Very often, when I speak to business owners or leaders about cybersecurity, the reaction is often that it is difficult, complicated and/or expensive. And if you’re an SME owner or manager, whenever you hear the word "cybersecurity," you might picture expensive software, IT jargon, or some tech-savvy team you don’t have. But with cybersecurity becoming an increasingly relevant threat in this highly digitalised age, we can’t not have some sense of cybersecurity to protect our business.
So rather than giving you more doom and gloom, we’re going to focus on the simple things that improve your security posture tremendously without too much time, money and energy. In fact, a lot of cybersecurity comes down to simple, common-sense practices that anyone can adopt. So, let’s break it down into six straightforward reasons why cybersecurity isn’t just doable for your business—it’s absolutely essential.
Did you know that 80% of cybersecurity risks can often be mitigated by addressing just 20% of the most common vulnerabilities? It’s true! A few small, intentional actions—like teaching your team to spot phishing emails or requiring strong passwords—can dramatically reduce your risk.
As the saying goes, “You don’t have to do everything, just the right things.” By focusing on these high-impact measures, you’re tackling the majority of potential problems without overwhelming your team or resources. Start with the basics, and watch how far those simple steps can take you.
Measures like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or having cyber awareness training have the largest impact on your defence against the hackers. Using them might be all you need to defend against 80% of the problems.
“95% of breaches are caused by human error.” - Cybint
We often feel like we’re blamed whenever cybersecurity incidences happen with quotes like the one above. Truth is, hackers are always improving their game and it is hard to keep up. That is why it is important not to blame the humans, but to help them become your champions.
Think of your employees as your first line of defense against cyber threats. They don’t need to be IT experts—they just need a basic understanding of what to look out for. A short, interactive training session can teach them to spot the red flags, especially suspicious domains, can change the way they deal with the threats. Empower your team, and you’ve already leveled up your defenses.
Think about it: Wouldn’t it be great to turn your staff into cybersecurity heroes instead of accidental risk-takers?
A cyberattack doesn’t just hit your systems—it can hit your wallet hard. We’re talking thousands of dollars in downtime, lost business, and recovery costs. Investing in simple cybersecurity measures, like MFA, regular updates and staff awareness training, can save you all that hassle—and money.
Like mentioned in reason 1., it doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive, it just has to work. I’ve personally witnessed many companies suffer breaches and ransomware simply because they have no defences in place. Pay outs of USD$50,000-100,000 is not uncommon. Think about how you can optimise your security to ensure that you don’t get hit with these amounts.
Depending on your industry, there might be rules about how you handle data. Heard of GDPR, PDPA or HIPAA? Yeah, those can sound intimidating. Truth is, regulators need to ensure that we do our part. But understanding these policies and therefore creating policies that adhere to them is not hard, at least if you were to learn it from us. Then you can teach your team to handle customer data securely, and you’ll be ticking those compliance boxes in no time.
Bonus: Avoiding hefty fines for non-compliance is another great reason to stay on top of this. If you do your part, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary costs.
With all the recent big name data breaches and leaks happening recently, customers are more savvy than before when it comes to needing to ensure cybersecurity is part of the picture. Many bigger organisations have cybersecurity requirements for their suppliers to ensure that they aren’t impacted by the lack of cybersecurity of their vendors. Think about it, would you rather buy a product from a trusted platform like Amazon, or to find a random website that doesn’t give you any sense of security? It’s the same.
Question: If you had to choose between two businesses—one that takes security seriously and one that doesn’t—which would you trust with your data?
Even with the best defenses, things will still go wrong. But with preparedness and some defences, you can prevent the worst from happening. The key is how early and fast you can react. In the case of a breach, if the defences have been in place and the team knows exactly what to do, you can kick out the hacker before they do damage to your business. But if you can’t even tell that you’ve been compromised or are too slow to respond, the damage can be catastrophic.
Think of it this way: It’s like fire alarms and drills. You hope you’ll never need them, but when you do, they can make all the difference.
Here’s the bottom line: cybersecurity doesn’t have to be a big, scary monster that eats up your time and budget. By focusing on the basics—training your team, turning on MFA, staying updated, and making small but meaningful changes—you can protect your SME without breaking a sweat or costing a fortune.
So, why wait? Start with the simple stuff today, and you’ll thank yourself tomorrow. Your business, your customers, and your bottom line will all be better for it. After all, a little effort now can save you a lot of headaches later.
What’s one thing you’ll start doing today to boost your cybersecurity?
