I’ve always believed that poor choices have consequences and good choices come with benefits. It’s not groundbreaking stuff—just the truth. Yet, in a world that’s racing faster than we can keep up with, especially when it comes to technology, this truth gets ignored, forgotten, or worse, flat-out denied.

Every tool, every gadget, every shiny new piece of tech offers a choice. How we use it—or misuse it—determines whether we reap the benefits or suffer the consequences. It’s that simple. But we seem to make things unnecessarily complicated.

Poor Choices, Real Consequences

Let’s talk about ransomware attacks for a second. When organizations fail to patch known vulnerabilities, skip basic cybersecurity hygiene, or choose shiny new tech over solid fundamentals, bad things happen. Poor choices lead to catastrophic consequences. Look no further than Change Healthcare* (or a hundred other examples).

And let’s not play dumb. These consequences weren’t “unavoidable” or “unexpected.” They were the direct result of poor decisions—decisions made by people who chose not to take security seriously enough. Sometimes it’s apathy, sometimes it’s ignorance, and sometimes it’s just arrogance. The outcome doesn’t care.

The truth is this: You can’t cut corners and expect safety. You can’t neglect the basics and hope the shiny tech will save you.

*NOTE: If you don’t know the backstory about the Change Healthcare breach, just know that it was caused by a myriad of poor choices.

Good Choices, Tangible Benefits

On the flip side, good choices—while often harder—deliver real, long-term benefits. You choose to focus on the fundamentals: asset management, patching, risk , and education. You choose to build processes that align with reality, not wishful thinking. You choose to hold people accountable instead of sweeping mistakes under the rug.

Here’s the kicker: The benefits of good choices compound over time. An organization with a mature security program is less likely to get sucker-punched by ransomware. A family that uses tech responsibly—monitoring kids’ access, keeping devices updated, and practicing caution—is less likely to fall for phishing scams or lose everything to identity theft.

You get out what you put in. It’s a simple equation.

Technology Doesn’t Care—It Reflects Us

Here’s where it gets uncomfortable: Technology doesn’t make choices. We do. Technology is a tool, and like any tool, it reflects the intent and skill of the person using it.

You buy a new tool? Cool. Now what? If you don’t use it responsibly, it becomes a liability instead of an asset. Think about IoT devices—smart thermostats, cameras, lights, fridges, whatever. They’re great… until you forget to secure them, and they become backdoors into your network. The fridge didn’t make the poor choice. You did.

The same applies to social media, AI, or any other tech we rush to embrace. Used well, they’re powerful tools. Used poorly, they amplify harm—division, disinformation, addiction, breaches. The choice to use these tools wisely—or recklessly—is ours.

Own Your Choices

We’re at a point where we need to stop blaming technology for our problems and start owning our choices. Cybersecurity? It’s not just “IT’s problem.” Social media addiction? It’s not “the algorithm’s fault.” AI risks? They’re not “out of control.” These are human problems born out of human choices.

So, what kind of world do we want to build? A secure one or a broken one? It starts with the choices we make every day—personally, professionally, collectively.

Poor choices have consequences. Good choices come with benefits. You don’t need me to tell you that. But sometimes, we all need to hear it again.

Make better choices.

—Evan