Welcome to the organisational security community wiki: a resource created by and for security practitioners from all backgrounds to share useful resources and document innovative approaches to long-term security work.
There are disparate definitions of organisational security (orgsec) that reflect the diversity of practitioners working across the world to support their communities. Common features of orgsec support include the long-term engagements with organisations and defenders, the focus of building capacity among staff, and the importance of considering security in an "integrated" and "holistic" way – where digital, physical, legal and psychosocial security are all considered.
This wiki reflects some of learnings from practitioners spanning the decades of safety and security work with human rights defenders, among other communities, strengthening their awareness, ability and confidence around security threats, while continuing to strive for positive change.
The wiki is the home for a diverse set of resources, reflecting the diversity of practitioners, their backgrounds and their practices. The recommendations found on the site are not strict guidelines or rules. Anything found on orgsec.community can and should be amended based on the needs of the organisation, group or network being supported.
This is a living resource and is designed to evolve with the opportunities and threats that community members encounter. If you have resources to contribute or would like to update any information on the site, please read the Contribute page. The platform is currently hosted by The Engine Room.
More about the orgsec.community network
Where community spaces exist, digital and physical, practitioners can:
There is also value in connecting people working internationally, or in different contexts, to surface and debate different techniques. In sharing learning across regions, “best practices”, concerns and information can travel faster, reducing wasted effort across the sector in learning the same lessons again and again.
The network exists primarily through a practitioner-focused listserv where members ask questions, share resources and broadcast support opportunities. To learn more about the listserv and how to join, please email paola [at] theengineroom [dot] org
Origin Story
This wiki was originally built in 2016, following a convening of 15 practitioners, to capture the collective experiences, resources and approaches to building organisational resilience. The Prague gathering included the following practitioners: Ali G. Ravi, Alix Dunn, CC, Friedhelm Weinberg, Jon Camfield, Karel Novotný, Kody Leonard, Kristin Antin, Maya Richman, Michael Carbone, Natasha Msonza, Niels ten Oever, Pablo Zavala, Peter Steudtner, and Wojtek Bogusz. Following the convening, the content was refined with several writing sprints, and workshops at IFF and RightsCon. We are grateful for the work of these members to build the scaffolding that has grown in the years that followed.