Today@Sam Article

Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Armors SHSU

Oct. 4, 2021
SHSU Media Contact: Hannah Crandall

In an effort to make the Sam Houston State University community knowledgeable and aware of best cybersecurity practices, IT@Sam has created a new campaign focused on the concept of ‘Awareness is my Armor.’ The new campaign will serve to connect IT with the rest of university and ensure all students, faculty and staff know how to protect themselves and SHSU.

Some of the best practices to protect both personal and university information include: securing information, protecting passwords, ignoring unknown links and reporting sketchy emails.

“The campaign with the shield logo and ‘Awareness is my Armor’ motto focuses on the individual and how their awareness makes them strong,” said Steven Frey, director of information security. “We’ve built it around a creed that centers around the best security practices and specific things individuals can do to take responsibility for protecting themselves and the university.”

The new campaign was created to bring a fresh look and feel to IT and cybersecurity information that engages their intended audience more effectively. It also helps promote the Bearkat spirit and makes IT’s marketing efforts more personable.

“We want to drive engagement, we want to drive that inquisitive nature,” Frey said. “We’re hoping people see how easy some of the best practices are, and we want them to say, ‘I’m going to do these things because I am proud to be a Bearkat.”

With October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, IT plans to host three events promoting the campaign throughout the month. There will be free promotional materials for all, giveaway contests and a ‘spin the wheel’ game for other prizes. In addition to events, IT will be communicating information to students through social media.

“We’re going to be out on campus on busy days where people don’t have to go out of their way to find us,” said Stephanie Smith, IT marketing and communications coordinator. “We want to talk with students and make them aware of how to protect themselves.”

Faculty and staff at SHSU also have a responsibility to protect themselves and the university. In years past, all employees have been required to complete cybersecurity training at various times throughout the year. Starting this year, that training will open for employees to complete during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. IT will also be communicating with faculty and staff about best cybersecurity practices through direct emails and mailers.

“It’s not just an IT job to keep information protected; it takes everybody,” Smith said. “We do everything we can on our end, but at the end of the day, it’s everyone’s responsibility. We want all of the SHSU community to understand what they can and should be doing.”

As IT rolls out the new campaign, SHSU students, faculty and staff should expect to see an increase in information on cybersecurity and the many resources available to them. Cyberattacks continue to increase, but IT’s newest security effort, the ‘Awareness is my armor’ campaign, will help promote cybersecurity among all Bearkats.

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