How Cybersecurity Ambassador Programs Strengthen Your First Line of Defense

Cybersecurity in healthcare is about more than technology—it’s also about people and processes. Technology can only do so much if employees aren’t equipped to recognize and address threats with awareness of how and who to contact as needed. Human factors often remain the weakest link.  

Cybersecurity awareness and ambassador programs educate employees about digital threats and their roles in shielding sensitive information. They foster vigilance and shared responsibility through education, regular training, best practices, and leadership involvement. From a professional development perspective, ambassador programs offer employees a unique opportunity to enhance their skillsets. Participants build leadership attributes, deepen their technical knowledge, and gain exposure to cybersecurity strategies that may fall outside their usual roles. 

Past implementations of ambassador programs highlight their feasibility and effectiveness. For instance, in a medical group setting, program success hinged on having a committed leader and enthusiastic employees eager to safeguard the organization. The demand was so high that participants were rotated to ensure broad engagement.  

Core Program Elements 

A successful cybersecurity program requires four foundational elements: leadership support, relatable messaging, ambassador engagement, and measurable outcomes. 

Leadership support: Executive endorsement by the organization’s leaders is essential to emphasize program importance and motivate participation. Cybersecurity must be presented as a top priority tied to patient safety and operational resilience to strengthen its relevance across the organization. Departmental leaders assist by naming ambassadors who are trusted and respected by their peers, further promoting program credibility. Tactics can include: 

1. Require online behavior training for employees that includes phishing recognition and how to report communications, errors, etc. that qualify as or border on being suspicious. Consider pre- and post-assessment questions with scoring to evaluate comprehension and training effectiveness. Incorporate this into the annual training HIPAA requires for all personnel with access to electronic protected health information (ePHI). 
2. Add more in-depth online behavior training for admission/acceptance into leadership development programs 
3. Require existing leadership to attend the same programming as the leadership development program participants 
4. Require existing leadership and leadership development program participants to suggest new clarifications/topics for the ambassador program curriculum 
5. Support an annual goal for each colleague (not just ambassadors) to uphold safe online practices and to commit to consuming enterprise content (in internal newsletters, in training, via signage, etc.) that drives ongoing awareness and keeps safer practices top of mind. 
6. Offer a pre-Ambassador program with fewer requirements and electives. Encourage those who complete it to report completion to their manager, to document completion in their annual review, and to include completion details in any leadership development program applications. 

Relatable messaging: To ensure comprehension across departments, cybersecurity risks should be explained in ways that connect to employees' daily responsibilities or help them understand ways to protect their personal identity and accounts outside of work. Tactics for ensuring relatable messaging include: 

1. Communications and training that include examples of actual phishing attempts or mock ups based on them 
2. Phishing tests and positive reinforcement for colleagues who take appropriate actions such as reporting an email or submitting a screenshot of a text because of suspicious characteristics 
3. Ambassador program curriculum that includes required courses and elective ones (to ensure institutional knowledge of what’s required and to enable concentration on additional specifics as they are of interest to a colleague and/or have special relevance to their role)
   
4. Tangible reminders of cybersecurity best practices, such as quick-reference cards or small branded items, reinforce program visibility. For example, digital message boards in high-traffic areas keep cybersecurity top of mind for employees in their workplaces. Items branded with ambassador program slogans or mantras act as reminders for colleagues off campus, traveling, or working remotely. Consider practical items such as lens cleaning cloths, mints, hand sanitizer, etc. with program branding to drive their use and interest in obtaining one.

Ambassador engagement: Require continual education and recognition of ambassadors.  

1. Train them regularly to identify phishing attempts and promote secure password management across their teams. Recognize ambassadors’ contributions in newsletters, meetings, or employee communications to boost morale and highlight the program’s value. Consider distribution lists or instant messaging spaces with reminders and opportunity for ambassadors/members to collaborate, ask questions, and identify opportunities for the program or for your organization. 
2. For those interested in formal certifications, programs like the SANS Security Awareness Professional (SSAP) certification can further support their growth. This credential provides comprehensive awareness training that enables ambassadors to better support their organizations while developing valuable career skills.  
3. Ambassadors should also conduct regular virtual briefings (recorded for accessibility) and provide updates on new threats and prevention strategies. These forums also create opportunities for ambassadors to share insights and collaborate. To standardize and ensure quality of the information presented, consider providing introductory or other produced content along with job aids to guide conversation, talking points, directives by ambassadors to their organizations.  

Measurable outcomes: Program outcomes are measured and shared to strengthen credibility and ensure continual improvement. Feedback from ambassadors and employees identifies areas for enhancement. Results shared regularly with organizational leadership and staff highlight the program’s organizational impact. Focus reporting on evidence of changed behaviors versus messages delivered or opened. For instance, drive behaviors that result in increases of: 

1. reported suspicious emails, texts, etc. 
2. pre-assessment scores for required enterprise training 
3. downloads/views of materials intended for ambassadors to present to their departments 
4. applications to ambassador program or pre-program 
5. completions of ambassador program requirements or electives 

Integration with Compliance and Regulatory Updates  

Cybersecurity ambassador programs align closely with regulatory requirements and help mitigate risks of noncompliance. The HIPAA Security Rule mandates administrative, physical, and technical measures to protect ePHI. Ambassador programs support these requirements by prioritizing secure data practices and employee awareness of new regulatory updates.  

Documentation of the cybersecurity ambassador program’s efforts and outcomes is also a valuable component for HIPAA compliance programs. When HIPAA compliance audits occur, the focus is often on employee awareness and organizational readiness. Ambassador programs provide documented evidence of proactive efforts.  

Ambassador program documentation should include training logs, incident report records, and summaries of ambassador activities. This dual focus on awareness and documentation strengthens both compliance and organizational resilience. 

Often Overlooked, Never Forgotten: Third-Party Vendor Management 

Cybersecurity ambassador programs should extend to third-party vendors and contractors as many data breach events stem from a healthcare organization’s business partners. According to the 2024 Third-Party Risk Management Study, 61% of organizations experienced a third-party data breach or security incident in the past year—a 49% increase from the previous year. In fact, our own team has observed as many as 49% of medical devices (often associated with third party support) are not monitored by the organization’s network management tools/partners. 

Communicate your organization’s commitment to cybersecurity and ensure external parties are fully aligned with organizational standards. Third parties should also participate in awareness programs. This includes offering recommendations to third parties and creating policies that enforce cybersecurity awareness within vendor relationships.  

By requiring all contractors to complete organizational awareness training, healthcare organizations ensure that vendors understand their cybersecurity roles and responsibilities. Ambassadors can facilitate this process by guiding vendors through available resources, assisting with the training, and addressing questions about security protocols.  

This collaborative approach strengthens engagement and ensures vendors are well-informed and prepared to contribute to the organization’s security efforts. 

Finally, third-party vendors should recognize that the organization values cybersecurity and has dedicated resources to promote best practices. This advocacy strengthens vendor relationships by aligning external parties with the organization’s cybersecurity goals and fostering a culture of shared responsibility. Through these efforts, both the organization and its third-party vendors can better mitigate risks, create a more secure ecosystem, and minimize vulnerabilities. 

Foster alignment between healthcare organizations and third-party vendors, by training ambassadors to use a vendor cybersecurity checklist like this as a standardized framework to ensure external partners comply with the organization’s security policies and protocols: 

1. Compliance Verification: Confirm compliance with relevant regulations such as HIPAA and the organization’s internal cybersecurity policies. 
2. Data Access Controls: Assess whether vendors implement role-based access controls and limit data access to only what is necessary for their work. 
3. Encryption Standards: Verify that sensitive data, including ePHI, is encrypted both in transit and at rest. 
4. Incident Reporting Procedures: Ensure vendors have a defined process to identify, report, and mitigate security incidents. 
5. Employee Security Awareness Training: Check that vendors provide regular cybersecurity training to their employees, aligned with current best practices. 
6. Regular Risk Assessments: Require vendors to conduct periodic risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities in their systems. 
7. Cybersecurity Insurance: Validate that vendors carry adequate cybersecurity insurance to mitigate risks associated with breaches. 

Ambassadors can use this checklist as both an educational tool and a compliance safeguard. When the checklist is shared and reviewed with external partners, organizations reinforce their commitment to security and build stronger, more resilient vendor relationships. 

Four Long-Term Challenges to Expect 

A cybersecurity ambassador program offers significant benefits but also presents unique challenges. These include sustainability, time concerns, disconnected locations, and long-term funding.  

Sustained engagement: Enthusiasm fades over time and multiple priorities make it harder for ambassadors and employees to stay involved. To address this, organizations should highlight how ambassador efforts improve security metrics, such as reductions in phishing attempts or improved audit performance. Regular updates on new threats keep ambassadors informed and motivated. These notices link their contributions to overall organizational success. 

Time concerns: Resistance to participation can arise from concerns about time commitments or a lack of confidence in cybersecurity knowledge. Clear communication about expectations is essential to address these hesitations.  

Employees need to understand ambassadors are not required to be experts, and minimal time commitments should be emphasized. Flexible participation options and professional development opportunities also encourage involvement. Recognize ambassadors publicly in company communications to further reinforce the program’s value and motivate others to participate. 

Disconnected locations: Ambassador programs across multiple locations present logistical challenges, especially when care locations are not on the same IT systems. For organizations with remote teams or geographically dispersed facilities, a centralized approach to communication is critical. Incorporation of feedback from remote ambassadors confirms strategies are adaptable and effective, even in varied environments. 

Long-term funding: Demonstration of the return on investment (ROI) of ambassador programs is essential to secure leadership buy-in and embed a culture of proactive security awareness across the organization. Quantitative and qualitative data along with a strategic roadmap are supported by measurement of impact in form of:

1. Metrics such as phishing attempts reported, security incidents reduced, and employee participation rates provide hard evidence of success.  
2. Qualitative data, including testimonials and case studies, highlights the broader cultural impact.  
3. Recommendation of services provided by trusted advisors including temporary Chief Information Security services that expand the capacity and expertise of your leadership team and supplement ambassador efforts, leadership training, and other elements of your cybersecurity program. 

Cybersecurity Ambassador Programs in a Nutshell 

Cybersecurity threats in healthcare require strategies for institutional knowledge, behavior change adoption, technology roadmaps and more to discover vulnerabilities and to manage risks. As the digital healthcare landscape evolves, cybersecurity ambassador programs support comprehensive institutional knowledge to drive understanding and behavior change. Meeting the demands of new technological advancements and changing compliance regulations will require saturation of knowledge and ready access to expertise in all corners of your organization – cybersecurity ambassadors can help make that happen.