SIDN operates at the heart of the internet in the Netherlands: as the manager of the .nl domain, they ensure every day that people reach the correct .nl address. With a mission revolving around a promising and carefree digital existence for everyone, the bar is set high when it comes to quality, security, and privacy, and SIDN also wants to make a visible impact on cybersecurity.
Every third Tuesday of January at SIDN is dedicated to the Kickstart: the moment to look ahead at the strategy with all colleagues and to strengthen mutual bonds. This year, they wanted to approach the substantive deepening differently. Not just listening, but especially experiencing it themselves. On the initiative of the CISO, SIDN therefore opted for an interactive cyber crisis exercise, provided by CCRC.
Interactive ‘security game’ with healthy pressure
CCRC took SIDN into a security game in which teams were challenged in three rounds to cope with a fictitious but realistic crisis. The setting created healthy tension: what happens when the pressure increases and you as an organization have to act immediately? At the same time, there was plenty of room for fun. The competition element and the collaboration made the session dynamic, educational, and energetic, with a lot of laughter in the room.
“A very educational session full of tension and fun. In three rounds, we were challenged to get a grip on a fictitious crisis. It gave us sharp insights into communication and task distribution, in a way that gave energy instead of costing it.” Nicole Wedler, Senior (Online) Communication Advisor at SIDN
Directly applicable insights
Despite the game element, the undertone was serious. The exercise forced participants to think about crucial questions and provided directly applicable lessons:
- Communication is key: fixed communication moments (internal and external) proved essential to maintain calm and overview in the chaos.
- Log for later: in the heat of the battle you want to act immediately, but especially then it is important to properly record events and actions for accountability afterwards.
- Task distribution: to remain effective, the task distribution must be crystal clear.
A valuable addition to the Kickstart
SIDN looks back on a very successful training. CCRC showed that you can bring a serious subject like crisis management in an energetic and connecting way. The result: awareness sharpened and a team that came closer together, a valuable addition to the Kickstart.