What is cyber security? Protection for SMEs in the digital age

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, cyber security can no longer be ignored. As an SME, it is a necessity to protect business processes, data and employees from the practices of cyber criminals. But what exactly is cyber security, and what exactly does it protect against? We would like to take you into the world of digital security.

The essence of cyber security

The term ‘cyber security’ refers to the set of measures, technologies and processes designed to protect computer systems, networks, mobile devices and data from unauthorised access, cyber attacks and data theft. The aim of cyber security is twofold: to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information and to minimise damage caused by possible attacks. As an SME, it is important to realise that you are an attractive target for cyber criminals. This is because of limited resources compared to large organisations, but also because SMEs are in many cases suppliers to larger organisations, thus indirectly affecting them as well.

Prevention and awareness

Awareness is an essential element when it comes to digital security. Working safely online not only depends on technological solutions, it also requires well-informed and aware employees. They too need to know what cyber security is. By training them in the basics of cyber security, your employees will be able to recognise suspicious e-mails, handle passwords safely and report security incidents.

Besides awareness, prevention is a crucial aspect of cyber security. This includes implementing security measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, encryption and logging in via two-step verification (multifactor authentication). Preventing vulnerabilities and proactively responding to potential threats is at the heart of our effective cyber security strategy.

IT security

In addition, cybercriminals are not sitting still. They are developing their techniques, which brings new challenges. Keeping up with ever-changing threats requires continuous adaptation of cyber security strategy and IT security. This requires a proactive approach, regularly evaluating and updating security measures.

Wondering how you score on digital security? Do the Basic Cyber Resilience Scan (Dutch only), prepared by the Digital Trust Center (DTC), part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. Using 25 statements, you will discover how your company scores on the five basic principles of secure digital business. In this blog [link] we will tell you more about the DTC and the subsidy possibilities.

If you prefer not to do this yourself, we will be happy to look at it with you and provide no-obligation advice on which points to deploy cyber security. Find out more about what we do against cybercrime or contact us.