Dangers are growing and SMBs need CSPs to deliver safe, secure broadband

Back in August 2022, Allot commissioned an independent study from Coleman Parkes Research, a global market research agency. They spoke to a thousand small businesses in North America, Asia, and Europe to find out their perspective on cybersecurity and discover how they secure their business.

Results were published in the “Shelter Your Small Business Customers from the Cyber Storm” Telco Security Trends report, which highlighted some very interesting data about small business owners in 2022.

It’s been about a year since then. So, Allot revisited the SMB community in the USA, Canada, and Germany, again via an independent study from Coleman Parkes Research, to check developing attitudes about cybersecurity.

The increased cyber threat to SMBs in 2023

According to the survey, there has been a 13% rise in the percentage of SMBs under attack.

Under that increased threat, the survey revealed that SMB owners’ perception of where cyber threats originate has significantly evolved from 2022 to 2023:

• Threats from remote devices up from 59% to 67%
• Threats due to remote working / personal device use up from 54% to 59%
• Threats due to outdated technology up from 36% to 38%

In short, in 2023, small businesses are increasingly concerned about employees and outdated tech putting IT security at risk.

Alarmingly, as the threat level grows, cybersecurity efforts are not keeping pace. In 2022, it was reported that, in 17% of SMBs, employees were “too busy to focus on IT security.” That number has grown to 22% in 2023.

SMBs look to CSPs for security solutions

As these cyberthreat trends continue, SMBs seeking “hassle-free security” as a means of protecting their businesses went up from 29% in 2022 to 34% in 2023.

The survey also shows that SMBs continue to look to CSPs for these security solutions and their willingness to pay for cybersecurity protection rose to 40%. (The figure in 2022 was only 35%.)

When you consider that a casual perusal of Google shows there are 33 million SMBs in the US, 5.5 million in the UK, 3.9 million in France, 6 million in Brazil, 7.4 million in Kenya, and over 60 million in India, you can begin to appreciate the potential of this market.

According to the survey, 3 in 4 SMB companies would be likely to switch to a new Internet service provider if they were offered a security service, with 31% saying they would and 43% saying they probably would.

Interestingly, bigger companies are even more open to switching. The opportunity is enormous.

Learn more about the growing SMB Security Services Opportunity for CSPs

So, in short, SMBs need help. They are good at running their businesses but are not so adept at cybersecurity.

They are increasingly targeted and can’t afford expensive products or services. Without a solution, cyberattacks pose a serious threat to their business.

The latest SMB cybersecurity survey reveals their real concerns and also how eager they are for an effective, easy-to-use, and affordable solution, which CSPs are uniquely positioned to provide.

To learn more, be sure to check out our webinar, where you’ll get access to the full report with more detailed data about the current state of SMB cyber vulnerability and the market opportunities for CSPs.