SMBs Need to Protect Themselves More Than Ever

We mentioned in October that 2013 marked an all-time high in attempted cyberattacks on our clients. It turns out we aren't the only ones noticing the trend — around the world, hackers have stepped up their attacks on companies of all types and sizes. Target's disastrous recent data breach has grabbed headlines, but we want to emphasize to small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that their smaller size doesn't make them immune. In fact, SMBs need to be more on guard than ever.

According to Verizon's 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report, companies with fewer than 1,000 employees accounted for 40% of last year's data security breaches worldwide. In fact, 31% affected companies with fewer than 100 employees. And when you rule out accidental breaches, the numbers get even more eye-opening: Symantec's 2013 Internet Security Threat Report says 50% of all deliberately targeted attacks were aimed at companies with fewer than 2,500 employees.

Putting it bluntly, hackers see SMBs as low-hanging fruit:

1. An SMB's assets are just as valuable as a larger company's, but its defense strategies are likely to be weaker.

2. Hackers have lots of smaller companies to choose from.

3. Hackers who compromise a smaller company's infrastructure can then use it to springboard into the systems of its larger partners, vendors, and customers.

Don't make the mistake of assuming your company is too small to be a victim of cybercrime. Let Xantrion help you assess your risks and draw up a remediation plan that will both prepare you to respond to a data breach and prevent one from happening in the first place.