Today, no company is safe from a cyberattack. And SMEs are no exception. On the contrary, they have become prime targets: they manage sensitive data, use digital tools on a daily basis, but often lack the resources to protect themselves properly. At Mon Technicien, we see it every week: SMEs that thought they were “too small” to interest hackers… until it was too late. The good news is that it is not too late to invest.
Cyberattacks are very real
It is no longer a question of if an attack will occur, but rather when. Hundreds of Quebec companies have been targeted in the past year. Some have avoided the worst. Others have seen their activities paralyzed for several days, sometimes even weeks. These attacks do not always come from the other side of the world. All it takes is one link clicked by mistake, one piece of software not updated or one poorly secured device to open a breach. According to the BDC, 73% of SMEs in Canada have suffered a cyberattack . “For hackers seeking a million-dollar ransom, it is often easier to demand $50,000 from 20 small, vulnerable companies than to attack a large corporation that has the means to defend itself. Size is no guarantee of security.”
Protecting your business means protecting your mission
Investing in cybersecurity is not about buying a miracle solution. It’s about taking a series of thoughtful steps to:
- Prevent business interruptions
- Protect the company’s reputation
- Ensure the safety of customers and partners
- Avoid significant financial losses
And no, you don’t need a huge budget to protect yourself effectively. There are solutions tailored to the reality of SMEs. You just need to know where to focus your efforts.
What budget should an SME plan for?
Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective. But it shouldn’t be improvised.
According to industry best practices:
- The information technology (IT) budget should represent between 2% and 18% of annual revenues.
- Of this amount, 4% to 20% should be devoted to cybersecurity. (La Presse)
The challenge is not to do everything at the same time, but to prioritize intelligently: train employees, protect critical data, build an intervention plan. These are sustainable investments that prevent much more costly losses.
Where should SMEs start?
Here are the basics that every company should put in place:
🔐 Response plan: know what to do, who to contact and how to react quickly.
🔄 Regular updates: systems, software, antivirus.
🔑 Multifactor authentication: protect sensitive access.
🧠 Awareness raising among teams: because human error is often the starting point.
📦 Backups and business recovery: so as not to lose everything in the event of an attack.
These simple actions can greatly reduce the risks. And above all, they send a clear signal: your company takes cybersecurity seriously.
Teleworking is a game changer (and SASE is becoming essential)
With the rise of teleworking, the boundaries of the corporate network have blurred. Employees connect from home, the local café or even on the go, usually using personal devices. And all the while, sensitive data continues to flow and one infected email can compromise the entire system.
In our article last week, we talked about SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) – an architecture that combines network security and cloud access.
This model is becoming essential for SMEs that want to offer flexibility without compromising security.
It is no longer enough to secure only the office network.
Every access point, every connection, every user – wherever they are – must be secured.
Mon Technicien, partner of local SMEs
We support companies in setting up cybersecurity that reflects their image:
📍 realistic, adapted, scalable.
Our strength? Offering human support, without unnecessary jargon, with tangible results.
Thought of the day 🔐
“Protecting your business is not an expense. It’s a strategic decision.”
in your taskbar.