Gameification - a word that filled me with dread and cynicism. Another word in the world of cyber, made up by overgrown boys to sit alongside weaponise, zero day threats and all the other phrases trying (and failing) to make cyber security sexy.
As a female in the world of information technology, cyber security and assurance, I'm pretty used to dealing with overgrown boys with their boys toys and general toddler-like behaviour (yes I know I'm stereotyping, but take a look and it won't be hard to see what I mean). But when I sat down in the #CIFAS offices for a morning of #cybersecurity #gameification I can say honestly, I wasn't bouncing around with joy.
Reader prepare yourself.
I WAS WRONG! Yes, you read that correctly.
What followed was a couple of hours playing with lego, with a serious intent. Led by the cybersecurity team @metpoliceuk five tables of grown men and women had to decide how to prioritise and where to invest limited cybersecurity defences. Using lego made it interactive and fun, using lego made it less competitive and more collaborative,using lego meant we could build our defences and test our thinking in a non-risk environment.
I enjoyed it so much, I went back to my client and suggested we try it with the Information Security Management Forum (a group of white, middle aged men) to help them understand why information security is about more than just cybersecurity. And why they have such an important role to play when prioritising activity and allocating resources.
And why lego and games are not just for children.
About the author: Rachel Gentry is a commercial information security and cyber security consultant. Her experience spans public and private sectors, retail, financial services and telecomms. Secretly, a bit of a technology geek she primarily provides advisory services that support executive and leadership teams to maximise operational performance and investment.