The Role of Cybersecurity Ambassadors in Improving Enterprise Security Posture

Cyber threats are evolving rapidly, with 82% of data breaches involving human error or social engineering attacks (Verizon DBIR 2024). Despite advanced security measures, employees remain the weakest link, often falling victim to phishing, credential theft, and insider threats.

Organizations are adopting a human-centric security approach to combat this, where employees actively contribute to cybersecurity. Cybersecurity Ambassadors play a key role in this shift, bridging the gap between security teams and staff to foster a strong security culture.

In this blog, we’ll explore who Cybersecurity Ambassadors are, their role, and how they help organizations strengthen their security posture.

Who is an Ambassador?

An Ambassador is an individual who actively promotes and advocates for a specific cause within an organization.

In cybersecurity, an Ambassador is a trusted employee who fosters security awareness and best practices among peers. The ambassador's role is important to improve an organization's cybersecurity culture by influencing secure behavior, sharing cybersecurity knowledge, and advocating secure practices.

Who is the Cybersecurity Ambassador?

A Cybersecurity Ambassador is an employee who demonstrates exceptional security awareness and actively promotes secure behaviors within their team or department. These individuals act as security champions, helping organizations reinforce cybersecurity best practices by:

• Identifying and reporting employee-driven cybersecurity risks.
• Encouraging secure behavior among employees.
• Advocating for security awareness training and initiatives.
• Assisting in security incident response by recognizing and mitigating threats.
• Helping organizations share cybersecurity responsibility across all departments.

What Does a Cybersecurity Ambassador Do?

A cybersecurity ambassador bridges employees and security teams, ensuring security awareness training translates into action. Their responsibilities include:

• Phishing Awareness & Reporting: Identifying and promptly reporting phishing attempts.
• Training & Education: Encouraging colleagues to complete security awareness training and follow security protocols.
• Behavioral Reinforcement: Leading by example in maintaining strong security hygiene, such as using MFA and avoiding credential leaks.
• Threat Communication: Sharing security insights and alerts with peers to enhance threat awareness.
• Incident Support: Assisting security teams by promoting proactive security behaviors within their groups.

Why is a Cybersecurity Ambassador Important for an Organization?

Organizations face increasing cybersecurity threats, and human error remains a leading cause of security breaches. Cybersecurity Ambassadors help mitigate these risks by:

• Creating a human firewall against cyber threats.
• Reducing phishing susceptibility and credential compromise.
• Helping establish a security conscience organization.
• Enhancing engagement with security initiatives and improving enterprise security posture.
• Driving a security-first culture within the organization.
• Helping identify risks early before they escalate into security incidents.

To understand more about how human error contributes to cybersecurity breaches, explore The Role of Human Error in Successful Cyber Security Breaches.

What Are Ambassador Program Metrics?

To measure the impact and effectiveness of a Cybersecurity Ambassador Program, organizations should track key metrics such as:

1. Number of Ambassadors – The total number of employees participating as cybersecurity champions.
2. Ambassador Engagement Levels – Activity on security awareness channels (forums, discussions, events).
3. Meeting Attendance – Participation in security meetings and training sessions.
4. Phishing Simulation Susceptibility Rate – How often ambassadors successfully avoid phishing attempts.
5. Phishing Reporting Rate – The percentage of reported phishing emails vs. actual phishing attempts.
6. Training Completion Rates – The percentage of Ambassadors completing security awareness training.
7. Success Stories & Case Studies – Real-life examples of how ambassadors helped prevent security breaches.
8. Behavioral Insights – Tracking changes in security behavior across the organization as part of a security behavior and culture program.

Delve deeper into key metrics that help measure the impact of security awareness programs in Metrics for Evaluating Security Awareness Efforts.

How Keepnet Empowers Organizations to Create a Cybersecurity Ambassador Program

Keepnet provides an AI-driven Security Awareness and Human Cyber Risk Management platform that helps organizations build a structured Cybersecurity Ambassador Program by:

• Automating the Identification of Ambassadors – Using performance data to select top-performing employees.
• Providing Engagement Tools – Gamification dashboards, leaderboards, and incentives to encourage participation.
• Offering Real-Time Performance Analytics – Tracking phishing simulation success rates, training completion, and reporting behaviors.
• Recognizing and Rewarding Security Champions – Assigning badges, certificates, and leaderboard rankings for Ambassadors.
• Helping organizations increase engagement in phishing security training programs.

Explore how Keepnet’s Human Risk Management Platform can strengthen your organization’s security culture and resilience.

How Keepnet Defines Ambassadors Based on Performance

Keepnet’s Gamification and Security Performance Scoring System automatically identifies employees as Cybersecurity Ambassadors by evaluating the following:

1. Phishing Simulation Performance: Employees who consistently detect and report phishing attempts.
2. Security Awareness Training Scores: Individuals who complete security awareness training with high quiz scores.
3. Phishing Reporting Behavior: Employees who proactively report suspicious emails.
4. Credential Security Status: Employees with no compromised credentials are detected in dark web scans.
5. Long-Term Engagement & Consistency: Individuals who maintain strong security behavior over time.

In The Power of Gamification in Security Awareness Training, discover how gamification enhances engagement and drives better security awareness outcomes.

Ambassador Tiers in Keepnet

Keepnet selects ambassadors based on performance above 90%.

• Gold Ambassador – Employees with a 100% security score.
• Silver Ambassador – Employees with a 95-100% security score.
• Bronze Ambassador – Employees with a 90-95% security score.

Conclusion

A Cybersecurity Ambassador Program is important for building a security-conscious organization. This program improves enterprise security posture, reduces the risk of security breaches, and improves privacy and data security. Keepnet helps organizations create this initiative, ensuring cybersecurity awareness training translates into proactive employee action.