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Amidst the ever-growing complexities of cybersecurity threats , small- and medium-sized businesses face increasing vulnerabilities . To get ahead , IT teams must consider equipping their teams with AI-boosted protections and next-gen manageability tools – central features of Intel ’ s vPro platform . In this article by Intelligent SME . tech ’ s Jess Abell , we learn about the key challenges for SMBs today and how Intel ’ s solutions empower customers to navigate the evolving threat landscape with confidence and reliability .

SMBs : Big targets , low on resources

Rarely does a day pass without news of a new cyberattack or data breach . Systems taken offline – sometimes for days at a time – or sensitive personal information stolen . It ’ s every business ’ nightmare .

For a long time , the focus was on enterprises , but we now know that small- and mediumsized companies are just as at risk as their larger counterparts . According to McAfee Corp ’ s Global Small Business Study , 44 % of small businesses have experienced a cyberattack and 17 % have experienced more than one . For 67 % of the organisations that experienced a cyberattack , the incident occurred in the last two years , indicating that the threat of cybercrime has become more prevalent .

In fact , many SMEs have a much smaller resource-pool to lean on when it comes to managing cyberattacks . IT departments are often responsible for everything from network configuration to remote desktop management and from renewing licences to refreshing hardware .

Cyber awareness training might simply be a compulsory module on a HR onboarding platform and a security strategy might extend little further than the standard , free software installed on devices .

Throw in a growing remote workforce , increasing sophistication of cyberthreats in an era of AI and a widely-reported skills shortage , it can be difficult for organisations to know where to start to get a handle on it all .

Cybersecurity a top concern for UK SMBs

A recent survey conducted by Intel , in partnership with CXO Priorities , sheds

IN FACT , MANY SMES HAVE A MUCH SMALLER RESOURCE-POOL TO LEAN ON WHEN IT COMES TO MANAGING CYBERATTACKS .