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How To Ditch The Techie Jargon And Improve Your Organization’s Cybersecurity

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, says J. Eduardo Campos, co-founder with his wife, Erica, of Embedded-Knowledge Inc. (www.embedded-knowledge.com) and co-author with her of From Problem Solving to Solution Design: Turning Ideas into Actions.

“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,” Campos says. “Increasingly complex security threats demand that cybersecurity professionals use plain language when they are communicating with those less familiar with tech talk.”

Otherwise, he says, 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, cyber threats aren’t just a technology problem – they are a people problem, says Campos, who worked on cyber threats as a former employee of Microsoft.

“People are the weakest link in computer security and many companies don’t promote a company philosophy of ‘computer security is everybody’s business,’ ” he says.

Campos suggests 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 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, Campos says. 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, Campos says. “You will want to monitor the situation so that you can quickly spot and head off any problems,” he says. “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,” Campos says. “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.”

About J. Eduardo Campos

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 U.S. and abroad.  His consulting firm, Embedded Knowledge Inc. (www.embedded-knowledge.com), works with organizations and entrepreneurs developing customized business strategies and forming partnerships focused on designing creative solutions to complex problems.

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EXNATIONS

Shares New Music Video

"Tether"

Premiering now on EARMILK

New EP Pink Haze Out June 28th

Available for Pre-Order: www.exnations.com 

Recently Featured on All Things Go

"['Tether'] then breaks in a guitar-laden climax, as our senses are ignited 

with sentiments ranging from wistful to euphoric." - EARMILK

Brooklyn, NY - May 15, 2019 -Self-proclaimed sad-pop act EXNATIONS is thrilled to share the music video for their newest single, "Tether," premiering now on EARMILK. An iridescent synth-pop track, "Tether" originally premiered on All Things Go and is the first song from EXNATION's forthcoming EP Pink Haze. Fans can pre-order the EP, which is set to be released on June 28th, at www.exnations.com.

"We wanted the video to have an intimate feel, something genuine and honest," shares drummer Taylor Hughes. "In the era of meeting your next love interest on Instagram and dating apps (especially in the queer world) finding the seemingly perfect "one" online is just the usual. We wanted to use first person camera shots to depict the tension and excitement before the first real hangout."

She continues: "And then showing the moments when you feel like you're in a blissful little bubble with this new person you're falling for. The world is nothing but the room you're in and the person you're in it with at that very moment."

The band will be supporting their new EP with The Pink Haze Tour, presented by idobi Anthm. The summer run kicks off July 6th in Cincinnati and will close out with a hometown album release show at Brooklyn's Gold Sounds on July 13th.

EXNATIONS are an indie pop band out of Brooklyn, NY; comprised of Sal Mastrocola, Taylor Hughes, and John O'Neill. Although self-defined as a 'sad' band, their color palette remains neon, penning compositions that steadily rise from somber lows of deep purple towards anthemic highs of vibrant pink and blue. 

The band's debut release, Tiny Sound In The Dark, is a more-than-promising effort, laced with sparkle and anticipation. The group's knack for memorable hooks and danceable rhythms are clear, but what's even more compelling about EXNATIONS is the anthemic sense of empowerment the trio produces on their first effort.

Their forthcoming sophomore EP, Pink Haze, deals from the warm halcyon embrace of nostalgia. Beautiful and all-enveloping, it's so easy to get lost in. But over the course of the record, the band arrives at the conclusion that the haze of nostalgia best serves us when we find a way through it. When we can look at the past honestly and critically, we've got our best shot at true growth and progression.

Hazy and dream-like, yet bursting with passion and energy, EXNATIONS is a fitting metaphor for the world in 2019. It's sad, but we're still dancing.

EXNATIONS will release their new EP Pink Haze on June 28th, 2019. Pre-orders are available now at www.exnations.com.

For More Information, please visit:                                                                  

Website: www.exnations.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/exnationsband

Twitter: www.twitter.com/exnations         

Instagram: www.instagram.com/exnations        

Pink Haze Tracklisting:

1. Tether

2. Floating on a Pink Haze

3. John Hughes Movie Soundtrack

4. Slow Erosion

5. Modern Kids

6. Dreaming Still

Upcoming Tour Dates:

July 6th - Cincinnati, OH @ Top Cats

July 7th - St. Louis, MO @ Fubar

July 8th - Kansas City, MO @ Recordbar (hosted by Jordin Silver of 96.5 The Buzz)

July 10th - Milwaukee, WI @ Miramar Theatre

July 11th - Cleveland, OH @ The Foundry Concert Club

July 12th - Pittsburgh, PA @ Black Forge Coffee House

July 13th - Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds *Album Release Show