Mid- to large companies get the worst of two worlds 

Definitions vary by industry, revenue and statute, but an SMB (small or medium-sized business) generally has up to a few hundred employees, limited operating complexity, and primarily local or regional reach. A mid-market to large company typically has about 500 to several thousand employees, multiple locations or business units, and more formal compliance demands; and an enterprise is a large, complex organization, with thousands of employees, national or global operations, and highly developed governance requirements. 

Stuck in the middle with you 

When it comes to cybersecurity, enterprises have experience and resources. And while they’re still vulnerable, their cybersecurity systems have become so good that bad actors are turning their attention elsewhere. 

SMBs, on the other hand, are much more vulnerable, because they lack resources and may be unaware of the threats that are out there. However, legislation is popping up to provide SMBs with “safe harbor” and other protections that could mitigate the harm from a hack, at least when it comes to punitive damages from lawsuits. 

That leaves the mid-market and large companies. They often have enterprise-complexity IT environments without the resources for enterprise-level security programs; and no legislation is on the horizon to give them any help.  

I went to the danger zone 

So, a mid-market to large company can be a cybersecurity “danger zone” between an SMB and an enterprise:  

• Within the supply chain they’re getting it from both sides – they’ll have SMB suppliers whose cyber vulnerabilities are a risk to their security, and enterprise-level customers who are demanding higher security mandates from them. 

• They’ll generally have more money, valuable data, intellectual property, and proprietary technology than an SMB, making them a higher value target. 

• They’ll have more employees, locations, cloud systems, vendors, and remote access points, giving bad actors a much larger attack surface as with an enterprise, but without the mature security staffing, specialized tools, governance, and incident-response resources. 

• Their expansion through acquisitions can create poorly integrated environments, inconsistent controls, haphazard user access, and unknown assets – music to a hacker’s ears.  

• They may find it harder to get cyber insurance – they don’t have the legal protection often given to SMBs, and they may not have the documentation and governance of an enterprise. 

What can be done? One way is to partner with a new category of proactive security providers. They deliver enterprise-grade intelligence at lower costs through a managed service model – Cybersecurity as a Service (CSaaS). 

Guardian Cyber’s latest white paper 

Guardian Cyber presents “Proactive Cyber Intelligence – The Board’s New Mandate.”  This e-publication discusses how the cyber threat landscape has evolved, and how the boardroom conversation hasn’t kept up. Moving from reactive defense to proactive cyber intelligence, this white paper shows why modern cybersecurity is a high-level business strategy (not a technology problem) and what today’s mid-market and large company leaders must do about it. 

The Guardian Cyber difference  

Cybersecurity isn’t just defense. It’s offense – prepare, predict and protect. At Guardian Cyber, we operate from the attacker’s perspective, continuously hunting for exposure, identifying gaps, and eliminating the paths threats rely on before they’re used against you. We actively look for what’s exposed instead of simply waiting on alerts. And we monitor and test continuously to make sure you’re protected. Tools alone aren’t enough. Our experienced team protects your environment and proves that it’s working, so you can make decisions with confidence, not assumptions.