// INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY //
Nearly 50 % of US small businesses have been hit by a cyberattack
A ccording to a report published by Guardz, a cybersecurity platform empowering Managed Service Providers( MSPs) to protect smalland medium-sized businesses( SMBs), almost 50 % of all US-based SMBs( 43 %) have already experienced a cyberattack. While 80 % of respondents believe the need for cybersecurity in their industries has increased over the past year and 61 % anticipate greater overall cyber-risks in the year to come, 52 % of SMBs still rely on an untrained internal staff member or the business owners themselves to manage critical security functions without support from professionals such as MSPs.
“ SMBs are confronting the reality that cyberthreats are no longer distant possibilities, but daily risks with the potential to disrupt or even destroy a business,” said Dor Eisner, CEO and Co-founder of Guardz.” This research confirms that businesses increasingly recognise the value of experienced service partners. Those that try to manage risk on their own lack the expertise, resources and tools needed to stay resilient. The data shows that organisations with strong preparation, grounded in clear processes and trusted partners are far better positioned to avoid disruption and maintain continuity.”
SMBs report ongoing challenges in defending against common threats, with phishing, ransomware and employee mistakes topping the list. Nearly half( 45 %) of respondents cite employee negligence as their biggest cybersecurity concern, particularly acute in the education sector. While 43 % of SMBs report they experienced a cyberattack in the past five years, 27 % said they were targeted in the past 12 months. A majority( 64 %) of business owners reportedly recovered quickly, but a small but significant number( 3 %) faced severe, lasting damage.
In a year of a fast-moving threat landscape, half of SMBs reported increasing their cybersecurity budgets, with 17 % significantly increasing their spend. The average investment per employee remains minimal: 16 % of SMBs allocate less than US $ 50 per user annually, and nearly a third( 31 %) of SMB owners don’ t know exactly how much they spend on cybersecurity at all.
Only 34 % of SMB owners have a formal incident response or continuity
plan developed with a cybersecurity professional, and 27 % lack cyber insurance altogether. In one-third( 33 %) of cases, the business owner personally handles alerts and incident resolution, which is both time-consuming and outside their expertise, leaving room for missteps and oversights. An additional 13 % of SMBs rely on untrained employees to handle alerts, reinforcing the operational fragmentation identified in the report.
As threats mount, SMBs are increasingly looking to external partners for help. According to the survey, the leading motivations for working with a managed service provider( MSP) are a fear of cyberattacks( 52 %) and a sense of responsibility to customers and stakeholders( 40 %). While other factors were reported, compliance requirements, reduced cyber insurance premiums and a growing need for specialised expertise, stood out as the primary drivers.
The report reveals that 80 % of SMBs with a formal incident response plan in place were able to avoid major damage during an attack, highlighting that preparedness, and working with professionals, determines resilience. �
Intelligent SME. tech
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