Reports coming out this year (VikingCloud, World Economic Forum, multiple industry trackers) all say the same thing: for the first time, cybersecurity concerns have surpassed economic worries as the top threat to small and mid-sized businesses.
Why? Attackers are using AI to supercharge phishing (think realistic deepfake voice calls and emails), Ransomware-as-a-Service is cheaper and easier than ever, and Business Email Compromise is still printing money for criminals.
The brutal stat: 40% of SMBs say a single attack costing <$100k would shut them down.