Featured: Zachary Eikenberry CEO and Co-Founder of Hook Security. Photo credit: Hook Security.
Cyber security is ever-evolving. What was secure just a few years ago is now comparable to a paper lock. One company, Hook Security, hopes to change how cybersecurity is handled.
Hook Security is led by Zachary Eikenberry (CEO) and Adam Anderson (Chairman) , Anderson who has a long history of working in the cybersecurity industry after his previous job involved too much travel.
His breaking point was when he came home to find his Golden Retriever urinated on the couch.
Anderson, when recalling the event said upsetting your pet means “you might be doing life wrong.”
Since then, Anderson’s changed his viewpoint on cybersecurity, and life in general, being able to create a safe and secure workplace.
Anderson is approaching security in a novel manner, bringing new light to the table and a new way of looking at how cybersecurity is handled on a corporate level.
Cybersecurity Reinvented
Hook Security’s goal is to look at cybersecurity in a holistic manner. Anderson believes the current cybersecurity climate is too fear-inducing.
Employees feel like they are walking on eggshells with every email they open. Every move they make may be seen as a threat to their company.
If it’s not fear, it’s worrying every email is some kind of test. GoDaddy’s COVID Christmas bonus was one example.
Hook Security’s goal is to make their employees feel secure not just online, but in their mind as well. Having peace of mind, Anderson believes, is how employees are able to identify cyber security threats to begin with.
How Hook Used Cybersecurity to Change Company’s Viewpoints
Psychology Security is an emerging category in the market and a focal part of how hook security tackles the issues of cybersecurity.
The point of Psychology Security is to have a corporate culture fitting for its workers. Anderson said, “dysfunction” is what causes cybercrime to win.
To do that, Psychology Security done by Hook Security focuses on helping the employees before training them in cybersecurity. Anderson works to bridge any communication gaps employees have and helps them understand the company’s mission.
Another part of psychology security is company culture, which is a big part of Hook Security. One way it is accomplished is through emotional intelligence, and Anderson describes emotional intelligence as one of the important parts of the workplace.
Zachary Eikenberry, the CEO of Hook Security, agrees with Anderson’s ideas. He describes an unhappy workplace as the real threat to cybersecurity. In some cases, a disgruntled employee may try to sabotage their own place of employment out of revenge.
Improving employee wellness is another part of Hook Security’s ideals. It seems to; change the world of cybersecurity in order to create a synergistic workplace to help employees work together to create a proper climate.
In the event of an upset, the company looks to find the source of the problem and properly resolve it before the issue escalates.
Humor, Not Fear
Another way Hook Security revolutionizes security training is using humor, not fear, to educate their employees. Anderson used part of his personal life to shape this part of Hook Security into what it is, with his father being one of the influences.
Anderson’s father worked in the Air Force for over two decades, and was one of the pioneers of behavioral science. His father’s line of work inspired Anderson, who became fascinated with emotional intelligence.
Anderson’s training involves using emotional intelligence to better understand people and resolve conflicts.
Anderson said one of his goals is to “learn from the mistakes we made during the birth of the Internet age,” and one of those mistakes might be using fear to inform people when there are other ways to teach employees and the public about cybersecurity.
His process involves using emotional intelligence, rather than fear, for companies to work together. Employees are encouraged to talk about their problems rather than sit on them.
The change allows employees to get problems out in the open, offering quicker conflict resolution and better results.
Hook Security and the Pandemic
Finally, the last element separating Hook Security from other cybersecurity companies was how they approached the challenges the pandemic created.
The COVID-19 pandemic made mental health a focus for many. Cybersecurity also has become an even bigger threat as more jobs are turned online.
There is more of a chance of a person’s work being exposed, or a zoom meeting being hacked. Hook Security hopes not just to keep their employees happy, but to update with the ever changing work environment as well
Despite some things returning back to normal, many employees want to remain working from home. One reason is because working from home makes them feel better mentally, which is a theme of Hook Security.
Hook Security was designed to give employees both in the office and at home peace of mind knowing their data is secure, and there isn’t any breach.
Anderson wants to change the way people view cybersecurity, not as a big, scary and hard-to-understand giant, but as a focal point of both company and personal culture.
He hopes to bring the mistakes of the past to light, in order to learn from them to be better people in the future.
