Security-savvy business leaders know that cyber defense isn't just a job for IT, but a concerted effort to better business practices across an organization. That being said, it is admittedly hard to build a company culture around cybersecurity if you don't know where to start.

Sure, you've briefed new employees about digital security risks and urged them to use their best judgement, but deep down you know that is not enough.

CyberPolicy explains how to avoid many of the pitfalls preventing your company culture from developing a robust cybersecurity plan.

Lack of Best Practices Document
This is an easy one, but it is often overlooked. Employees are generally willing to use better security practices when they can, but it can be tough to remember everything they need to do to stay safe online.

So why not provide each employee a simple-to-read pamphlet filled with best practices regarding password creation, data storage, identifying suspicious email or downloads and more?

Time Crunch
Depending on the time constraints of your company, it might be tough to pull all your employees together to review cyber defense practices for an hour-long training every quarter.

However, you could include 10 minutes of cybersecurity training during your bi-weekly all-hands meetings or monthly catch ups. This helps keep threat awareness top of mind without having to carve out a large chunk of time.

Jargon-Heavy Training
"Web application firewall... distributed denial-of-service attack... credential stuffing scams.\" Too much tech jargon can put your staff to sleep. Try your best to make each cybersecurity training session easy to understand and personally relevant. And sometimes it's better to show, rather than tell.

For example, tools like Random-ize let employees enter suggested passwords to see how long it would take a hacker to breach their defenses.

Poor Communication
If you use Slack or a similar platform, think about creating a channel specifically for cybersecurity news. That way your teams can stay up to date on all the latest threats and make smarter choices a part of their daily routine.

It can also be the perfect place to share questions and start discussions in your office.

Remote Workforce
A lot of companies these days allow employees to work from home or hire remote workers from around the world. This is a great idea for establishing a diverse workforce, but it can open additional entry points for hackers.

You should seriously consider hosting a virtual training for your remote employees. Be sure to discuss the dangers of public Wi-Fi and the importance of virtual private networks and encrypted data transfers.

No Top-Down Leadership
To truly establish a culture of cybersecurity, you need to demonstrate that digital defenses are valued at every level of the business. Invite your top management to discuss how past security breaches have affected them and what they did to sure up their security.

Lack of a Contingency Plan
Even with all these steps, a malicious and dedicated hacker can sometimes slip your best defenses. This is why it is absolutely vital to implement a contingency plan detailing how to report through the proper channels, how to quarantine the infection and when to reach out to your cyber insurance provider.

If you don't have a cyber insurance provider, CyberPolicy is happy to help you find a cybersecurity plan that fits your needs.