Software Engineering Institute

Of the cultural barriers to successfully operating insider risk programs, those that erode trust between management and the workforce are the most pernicious. This presentation describes an approach called balanced deterrence that helps shape organizational culture to better counter insider threat through improved management-employee relations while sustainably supporting the organizational mission. Balanced deterrence bundles traditional security controls with practices to increase employees’ perceptions of organizational support. We believe that an insider risk program grounded in balanced deterrence can become known as an advocate for employee well-being and a means for a more productive, engaged, and committed workforce.