Building Information Security Culture: How Welcome Training Turned Rules into Engaging Dialogue

A large software company has shared how it replaced dry policy documents with an interactive Welcome Training program to build genuine information security culture among its staff.

The organization already deploys advanced controls such as access restrictions, security policies, an SIEM system, and antivirus solutions. However, these tools proved ineffective when employees lacked basic understanding of why rules exist and what consequences follow from violations.

What did not work

Signing a policy document during onboarding proved insufficient, as staff rarely retained the content. Posting rules on the corporate portal also failed to drive compliance, since no verification mechanism existed.

The target audience consists of developers, analysts, testers, product managers, and designers. While these professionals often master complex product security technologies, many still store passwords in Google Sheets, showing that technical skill does not automatically translate into security culture.

Welcome Training structure

The company therefore introduced 45-minute in-person sessions limited to groups of 7–10 people. The format encourages questions and discussion. The curriculum includes:

• Current threat landscape with examples of major Russian incidents
• Step-by-step attack mechanics to illustrate individual impact
• Assets under protection, including code, data channels, and personal information
• Consequences of sharing credentials or personal data
• Password requirements and use of corporate password managers
• Proper use of corporate email
• Storing sensitive data on encrypted volumes with VeraCrypt
• Secure credential transfer using the pbin service
• File checking via VirusTotal and antivirus tools
• Recognition and response to social engineering
• Signs of workstation compromise and reporting procedures
• Overview of deployed corporate protections such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security, Kaspersky Secure Mail Gateway, and SIEM

Results include higher engagement, better retention, increased awareness of personal responsibility, and a measurable drop in human-factor incidents.