Assess
Identify critical operations, data, accounts, providers and likely business impact
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Service 07
Cybersecurity for small businesses
Build practical protection, independent testing and an incident-response plan around the systems your business actually depends on.
Start with your requirements
Choose technology after defining the need.
Small businesses are often targeted because attackers expect limited staff, inconsistent controls and no prepared response. Applied Bandwidth turns cybersecurity into a manageable business plan: identify critical systems and data, prioritize practical safeguards, coordinate qualified providers, arrange independent third-party penetration testing and prepare the people and contacts needed to respond. Penetration testing is delivered by a specialist third-party service; the scope, authorization, findings and remediation plan are coordinated with you in advance.
How we can help
Plan the complete scope.
- Small-business cybersecurity risk assessment
- Firewall, secure remote access and network segmentation
- Multi-factor authentication, update, backup and logging review
- Email, identity and employee-security planning
- Independent third-party penetration testing
- Incident-response planning and qualified response coordination
When to call
You may need help if…
01Security has grown one product at a time with no complete plan
02Employees, vendors or old accounts have more access than they need
03Backups exist but restoration has not been tested
04Nobody knows whom to call or what to disconnect during an incident
05Customers, insurers or partners are asking questions the business cannot answer
06The company needs an authorized penetration test before trusting its defenses
How we work
Move from requirements to launch.
Design
Prioritize safeguards across governance, protection, detection, response and recovery
Compare
Coordinate qualified security services and an authorized third-party penetration test where appropriate
Implement
Document findings, remediation owners, incident contacts and a repeatable review schedule
Small-business cybersecurity questions
Start with the risks that could stop the business.
A useful security plan fits the company’s size, systems, obligations and ability to respond. It should reduce likely attacks without burying a small team in tools it cannot manage.
Are small businesses really targeted by cybercriminals?
Yes. Attackers often work at scale and look for exposed accounts, weak remote access, unpatched systems and employees they can trick. A company does not need to be famous to hold valuable email accounts, payment access, customer information or connections to larger partners.
What should a small company protect first?
Start with the systems and data required to stay in business. Protect administrator and email accounts, require multi-factor authentication, keep supported software updated, separate unnecessary network access, maintain restorable backups and document who responds when something looks wrong.
What happens if we think we have been attacked?
Do not improvise alone. Preserve evidence, use a safe communication channel and contact the people named in the response plan. Applied Bandwidth can help coordinate qualified incident-response support, technology providers and business decision-makers to contain the event and begin recovery.
How does third-party penetration testing work?
A specialist testing provider performs an authorized test against a written scope. Applied Bandwidth helps coordinate the scope, timing, contacts, findings and remediation plan. The test is disclosed as a third-party service and does not begin without the customer’s written authorization.
Built on recognized guidance
Use a complete risk-management cycle.
The service follows the practical sequence in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0: govern, identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. CISA’s small-business guidance adds immediate priorities such as phishing awareness, strong authentication, software updates, logging, backups and encryption.
Read NIST’s small-business guidance ↗View CISA’s small-business resources ↗Read our small-business cybersecurity guide ↗Plan your next step
Plan your cybersecurity project.
Tell us what is changing, what is failing and what the business needs. We will help you decide what to do next.