Prodemge: Driving Cybersecurity Awareness

The Minas Gerais–based institution Prodemge has reached a new level of cybersecurity education through gamification.

Prodemge, the Information Technology Company of the State of Minas Gerais (Brazil), was created with the mission of driving digital transformation across the public sector in Minas Gerais.

With a strong focus on continuously modernizing public services, Prodemge delivers technological solutions that strengthen the performance of state agencies and entities. Innovation with purpose, agility, and excellence in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are among the organization’s core values. These principles guide its operations and reinforce its commitment to building a more efficient government that is closely connected to society.

Within this context, cybersecurity naturally became a fundamental part of Prodemge’s daily operations, including employee training and development.

In 2020, aiming to raise its level of cybersecurity awareness, Prodemge decided to implement an information security learning path within its own training platform. The initiative included booklets, posters, and even the creation of a mascot to make the topic more approachable for employees.

However, the traditional training model failed to generate the expected engagement. The content was lengthy, not very dynamic, and difficult to absorb, which limited both the reach and the effectiveness of the program.

“These factors simply didn’t spark employees’ interest,” explains Alander Faustino, Information Security and Cyber Defense Manager at Prodemge.

As a result, the initiative struggled to reach a broader audience within the organization, reducing its impact and the transformational potential it aimed to achieve. It became clear that a new strategy was needed. It was time to move to the next level.

Recognizing the need for a truly engaging cybersecurity awareness program that addressed information security and data protection topics more effectively, Prodemge conducted a market analysis to identify the most successful training models.

During this process, the organization discovered gamification, an approach that uses game elements to encourage participation and engagement. Prodemge realized that turning learning into a fun and healthy competition could significantly increase employee interest.

That’s when, following a public procurement process, Hacker Rangers entered the scene and pressed play on this gamified learning journey.

Already in the first season, Prodemge achieved results that the manager describes as “unprecedented and unimaginable under the traditional model.” The organization reached an 80% access rate and 100% completion across all available courses and quizzes.

By its second season, Prodemge began to see the impact of gamification spreading throughout the organization. A total of 794 cyberattitudes were recorded by users, reflecting growing engagement with the program.

Among them, the “I want to make a suggestion” cyberattitude stood out, creating a direct communication channel with users and allowing the Prodemge team to actively listen to their feedback and ideas.

This constant exchange brought the Information Security team closer to end users and enabled continuous adjustments to communication and awareness initiatives, making the program increasingly aligned with employees’ real needs.

But the results went beyond communication. Cyberattitudes began to reflect real security habits adopted by employees in their daily routines, proving that awareness was truly leading to practical behavioral change.

“Users themselves started changing habits. Many reported using weak passwords and, after the courses, completely shifted that mindset. We also began receiving multiple phishing reports, which simply didn’t happen before,” Alander adds.

Now in its 8th season, Prodemge can confidently say that information security has become part of the organization’s daily culture.

“Today, we see employees much more attentive in their everyday activities. The security team receives an increasing number of requests for guidance, whether about what can be shared, how to do it securely, or whether certain actions comply with data protection laws. We’ve also noticed a rise in incident reports and phishing alerts, clearly driven by the knowledge gained throughout the seasons.”

Reflecting on Prodemge’s progress, Cybersecurity Awareness Specialist (CAS) Barbara Montosa, who has supported the institution since its first season, highlights:

The results of the partnership between Prodemge and Hacker Rangers didn’t stop there. In October 2025, Prodemge was awarded the Innovation and Digital Transformation Seal during the fourth edition of the initiative. The award recognizes innovative solutions developed by Prodemge that contribute to digital transformation, either within the organization itself or for its clients.

During the ceremony, the Information Security and Cyber Defense Management team received the “Innovation” seal for strengthening cybersecurity culture through gamification with the Hacker Rangers program.

The key highlight was the reinforcement of good information security habits and practices across the institution, driven by high employee engagement and strong adoption of this new learning approach.

This achievement further reinforces Prodemge’s image as a modern organization, aligned with market standards and, above all, committed to the continuous development and training of its people.

“Information security, privacy, and data protection are vital topics for our organization. Innovating with this purpose brings great satisfaction to both the security team and Prodemge as a whole,” emphasizes Alander.

As it moves into its 9th season, Prodemge has already earned the Hacker Rangers White Certified certification. Aiming for the next level, the organization will continue expanding the program’s scope and achieving even stronger results in security, data protection, and compliance.