No matter the size, businesses need to prioritise cyber security.
Let’s focus on SMEs for a second. There are over 500,000 cyber threats uncovered daily, and 81% of all UK businesses that suffer from a cyber-attack are small to medium-sized enterprises. The takeaway is simple – SMEs need a cyber security solution that fits perfectly into their industry.
It’s why SafeWeb was incorporated into the Gamma portfolio. Security and simplicity are blended in the form of a dark web monitoring tool designed especially for those smaller-sized businesses. Taking a “assume breach” mindset helps strengthen that cyber security posture and protect critical pieces of customer data from falling into the wrong hands.
Tom Chedham (Head of Security Practice, Gamma) spoke with his long-time industry colleague Matt Hillman (CCO, Mtech) on Mtech’s experience with SafeWeb. Their conversation covered:
- Why SMEs need simplified cyber security
- The value behind adopting SafeWeb
- Evolving cyber risks, particularly around AI
- Gamma’s strong relationship with Mtech
A strong cyber security posture should never be something that only larger enterprises can facilitate. Everyone deserves to be protected – thanks to SafeWeb, that’s precisely what Gamma aims to do.
Awareness and simplicity
For Matt, there is a nervousness around SMEs that’s derived from an “awareness of what’s going on in the world at the moment.” Technological evolution, while exciting, uncovers a greater risk of exposure that can put SMEs under pressure. That nervousness extends to “how do we get it done?”, especially when lacking time, expertise and resources commonly acquired by larger organisations.
The answer lies in simplicity.
If something is easy to understand, then that pressure is relieved, which is crucial when it comes to cyber security. No longer can these smaller entities take the mindset of “I’ll worry about it later” or “it won’t happen to us.” Cyber security must be accessible for all and needs to be effective if disaster ever strikes.
Yes, the news is dominated by stories around the Co-Op or M&S, but that shouldn’t stop these smaller businesses thinking “that could be me.”
The value of adopting SafeWeb
Matt, being on “the front line” when it comes to customer interactions, knows that cyber security is “definitely on people’s minds.” For SMEs, implementing robust cyber security extends beyond issues around time or resources. As Tom rightly points out, “you can’t take an enterprise proposition and try and carve it up into an SME world.”
SafeWeb was brought about to give traditional telco companies, who may lack that deeper IT knowledge, the means to sell cyber security to customers. For Matt, the true value of SafeWeb lies in its simplicity and straightforward proposition. In his mind, it’s a “4 or 5 step plan” that doesn’t involve any “geeky talk” around the technological elements.
When customers are presented with SafeWeb, “they get it.” Customers get a dark web monitoring report, see that the username or password of a former colleague is compromised, and act to amend it. For Matt, it can be “quite powerful when you see that report.”
Matt also compares having SafeWeb to having car insurance. Nobody intends to have an accident/data breach, but it’s always worth having that protection in place from the start. As Matt says, “it’s protecting you from something that you hope never happens.”
Dealing with evolving threats
We’ve already mentioned how technological evolution presents new cyber security risks to businesses. AI, as Matt notes, is “buzzing in the industry”, and there are plenty of us out there “using it for fun.” We’re happy to use AI to improve productivity or streamline our workload, but cybercriminals are more than happy to use it for their own gain.
After all, as Tom says, cybercriminals won’t just turn around and say, “fair game, we won’t use AI, we’ll just do it ourselves.”
Businesses need to be aware of these evolving threats. They need to adopt a more proactive approach to cyber security, and Gamma’s partners can be the ones to supply them. The dark web monitoring capabilities of SafeWeb are a crucial step in becoming more proactive.
Those capabilities can be taken further with SafeWeb Plus, which adds phishing simulation, incident response and Privacy Toolbox into that original solution. What’s important to remember is that both these solutions are built around SMEs and creating a stronger layer of defence in a cost-effective, low-maintenance manner.
Cybercrime is a problem shared by all businesses. Whatever threat arises, it needs to be dealt with in good time.
The Gamma/Mtech relationship
Both Gamma and Mtech value the relationship the two have built over the years. Matt mentions the “invaluable” support provided by Gamma, especially when being onboarded as a partner. “easy” was how Matt described the onboarding process with Gamma.
Tom builds on that by saying how teams from both Gamma and Mtech have a “close relationship” with one another. There’s a shared understanding of “let’s work with the people we need to”, and that alignment is crucial.
For Matt, nobody should be “getting involved in something that’s not necessarily their thing” – he wants people that “get it, understand it” and want to be involved.
Partner feedback shapes how Gamma operates in the channel community. For Matt, feedback from Mtech primarily revolves around “how we can pitch it, how we can sell it and how we can make it easier.” Open and honest feedback from a partner like Mtech can be taken and applied to another partner who may face similar issues in the future.
Having that longstanding relationship means SafeWeb’s development has been a collaborative exercise between Gamma and Mtech. Again, it’s down to that close alignment and understanding between both parties. For Matt, if there’s a lack of understanding about what’s not working, that could pose problems.
Thankfully, as Matt says, “that hasn’t happened.”
“A good place to be at the moment”
Contrary to what Tom says, this was not “the most unprofessional recording we’ve ever done.” What Tom and Matt’s conversation revealed was not just how well SafeWeb has been received by Mtech’s customers, but how strong Gamma and Mtech’s partnership is. Markets have shifted, technology has evolved, but that relationship remains stable.
The SafeWeb proposition has been crucial in that ongoing partnership. When security meets simplicity, SMEs have the tools and understanding to meet cyber security threats head on. Enterprise-focused solutions don’t have to be crammed into a smaller business – they need a product that fits into their business model.
SafeWeb will continue to develop, as will Gamma’s partnership with Mtech. We thoroughly encourage you all to watch Tom and Matt’s conversation and see that evolution for yourself.