Are you trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose?
The garden hose, while useful for watering plants, is simply not equipped to handle the immense power and scale of a raging forest fire. Similarly, bringing inadequate resources or tools to protect your company and client data can leave you unprepared.
Buchanan Technology monitors the global threat level when it comes to cybersecurity, and we have recently increased our threat level to “Elevated", which means your business is currently at a significant risk of a cyber-attack.
The question is are you prepared. Do you have the fire trucks and helicopters in place, and if not, what can you do about it?
Cybersecurity is, of course, a critical concern for all businesses, and especially SMEs who face significant barriers when it comes to implementing effective cyber measures due to resource or cost barriers.
Despite these challenges, I've put together five practical steps that you can take to enhance your cybersecurity posture.
Address Resource Limitations: Many businesses struggle with limited resources, often relying on a single IT vendor to support their users, fix computers, and if there's some time left over, secure your infrastructure. Traditionally, SMEs would be required to contract with a cyber specialist. However, there are now alternatives to improve your cybersecurity by way of subscription services, which can be a cost-effective way to spread the work to specialists that are efficient at providing relevant support.
Increase Awareness & Training: Lack of familiarity and awareness about cybersecurity threats is a common issue. Don’t wait for a breach to act. Providing regular training and awareness programmes for employees can help them recognise and respond to potential threats and act as your first line of defence. Encourage a culture of vigilance and ensure that everyone in the organisation understands the importance of cybersecurity.
Streamline IT Environments: Commonly known as technology sprawl, where the number of projects to improve business efficiency and effectiveness outnumbers the resources that are available. Simplifying IT infrastructure and consolidating systems and applications can help make it easier to manage and reduce the number of 'attack vectors' of your business.
Endorse Iterative IT Projects: IT overload can hinder business progression. Prioritising IT projects based on their impact on cybersecurity is recommended. Focus on initiatives that provide the most significant security benefits that also align with your business goals. Our suggestion if this is a new space for your business; focus on end-users and their devices first.
Increase Collaboration with External Parties: We notice and identify the fact that there will always be IT fatigue due to the always-on and ever-changing world that we now live in. Working with external vendors can be a fruitful path to firstly, streamline your reliance on IT and various technologies, and additionally, selectively offload responsibility to providers that can support you in a meaningful manner.
Finally, in terms of cybersecurity landscape, we appreciate and acknowledge that there are various options available. Traditional IT support providers tend to be readily available, align with existing budgets, but can sometimes be more reactive than proactive, often focusing on support, users and licensing. On the other hand, large cyber security firms offer excellent services, but struggle to cater to the SME market due to their high costs and manual processes. The cost can vary massively but it's not uncommon for cybersecurity firms to charge GBP20-25k per year to provide their services, which can be a significant investment for SMEs.
At Buchanan Technology, we understand these challenges, and (shameless plug) launched Secure365, which is specifically designed to cater to the needs of SMEs with a simple, cost-effective cybersecurity subscription service that focuses on your primary platform, Microsoft 365 Copilot. While we believe in the value of our solution, we also recognise that there are plenty of alternative products and options available. We encourage you to explore all available options and have a chat with us if you're interested in learning more about how we can help.
Ps. To our existing customers, if you know any businesses that may benefit from our cybersecurity subscription, please let us know, and for each successful referral we’ll provide you with a month free of support. Refer 6 and we’ll give you a year of Secure365 for free!
