Raytheon CEO Thomas Kennedy Details How to Build Cybersecurity Culture

Raytheon CEO Thomas Kennedy, a 2019 Wash100 winner, said company leaders should leverage new cybersecurity tools, invest in talent and promote employee education to build a cyber-safe workspace amid the growing threats targeting the U.S. industry, Chief Executive reported Tuesday.

“CEOs must be the ones setting the tone at the top that cyber securing the enterprise is a top priority,” he told the publication. “They need to support it with investments, getting the right IT and operations talent in place and empowering managers to implement effective systems, processes and plans.”

Kennedy suggested that industry heads take advantage of new technologies to apply automation, cloud computing and networked products and services into their operations.

He added that CEOs should also address insider threats or employee errors through increased training on cybersecurity, which would teach workers to handle breaches, minimize impacts and practice good cyber hygiene.

Raytheon has launched an employee education initiative, called RTN Secure, which gathers IT and communications workers to discuss and address business vulnerabilities and the best practices to address emerging threats.

“You must have a culture of community and shared risk across the organization,” he said. “It provides the solid foundation of compliance, collaboration and communication required to ensure the resilience of your organization.”