Security Champion Blog

A Security Champions program turns employees from various teams into security advocates and liaisons. They act as a force multiplier, bridging the gap between security professionals and the broader organization. But as your program grows, how do you keep these champions motivated and their efforts visible? The answer lies in Engagement Design.

Every October, Security Awareness Month presents a golden opportunity for Security Champion program owners to energize their communities. Running creative, motivating events not only boosts awareness but also reinforces your champions’ role as advocates for secure practices across the organization. We’ve come up with a set of event ideas, complete with how to run them and tips for tying them into your program’s gamified structure.

Last month at DEF CON, Katilyst's CEO and co-founder, Stanley Harris, had the privilege of facilitating a 2-hour training workshop on Security Champion Program Design along with Tanya Janca. Bringing together practitioners, leaders, and curious first-timers from across the security and engineering community, our goal was simple: give attendees a clear, actionable path to build (or rebuild) a Security Champion program that truly works.