When the world switched to remote work, new attack surfaces and threat vectors emerged essentially overnight. This new threat level presents unique challenges for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In this Forbes paper commissioned by Intel, learn how to keep your data and networks secure from attacks.
Don’t Underestimate the Threat to Your Organization
Cyberattacks continue to expand in scale, scope and frequency. In this paper, discover security pitfalls unique to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and learn how to avoid them.
50% of IT decision makers (ITDMs) surveyed have seen increases in attacks since the start of the pandemic.
67% of those surveyed agree that the “leading edge of cybersecurity” is moving toward more use of hardware-based measures.
66% of ITDMs agree that the pandemic accelerated the expansion of their overall digital footprint.
64% also agree this expansion exposes their organization to greater cybersecurity risks.
Most respondents have already been targeted by malware (77%), ransomware (63%), data theft (63%), phishing attempts (75%) and focused hacks (67%).
30% of respondents are unaware that multiple small and medium-sized businesses can be “bundled” together to make scaled attacks worthwhile to criminals.
Get the Paper
Read about how IT decision makers at small and medium-sized organizations can guard a hybrid work environment against ever-evolving cybersecurity threats.
4 Key Takeaways
Small and medium-sized businesses have a 40% failure rate when it comes to cybersecurity threat prevention.
The pandemic increased SMBs’ digital footprint, and ITDMs underestimate the growth of cybersecurity threats that come with this rapid technological growth.
Many SMBs turn to off-the-shelf products, but may not know that enterprise tools are made more affordable and efficient for any organization, regardless of size, with each passing year.
Hardware will play a more important role in cybersecurity in the coming years and is part of most SMB ITDMs investment plans. Cost upkeep is an ongoing concern regardless.
For small and medium-sized businesses, the stakes have never been higher. Just one data breach can permanently destroy a hard-earned reputation among customers.
For all their differences, most SMBs have one thing in common: It's not easy to find the time, money, or workforce necessary to mount and maintain top-notch cyber defenses on their own.