UK SMEs Would Rather Risk Customer Data than Slow Down Growth
New research commissioned by defense.com reveals 51% of small to mid-sized businesses take risks with customer data
LONDON — New research commissioned by defense.com revealed that British small businesses are more willing to put their customer data at risk than impact growth, despite a rise in business-critical cyberattacks, such as ransomware, in the past 12 months.
“These findings clearly show that British SMEs are not taking cybersecurity seriously, often through no fault of their own,” said Oliver Pinson-Roxburgh, CEO at defense.com. “The pandemic has led to a massive increase in remote working, with many small businesses operating a distributed workforce for the first time. In this time of heightened threats and remote work, a low-security budget and lack of cyber skills can seriously impact the competitiveness of SMEs. A successful cyberattack has the potential to put an SME out of business, resulting in lost jobs and livelihoods.”