When it comes to cybersecurity, John Deere employees are “the shield”.
The John Deere Security Training and Awareness team’s mission is to educate employees about key security concepts, trends and what individuals can do to help prevent cyber-attacks.
Having a dedicated team responsible for growing the culture of security at John Deere has been critical to the success of the Security Training and Awareness program. The team uses many methods to educate employees, including cybersecurity training, phishing prevention training and phishing simulations. The team also uses numerous communication methods and interactive training to keep employees engaged and learning about the ever-changing threat landscape.
“We have an internal saying, ‘you are the shield,’ and it signifies to employees that each one of us has a shared responsibility in protecting our company from cyber-attacks,” said Lynn Bestold, Chief of Staff for Information Security. “We use this saying in all of our security trainings and communications, and it’s an important reminder for all of us to stay vigilant.” In the trainings, topics such as phishing (fraudulent emails), smishing (phishing through text messages) and vishing (phishing through phone calls or voice mails) are covered. Additionally, employees are given industry examples as well as guidance on how to report suspicious situations to the John Deere Cyber Security Defense Center (CSDC) for investigation.
“We hear great feedback from employees on how our training has helped them not fall prey to scams both at work and in their lives, and this reinforces our mission and keeps us motivated to think of new ways to engage and educate employees about cybersecurity,” Bestold said.
Stay tuned for more articles on Deere’s digital security strategic initiatives.
