Bring It On Home

   I'm giving a presentation at the Twin Cities ISSA Security Awareness SIG.  I'll be talking about a number of different methods I've used over the years to create buzz and interest about security and make topics accessible to everyone.

   I was planning to refer to one of my earliest blog posts, covering my general philosophy on this topic.  But... going through past posts it appears that, while I've alluded to the ideas, I never actually wrote the post!  So I'll do that now!

   Like the song says, I try to bring it on home.  I find that while people do want to understand security rules at work, when we start talking about things like home computers, smart phones and family internet safety, then we get peoples' attention.

   And that's a great thing!  For a bunch of reasons:

• When people think about protecting themselves and family and data, it helps them remember that in the office we are protecting customers'/patients'/users' privacy and data.
• Security needs the eyes and ears of all staff to help us know what is going on.  Security Awareness focusing on personal topics helps open the communication channels to the security team.  We're not so scary! :-)
• When staff understand more about how security topics can help them, we gain real evangelists.

   And yet there is still controversy about the usefulness of Security Awareness.  But I think it's one of the most important and useful things we can do to help secure our environments.

   Here's a link to the slides from my presentation.

   And here are a few of my past favorite security awareness posts:

• Celebrate Cyber-Style!
• The More Things Change...
• Tech-Smart Parents and Preschoolers
• Online Self Defense (series)
• Internet Safety... The Song Remains the Same

   If you are a computer use, what are some topics you'd like to learn more about?

   If you are an information security professional, what tips and techniques would you like to share?

The Need To Read

   I recently read a great article on summer brain drain on ParentsChoice.org's Read More. Play More. Learn More. blog.

   The article is mostly directed to parents, making the point that kids forget school topics over the summer and often need time to get back up to speed.  This can be remedied with fun, stimulating activities, like brain games.  The article links to some brain games from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

   And, as the post points out, adults can also suffer from the same brain drain due to the inevitable schedule variations of the summer.

   But the specific article aside... what a great name and concept.  We could all read more, play more and learn more.

   We all need to exercise our brains.  Many people read articles and other material as part of their job.  But regardless of how in-depth, creative or technical that job may be, I think it's important to read and learn about other topics.

   So read.  Read blogs, and books of all kinds: non-fiction, historical fiction, mysteries, sci-fi... whatever you enjoy.  Read things in your field, but be sure to also read other info and read for enjoyment.  And, if you don't have time to sit down with a book, try audiobooks and podcasts.

   What are some of your favorite reading, educational or brain activity resources?