Security-Centric Operations: How to Build a Culture of Resilience from the Ground Up
When I think about a security-centric culture, I think of security being not an afterthought, but a core tenet woven into the way an organization operates. It’s more than having policies in place or implementing security checks at the end of a project. Instead, it’s having security designed into the very framework of how an organization works. From the moment you begin mapping out a new process or selecting a technology stack, security considerations are built right in.
Skyline understands the importance of security from the very beginning. If you look back at the origins of the company, some of our earliest work involved partnering with departments of transportation and other state entities to build and maintain critical infrastructure—the kind of systems these operations depended on every day. As the definition of security evolves, Skyline continues to adapt, strengthen, and add new layers of protection.
Security-First Misconceptions
One of the biggest misconceptions about a security-focused approach is the idea that simply valuing security is enough. Many teams believe that simply declaring security important means they’re practicing “security first.” But this misconception often leads to security being bolted on at the end, usually in a very expensive and inefficient way.
True security-first thinking isn’t about treating security as an afterthought–it’s about baking it into every step of the process from the very beginning. As you tackle challenges, define workflows, and build solutions to achieve business objectives, security has to be part of the conversation from day one.
We’ve seen plenty of examples where teams come to us at the end of a project and say, “Okay, now we’re ready to do the cybersecurity part.” That approach rarely works as effectively as designing with security in mind from the start.
Building Security in from the Start
When we talk about security-first thinking, it starts with bringing in the right people at the beginning of the process. That means involving your stakeholders and subject-matter experts—the people who truly understand your organization’s security concerns, risk tolerance, processes, and cybersecurity requirements—from the start of solution design.
At Skyline, we take a collaborative approach to this. While we certainly make recommendations and come to the table with our expertise, we never want to dictate what should happen. Rather, we partner with our customers to design solutions that balance their business goals with their security needs.
Finding the Balance Between Risk and Cost
Absolute security isn’t realistic for most organizations. Organizations could spend millions, even billions, trying to lock everything down perfectly, but that’s not practical for the vast majority of businesses outside of highly regulated government environments. Instead, every organization must make risk-based decisions.
For example, having a public-facing company website inherently carries risk. But you want customers to find you, so you accept that risk while implementing security controls. The goal isn’t to eliminate risk entirely but to reduce it to a level that aligns with your organization’s risk acceptance.
Ultimately, it’s the organization’s decision where to draw the line—whether that means investing more to strengthen security or accepting certain risks as manageable. Our role is to identify those risks, recommend strategies to mitigate them, and embed security into the process from the start so organizations can make informed choices without costly rework later.
Training a Team to Embrace a Security-Focused Mindset
For us, building a security-focused culture wasn’t about forcing a major mindset shift—it evolved naturally as the organization grew. From the start, our team has been made up of people who love technology and care deeply about building resilient systems. That passion made it easier to integrate security into daily work and operations because our employees understood early on why it matters.
For many of our team members, the importance of security became clear when they saw firsthand what happens when it fails. In my work with departments of transportation and other organizations that manage critical infrastructure, I’ve had countless conversations with frontline operational technology workers who initially question the need for certain safeguards. I often hear, “Who would really bother to hack a roadside sign?”
Unfortunately, these attacks happen.
Participating in incident response efforts alongside our cybersecurity team gave them a front-row seat to the potential damage caused by breaches or system compromises. Those experiences offered invaluable perspective and reinforced why security must remain a constant priority. We continually train, educate, and reinforce our security-focused culture through ongoing team collaboration, regular training sessions, and companywide meetings.
The Role of Leadership in Driving a Security-Focused Culture
When it comes to building a resilient and security-focused organization, leadership plays a critical role. Security isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a business decision that requires the right balance between enabling operations and managing risk. That balance often starts at the leadership level.
Leaders are the ones with the broadest perspective across the organization. They understand the business objectives, operational needs, and technical requirements that factor into security-related decisions. They’re uniquely positioned to make risk-acceptance decisions—determining which risks the organization will accept, which need to be mitigated, and where to invest in stronger protections.
However, this responsibility doesn’t stop at decision-making. Cyber risks often go unreported or under-communicated, creating blind spots that can weaken an organization’s overall security posture. Effective leaders ensure that communication flows both ways—empowering every level of the organization to recognize, escalate, and act on potential risks.
When leaders emphasize security and ensure visibility across all levels, they signal to every department that cybersecurity is integral to business operations.
Skyline Technology Solutions Can Help
This blog is the first in a two-part series on what it means to truly build a resilient, security-first organization. Culture is the foundation, and resilience can’t be built without it. But culture alone isn’t enough. In the next blog, we’ll explore how resilience is put into practice through frameworks, layered defenses, and innovative approaches to device validation.
We don’t just talk about security-first—we live it. If your organization is looking to embed security into its culture from the ground up, connect with us to start a conversation.
Mark Hollerbach, Cybersecurity Manager
CISSP, ISSEP, and Certified Splunk Architect