SME cybersecurity: Why it’s more important than ever

Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer’s, Co-op. If we learn anything from the recent spate of cyber attacks, it’s that these are not one-off incidents. Some of the country’s largest companies have seen operations grind to a halt and lost millions in revenue because malicious actors have exploited vulnerabilities in their environments.

What’s stopping your business from being next? The reality is that SMEs can no longer wait to implement cybersecurity measures. Attacks are more common and more effective than ever before.

The good news? A few simple measures can protect your business from the majority of threats. In this article, we pose seven questions to help you assess your cybersecurity measures and create a more secure environment.
 

Do you have early warning systems in place?

Early detection can be the difference between a contained threat and a catastrophic breach. Imagine if an attacker gains access to your system that goes undetected for months. The damage they could inflict is exponential. The longer they’re inside your network, the more data they can steal and the more systems they can compromise.

Early warning systems go beyond monitoring tools, although these are essential. By creating a cybersecurity-focused culture, you can spot unusual activity immediately.

But early warnings are only useful if your team knows how to respond. That means creating a detailed incident response plan, conducting regular scenario exercises and ensuring your team understands their role when an incident occurs.

Are your users educated?

Human error was responsible for 95% of cybersecurity breaches in 2024. Whether it’s a weak password or falling for a phishing email, your employees are often the weakest link in your cybersecurity defences.

It’s not their fault, though, if you aren’t educating them on cybersecurity risks and responses, however.

That makes cybersecurity training essential. If you aren’t educating employees on risks and responsibilities, you only have yourself to blame for a breach.

Bland, once-a-year training doesn’t cut it in today’s world. Cybersecurity training must be engaging, ongoing, relevant and practical for your team to truly understand the risks.

That’s why we provide high-impact training videos and real-world simulations across a range of topics, including:

• Phishing and social engineering tactics
• Secure password practices and multifactor authentication
• Data handling and confidentiality
• Reporting security concerns

As a business owner, you can track individual progress through a built-in dashboard. This helps you identify high-risk users, measure the effectiveness of the training and support compliance reporting.

Are your protections correctly configured?

It’s one thing to have security tools in place. It’s another thing to have them configured correctly.

Many organisations invest in firewalls, endpoint protection and other security policies, only to deploy them incorrectly or leave them running with default configurations. A firewall with poorly configured rules might as well not exist. Antivirus software that's out of date provides false reassurance without genuine protection.

Your IT security provider should be conducting penetration tests and vulnerability assessments to identify weaknesses in your defences. What looks secure on paper might have critical gaps in practice.

It’s also important to consider who can access your protections. The principle of least privilege means users should only have access to the systems and data they genuinely need. Regular access reviews help ensure that former employees no longer have access and that permissions haven't crept beyond necessity.

Do you know what to do when an issue occurs?

Panic is the enemy when a security incident occurs. Without a clear plan, your organisation wastes valuable time figuring out who’s responsible for what and how to contain the damage.

A comprehensive incident response plan answers these questions before a crisis occurs. It should include:

• Clear roles and responsibilities. Who leads the incident response? Who communicates with law enforcement, regulators, and customers? Who manages technical containment?
• Escalation procedures. At what point do you escalate an incident to senior management? What triggers notification to regulators or the police?
• Communication protocols. How do you communicate internally and externally during a breach? What information can you share?
• Recovery processes. How do you restore systems to normal operation? What order do you bring systems back online? How do you ensure attackers haven't left backdoors behind?

It requires a bit of effort, but a well-developed incident response plan can guarantee business continuity and protect your data against IT security attack
 

Is your software patched?

Software vendors release security patches whenever they discover new vulnerabilities. Yet many organisations struggle with basic patch management.

They are unaware of the software versions running across their infrastructure. They delay applying patches because they fear disruption. They assume that critical systems are patched when, in fact, forgotten legacy systems are running ancient, vulnerable versions.

Effective patch management requires knowing what systems you have, what software is running on them and what versions are currently deployed. This sounds simple, but many organisations can't accurately answer this question.

When a patch is released, you must understand what vulnerability it addresses and whether your systems are vulnerable. There also needs to be a person responsible for ensuring patches are supplied. That can be someone within your organisation or an IT support provider, but it needs to be an appointed person. Without accountability, patches slip through the cracks.

Are you Cyber Essentials certified?

Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed certification designed to help organisations of all sizes guard against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate their commitment to cybersecurity.

For SMEs, achieving Cyber Essentials certification is an essential step in protecting your business, building client trust and ensuring compliance in an increasingly regulated digital environment.

It sets out a baseline of cyber hygiene measures that organisations should have in place to prevent around 80% of the most common cyber attacks and reduce the risk of costly breaches.

Cyber Essentials doesn’t just protect your business; it can also help you grow it. Many public sector contracts require Cyber Essentials certification, and it signals to private sector customers and partners that your business takes security seriously.

Is cybersecurity ingrained in your business operations?

This is perhaps the most critical question of all. Cybersecurity can't be a separate function that rarely intersects with the rest of the organisation. It needs to be woven into the fabric of business operations.

Every business decision must be made with an eye on cybersecurity, whether that involves selecting the right technology, operating remotely or training new employees.

Cybersecurity should also govern how you choose and interact with an IT support provider. Now, more than ever, it’s important to partner with an organisation that knows the cybersecurity threat landscape. One that can protect your business, as well as deal with support requests.

That’s where Method IT comes in. Whether you’re looking to get Cyber Essentials certified, implement a cybersecurity awareness training program or simply bolster your defences, we’re here to help.

Get in touch today to find out more.