Security Awareness Education for Global Intellectual Property and Patent Law Firm Marks & Clerk

The Challenge

Marks & Clerk has a constant focus on identifying new ways to build on their past to better serve their clients. In their global operation, this includes harnessing the latest technological advances to facilitate fast, effective communication between departments. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject of much of Marks & Clerk’s work, it is imperative that the organisation not only has strong technical security controls but has a strong information security culture.

A key element in the security of any organisation is the understanding and buy-in from staff for security measures. Marks & Clerk identified awareness as an area that would drive improvements in security across the organisation, and were seeking a provider to produce a tailored education programme. The rollout of this training would be an important element in maintaining the commitment to continuous improvement.

As Marks & Clerk Head of IT Phil Clews explained, the rollout of this training would be an important element in maintaining the commitment to continuous improvement. “Security is a key requirement for our clients, and we’re constantly looking for ways to drive improvements across the organisation. As many regard IT Security as a specialist subject, it was important to raise the awareness of its importance at home and in the workplace – using the home theme was one of our objectives in getting the overall message across."

Marks & Clerk needed training delivered to a large volume of people spread across multiple sites throughout the UK. The course had to be appropriate for staff at all levels; from Partners and Director level personnel to business operations staff and everyone in between. Training had to be relevant, up to date and engaging to ensure maximum recall and therefore return on investment for security spend.

Service Provided

Commissum has decades of experience working with organisations in the legal sector, providing insight to draw upon to design an awareness programme for Marks & Clerk’s needs. Commissum, in collaboration with Marks & Clerk, delivered a bespoke training programme based around how individuals interact with the Internet in their personal lives, introducing concepts of security through relatable scenarios with opportunity for participation to enhance audience engagement and absorption of the information presented.

The course focused on key security challenges to be aware of in the legal sector as well as common risks to all sectors, ensuring suitability for Marks & Clerk’s business context, including specific content which was particularly relevant to Marks & Clerk.

To ensure the maximum audience received the training, Commissum trainers delivered a roadshow at multiple locations throughout the UK. As Marks & Clerk required the training to be delivered in a tight time frame, Commissum prioritised the roadshow and logistics to travel between the locations, ensuring maximum coverage within defined constraints.