SMBs hardest hit by ransomware
A new report from cyber risk insurance provider Coalition shows that while overall incidents are down, and ransomware attacks are declining as demands go unpaid, smaller businesses have become bigger targets.
In the first half of 2022, the average cost of a claim for a small business owner increased to $139,000, 58 percent higher than levels during the first half of 2021.
Smaller businesses acknowledge increased cyber threats but few do anything about it
While 83 percent of respondents to a new survey of small and medium businesses agree that they have seen an increased awareness of cybersecurity in their organization, only 36 percent have adopted new security policies.
The report from Dashlane is based on a survey of more than 600 employees and managers and over 300 IT decision makers (leaders) at SMBs across multiple industries.
Microsoft's SMB security tool, Microsoft Defender for Business, hits general availability
Microsoft has announced that its security tool for small to medium-sized businesses is now generally available. The standalone version of Microsoft Defender for Business helps to protect against ransomware and other cyber threats bringing, Microsoft says, "enterprise-grade endpoint security to SMBs".
Highlighting the importance of its solution, the company says that nearly a quarter of SMBs have experienced a security breach in the last year, often because they do not have the staff and resources available to enterprises. To help with this and to simplify deployment, Defender for Business comes with built-in policies to get customers up and running quickly.
Microsoft is disabling SMB1 for Windows 11 Home users
Microsoft has announced that it is beginning the final phase of disabling the SMB1 file-sharing protocol in Windows. Having already disabled SMB1 by default in Windows 10 and Windows Server, the company is now doing the same for Windows 11 Home.
While conceding that the ditching of SMB1 may "cause a consumer pain among folks who are still running very old equipment" and acknowledging that this is a "group that's the least likely to understand why their new Windows 11 laptop can't connect to their old networked hard drive", Microsoft says that the time has come for the aging technology to be dropped.
SMEs avoid cloud payroll solutions over security concerns
Small and medium businesses are avoiding using payroll and HR management solutions in the cloud due to security concerns, according to a new report.
The study from Breathe finds 22 percent of teams are not utilizing payroll solutions, instead opting for time consuming and error-prone manual spreadsheets, a surprising outcome.
Apple Business Essentials launches in Beta
Do businesses use Apple products? Well, iPhone smartphones and iPad tablets without a doubt. Are Mac computers used in the business world though? Not so much. Typically, the only Mac you see in an office belongs to the resident artsy employee that works on designing things. For the most part, Microsoft Windows still reigns supreme in the Enterprise.
With that said, some companies are all-in on Apple hardware, forgoing Windows for computers running macOS instead. True, it is rare, but some businesses do it. And now, if a small business has 500 or fewer employees, Apple is making it easier than ever to manage iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers. Launching today in Beta, Apple Business Essentials is a seemingly elegant solution for setting up and managing Apple devices, but also, the service offers assistance with things like backing up data, security, repairs, and more.
SMBs feel more secure despite increasing cyberattacks
A new survey of over 700 small and medium businesses shows that 80 percent say they feel more secure now than they did last year in spite of increasing levels of cyberattacks.
The study from network security specialist Untangle shows security budgets increasing over 2020 levels too.
New solution helps mid-sized businesses guard against cyberthreats
It isn't just big companies that suffer from cyberattacks. Increasingly smaller companies have become attractive targets as they have fewer resources to defend themselves.
Managed detection and response specialist deepwatch is today launching a new solution for medium sized businesses to significantly strengthen their protection against cyber threats.
Small security teams need to innovate to deal with threats
Companies with small security teams, generally SMEs, face a number of unique challenges which place them at greater risk than their larger enterprise counterparts.
This is among the findings of the 2021 CISO Survey of Small Cyber Security Teams from Cynet which also reveals that all of these companies are outsourcing at least some aspects of security threat mitigation in order to safeguard their IT assets.
92 percent of SMBs turn to new technology during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a dramatic evolution in the ways that smaller businesses interact with their customers.
In fact, 92 percent of all small business personnel surveyed in a new study from Moxtra say their organizations have adopted new technologies during the pandemic.
Employees' home networks could lead to SMEs failing security assessments
With the pandemic forcing more people to work from home, businesses in the UK -- particularly smaller ones -- may not have considered the fact that their employees' home networks now fall under the scope of regulatory and certification requirements.
According to a report from support solutions company A&O IT Group, if an individual works from home more than half of their time, their network must be compliant with current regulations.
Remote work puts extra stress on SMB security teams
Smaller businesses are having to do more with less in terms of security, a situation made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.
The annual SMB IT Security Report from Untangle shows that 38 percent of SMBs are allocating $1,000 or less to their IT security budget, compared to 29 percent in 2019 and 27 percent in 2018.
SMBs are ahead of the game on security
It’s a generally held view that smaller businesses are more vulnerable to cyber threats than larger ones but a new report from Cisco Security suggests this may not actually be the case.
In its 2020 SMB Cybersecurity Report the company reveals that SMBs are maturing and mirroring larger organizations' approaches to a variety of security issues, including data breach disclosure, customer data inquiries, threat hunting and more.
SMBs aren't making the best use of data analytics
Although 67 percent of SMBs are spending at least $10,000 annually on people and technology to maintain their data analytics solutions, the majority of respondents to a new survey say their companies could be making better use of their solutions.
The study from managed services company Onepath shows 86.2 percent believe managers could be making better use of their analytics solutions. While 35 percent say it took too long to implement their data analytics solution.
One in three SMBs uses free consumer security tools
New research from cybersecurity company BullGuard reveals that one in three SMBs in the US and UK rely on free consumer cybersecurity tools and one in five has no endpoint protection at all.
The study also finds 43 percent of SMB owners have no cybersecurity defense plan in place -- leaving their most sensitive financial, customer and business data, and ultimately their companies, at significant risk.
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