10 Lessons in 10 Years #1: Cybersecurity Culture Beats Technology Every Time

On October 1st, 2025, I had the privilege of celebrating 10 years of A Better Choice Network Solutions.
Surrounded by friends, family, employees, and clients, I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey that brought us here. Over the past decade, we’ve grown from a small idea into a trusted partner for businesses across West Central Florida, providing IT services, VoIP solutions, and cybersecurity.

Looking back, I realize how much I’ve learned—not just about technology, but about people, leadership, and resilience.
In this anniversary series, I’m sharing ten of the most important lessons from my first ten years in business. My hope is that these insights help other business owners, managers, and their teams avoid pitfalls we’ve seen far too often.

Lesson 1: Cybersecurity Culture is the Most Critical Tool

When I retired from law enforcement to start this company, I assumed the hardest part of protecting businesses would be choosing the right firewalls, antivirus software, or backup tools.
A decade later, I can tell you that while technology matters, the real battleground is human behavior.

I’ve seen companies invest time, effort and money in top-tier security tools including multi-factor authentication, advanced email filters, etc. only to be compromised because someone clicked a convincing phishing email or reused a weak password.

That’s not a technology failure; that’s a culture gap.

What “Cybersecurity Culture” Really Means

A strong cybersecurity culture means:

• Leaders set the tone: business owners and managers talk about security openly and often.
• Employees feel safe reporting mistakes: the sooner a suspicious email or accidental click is reported, the less damage it does.
• Security is part of daily habits: from locking screens when stepping away to verifying links before clicking.
• Training isn’t a checkbox: it’s a routine, ongoing conversation—short refreshers, phishing simulations, and team discussions after real-world incidents.

The companies that treat security as everyone’s job (not just the IT department’s) bounce back faster and are far less likely to face a breach.

A Real-World Takeaway

Here’s the simple truth:

You can buy software. You can’t buy a healthy security culture. You have to build it.

If you’re a business owner or office manager wondering where to start, focus on these basics:

1. Require multi-factor authentication everywhere possible.
2. Run quarterly (or at least annual) staff training on spotting phishing and safe data handling.
3. Make incident reporting non-punitive—people should never fear speaking up.
4. Review access regularly: who really needs admin rights or sensitive data?
5. Model the behavior. If you as a leader are “too busy,” you give employees the impression that Cybersecurity is not valued.

These small, consistent steps often outperform expensive one-time purchases.

Looking Ahead

I’m grateful for every client and colleague who’s been part of our story these past ten years.
This series is my way of sharing what we’ve learned to help you keep your own business secure.

In the next post, we’ll dive into Lesson 2: “Backups Are Only as Good as Your Recovery Plan.”
Until then, take a few minutes to look at your own team’s cybersecurity culture—because it truly is your strongest line of defense.

If your business could use help building a culture of cybersecurity—whether it’s training your staff, assessing risks, or strengthening policies—our team at A Better Choice Network Solutions is here to help.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation.