Cybersecurity and digital culture: Salov’s winning strategy
Extra virgin olive oil giant chose Cyber Guru’s e-learning program to defend against threats and attacks
Salov is a leading international company in the production and marketing of edible oils, with core business in olive oil. Founded in 1919, it has historical roots dating back to 1867, when Filippo Berio & Co. was established by the entrepreneur of the same name. Thanks to the vision of Filippo Berio, who sensed the potential of exporting olive oil to the United States, the company has always been export-oriented. Today, with the Filippo Berio and Sagra brands, Salov operates in about 70 countries, generating sales of 518 million euros (2023). “Its strength lies in its ability to innovate and adapt, as demonstrated by its investment in digitization and cybersecurity,” says Luca Greco, Group Chief Information Officer of Salov..
The increasing digital transformation pursued over the past five years globally, coupled with the general increase in cyber attacks by criminal organizations, as highlighted by the 2023 Clusit Report, has led the Salov Group to focus increasingly on the issue of data governance and the adoption of best practices to mitigate the risks associated with data processing.
“The path to addressing digital challenges has been based on three fundamental pillars: processes, technologies and people. The voluntary adoption of the ISO 27001:2022 standard was a strategic step toward a structured approach to cybersecurity,” explains Giampiero Geniali, IT Infrastructure Manager at Salov. “We implemented a management system based on risk assessment, ranking critical assets according to their impact on the business. However, human behavior remains the weak link in the chain, so we decided to undertake a security training program involving all staff.”
Learning by doing, by making mistakes we learn
Salov chose the Cyber Guru platform to improve its employees’ cyber awareness and behavior. “Among the reasons for the choice: the high quality of the training content, the concrete impact on behavior change, the optimal duration of the sessions, and the use of gamification, which makes the course engaging and challenging,” he said. The program, launched in 2022, is developed through training modules with increasing levels of difficulty and phishing simulations. Every mistake becomes a learning opportunity thanks to dedicated videos, available in Italian and English to engage international branches as well. As they say, ‘Learning by doing, by making mistakes you learn’…”
