CASE STUDIES

Safety is a competitive factor

Overview

The Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Perugia was created on 1 January 2014 through the merger of two main pre-law-240 departments, the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Cell and Environmental Biology, to which a
research group in the field of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and several researchers were added.

The challenge

The year 2022 was a record year for cyberattacks globally. Recognised by the MIUR Department of Excellence, the Department has decided to invest in training to create a learning culture, to develop greater awareness in the management of digital identities and to limit possible occurrences caused by the carelessness of its users.

The solution

The academic department’s specialised training focused on developing the skills needed to raise awareness on data protection and privacy. The learning was ensured by the adoption of the most advanced adult learning principles and the use of the most innovative multimedia techniques.

The Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Perugia chooses Cyber Guru courses for staff training

Investing in security awareness and training is
essential to increase the culture of cybersecurity and the ability to prevent cyberattacks. With the steady growth in attacks, the risk of compromise for companies is ever-increasing, while the consequences of data breaches weigh heavily on finances and reputation. Many professionals are unprepared for digitalisation-related phenomena and as a result, action should be taken to reduce the skills gap by creating a learning culture on security issues throughout the organisation.

Accordingly, the Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Perugia, a scientific research centre of international importance, the fifth largest department of the University with about eighty professors and fifty people in the technical-administrative office, turned to Cyber-Bee, which identified Cyber Guru’s training programme as the most suitable path to respond to the need to train technical and administrative staff on threat awareness and ways to implement protection against cyber threats.

Investing in security to ensure protection

Cybersecurity training is an investment that pays off.
As part of the Department of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology’s information security training and awareness, the value of ROI is not only economic. Regarding the value of security risk management, the value of preventive reporting and warnings that employees have learned to implement in relation to reporting campaigns in the company, the general value of the damage avoided with respect to the attack that is not successful and in general also the value of the training process itself that can positively affect different levels of the company.

As Carlo Manuali, Head of the Department’s IT Services, explains: “Training stimulates a more conscious and collaborative approach among team members, facilitating our growth and strengthening our ability to face the challenges of change with confidence”.