Security isn’t just a policy problem. It’s a culture problem.
When we think about cybersecurity, most of us picture firewalls, complex passwords, and sophisticated threat detection software. But in the majority of breaches, it’s not the technology that fails. It’s the people.
Take the recent case of Marks & Spencer. Riding high on rising profits and strong sales, the retailer was suddenly hit with a £300 million cyberattack. The cause? Not a software vulnerability or a zero-day exploit—but human behaviour. A third-party supplier was compromised through social engineering, giving attackers a foothold.
This is a textbook example of a failure in security culture.
What is Security Culture?
Security culture isn’t about mandatory e-learning modules or dusty policies no one reads. It’s about embedding security-conscious behaviours into the fabric of how people work, every day.
It’s what people do when no one’s watching. In this way, security culture is no different from health and safety culture. On a construction site, everyone is trained to assess risk constantly. They don’t just rely on a single safety officer. Every worker owns safety. And when they do, the amount of accidents fall dramatically.
Security Culture is the New Health & Safety
Companies have spent decades building strong safety cultures. Hard hats. Clear signage. Daily check-ins. But when it comes to cyber and information security, many still treat it as a side concern for IT or compliance teams.
This approach is no longer fit for purpose.
To truly protect customer data, reputation, and shareholder value, organisations need to make security culture a shared responsibility across all levels of the organisation, from the CEO to frontline teams, and critically, third-party partners.
Why Security Training Doesn’t Stick
Most training is forgettable. People click through slides, tick a box, and move on. But culture isn’t built through one-off training. Culture is built through shared behaviours, repeated daily, and modelled by leadership.
That’s why forward-thinking organisations are shifting from reactive policies to proactive culture-building.
Make Security Culture Measurable
This is where Culture15 comes in. We help organisations make culture visible, measurable, and actionable, including security culture. Instead of vague sentiment or policy compliance, we provide behavioural data that shows where your culture supports security, and where it exposes risk.
Because culture isn’t what’s on your posters. It’s how people behave when the pressure is on.
If companies can build strong cultures around health and safety, inclusion, or innovation, why not security?
Security culture is not a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic necessity.
When security becomes everyone’s responsibility, breaches become less likely, reputations stay intact, and customer trust is protected.
Culture15 helps you get there, with clarity, data, and intent.
Culture15 is your complete toolkit for tracking culture change. CEOs and Exec Teams at world-leading organisations use Culture15 analytics to ensure success by aligning their culture with their strategy.
If you’d like to learn how to define the culture you need, diagnose the culture you have and close the gap, talk to our team.
