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AVOIDING CYBER COMPLACENCY AS A SMALL BUSINESS
Businesses of all sizes find themselves victims of cyberattacks . Small businesses cannot be complacent about their cybersecurity . Steve Doust , Group Sales Director – Business Solutions at Kyocera Document Solutions UK , outlines how SME owners can build a robust cybersecurity policy and how to steer clear of complacency .
S A SMALL BUSINESS owner
A reading endless news stories about cyberattacks against well-known enterprise names , it can be easy to think it won ’ t happen to you . In reality , hackers don ’ t discriminate : businesses of all sizes can , and do , find themselves on the receiving end of data breaches and the financial and reputational consequences that often accompany them .
According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 , half of all UK businesses , including many small- and medium-sized businesses ( SMBs ), reported experiencing a cyberattack within the last year . Despite these high attack rates , only 22 % of businesses have a formal incident response plan in place , leaving many SMBs vulnerable to serious financial , operational and reputational damage . This cyber complacency can have serious repercussions if not urgently addressed .
How to spot the signs
Understanding the reasons behind cyber complacency is the first step towards resolving the issue and ensuring full data protection , regardless of the size of the business . Here are a few common warning signs that an organisation may overlook .
Out-of-date security procedures
You can ’ t fix the future with yesterday ’ s tools . Many small companies are guilty of maintaining basic or outdated cybersecurity measures . While financial or logistical considerations may play a part in this , the truth of the matter is that security threats are constantly evolving and hackers are constantly identifying new vulnerabilities to exploit . Using inadequate software is simply no longer an option .
Priorities elsewhere
Unlike larger firms , SMBs often have limited resources and may devote their time and energy into other aspects of their business . Cybersecurity might be further down on their to-do list , especially when dealing with a variety of operational challenges . This oversight can also contribute to a lack of regular security checks , which means weaknesses are not identified until it ’ s too late .
Steve Doust , Group Sales Director – Business Solutions , Kyocera Document Solutions UK
Intelligent SME . tech
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