the media offer plenty of examples of the consequences of such an attack. Security awareness is therefore indispensable.”
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