An Overview of International Cyber-Security Awareness Raising and Educational Initiatives (2011)

[« previous] [next »] [up] [title page] [full contents]

4.3. Coordination

The effectiveness of Cyber-Security education and awareness raising campaigns would be enhanced by some limited efforts in coordination. Based on the observation of international practice during Component 1 of this study, there is potential in Australia for organisations to pursue a wide range of relatively uncoordinated campaigns, of limited duration, effectiveness and investment in proper development process, and aimed at a grab bag of audiences, topics and interests.

This study is not suggesting that all campaigns should be closely coordinated, or that a single organisation should have sole responsibility for campaigns. However, some specific coordination would deliver benefits. Four specific areas could benefit from coordination:

• 1. Awareness Days/Weeks/Months
  This study identified a number of awareness raising campaigns that were based on special days/weeks/months. These efforts are not necessarily co-ordinated across jurisdictions and may be confusing for consumers who now operate in a global environment.
• 2. Gaps in content
  There may be a role for an organisation to anticipate and respond to emerging Cyber-Security issues and risks. Perhaps they could also help to identify providers who could address emerging issues.
• 3. Locating content
  The location of useful material is currently spread across many host organisations, so it may be difficult for many users to find information that is particularly suited to their specific interests. Relatively informal coordination and collaboration between various potential providers, aimed at re-focusing the provision of these materials to identified needs in ways that are most effective and convenient and findable for users, would be warranted, though a centralised and tightly coordinated process may not be as effective as something that works with traditional Internet collaborative models.
• 4. Sharing evaluation
  One organisation could take on the role of coordinating and disseminating information on the evaluation of campaigns. This is discussed in more detail above.

[« previous] [next »] [up] [title page] [full contents]

[full document] [download PDF version]

[up to research]