2 weeks Ago
Grayson Milbourne is a security intelligence director at OpenText Cybersecurity . Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face an increasing number of cyber threats but have limited resources to combat them. A survey revealed that SMBs experienced more ransomware attacks than large enterprises, highlighting the need for organizations of all sizes to bolster their defenses.
For SMBs, a ransomware attack isn’t just disruptive—it can be financially devastating, even putting them out of business. With just as much risk as enterprises, SMBs need cost-effective cybersecurity strategies to avoid financial and reputational damage. One way to do this is by implementing key elements of enterprise threat detection and response programs, ensuring they can not only detect threats but also respond swiftly and effectively.
While many SMBs have threat intelligence tools or outsource security to providers, they also tend to have smaller teams and limited budgets, making the ability to quickly and effectively respond to threats more challenging. Without a well-defined response plan, even the best detection tools offer little protection against fast-moving attacks like ransomware. By adopting key elements from enterprise threat detection and response programs, SMBs can strengthen their cybersecurity postures without overwhelming resources.
While some threat detection and response solutions may be costly, SMBs can learn from these practices and implement more accessible, scaled-down versions that align with their budgets and security objectives. Threat detection and response programs empower security operations teams to preempt and respond to threats. Key components include: • Proactive Threat Hunting: Actively searching for potential threats and vulnerabilities before they manifest into actual incidents.
• Real-Time Threat Detection: Continuously monitoring systems to identify and flag security threats as they occur, minimizing response time. • Response Automation: Using predefined protocols to automatically respond to detected threats, reducing the reliance on human intervention and accelerating the containment process. Threat detection and response programs allow enterprises to understand the nature and origin of attacks, which is less feasible for SMBs—and sometimes unnecessary.
Smaller teams have limited time and need to focus on preventing more common cyberattacks, including phishing, ransomware and supply chain attacks, through timely response. To make this happen, SMBs can apply the following threat response strategies without overburdening the teams or budgets. Modern security solutions for SMBs excel at early detection but commonly lack comprehensive response plans, as I’ve noted in this piece.
One effective way to improve this is by automating responses through specific workflows. At a minimum, SMBs can automate alerts to notify the right people in the event a security incident is detected. This ensures a timely response, enabling the right people to take action before damage escalates.
SMBs typically don’t have the resources necessary to maintain a dedicated security operations center (SOC), which requires both extensive staffing and a significant budget. As a result, SMBs must evaluate what security tasks they can manage in-house and what needs to be offloaded. For instance, outsourcing to an MSSP the implementation and management of multiple layers of security can be more cost-effective than relying on a smaller internal security team.
By doing so, SMBs can offload complex and costly security functions like automated response while still maintaining a robust defense strategy. Maintaining good cyber hygiene—the fundamental cybersecurity practices—is essential for SMBs, as it’s a cost-effective way to improve security posture without heavy investments. In addition to implementing response plans, it’s crucial not to forget the basics.
This includes keeping software and systems up to date, using strong passwords and multifactor authentication (MFA), providing regular security awareness training, adhering to a proper cadence for evaluating security posture and managing access controls. This includes cleaning up dead accounts during staff transitions promptly. By committing to these core practices, SMBs can reduce their risk profile.
With AI-driven cyberattacks, responding to threats has become just as important as detecting them. SMBs must prioritize security to safeguard their operations, finances and reputation. By focusing on automated response mechanisms, strategic outsourcing and good cyber hygiene, SMBs can significantly enhance their security posture without overextending their resources.
With the right strategies in place, SMBs can mitigate risks and better defend themselves against the modern threat landscape. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?.
