Cybersecurity teams have developed a problematic reputation as blockers rather than enablers. The department of "No." The team that stops progress. The group that makes everything harder.
It's time to shift the security department's mindset from enforcement to prevention.
Think of it this way: security should be more like the fire department than the police department. The work fire departments do is proactive. They hand out smoke alarms, they educate about fire safety, they conduct inspections to prevent fires before they start. They minimize risk through prevention.
Police, on the other hand, enforce existing rules. They respond after something has happened. They're reactive by nature.
Security should support business objectives rather than obstruct them. When security is seen as a blocker, people find ways to work around it. They use unauthorized tools. They skip security reviews. They take shortcuts that create risk.
But when security is seen as an enabler—a team that helps people do their jobs safely and efficiently—everything changes. People come to security early in the process. They ask for advice. They want to do things the right way.
Practical Steps
Here's what I recommend:
Conduct security drills at least twice yearly. In 2019, my organization ran a pandemic simulation drill. When COVID-19 hit the following year, our employees were prepared. They knew what to do because we had practiced. That's the value of proactive security planning.
Engage employees in security awareness training. Not just annual compliance training, but ongoing education that helps people understand why security matters and how they can contribute.
Involve customers in security practices. Help them understand how you're protecting their data. Make security a competitive advantage, not just a cost center.
Adopt proactive threat detection rather than reactive enforcement. Don't wait for something bad to happen. Go looking for vulnerabilities before attackers find them.
Be Smokey the Bear
My appeal to security professionals: become the Smokey the Bear of security. Be an educator. Be a preventer. Help people understand the risks and how to mitigate them.
When someone comes to you with a new project or initiative, your first response shouldn't be "no." It should be "let's figure out how to do this safely."
That shift in mindset—from gatekeeper to enabler—will transform how your organization views security. And when security is seen as a partner rather than an obstacle, everyone wins.
