SMB PRINT SECURITY
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The past 12 months have seen a succession of headlines concerning large businesses hit by cyberattacks. But at the small- to medium-sized end of the market there have been just as many attacks, which can be just as impactful but haven’t garnered journalists’ attention. “Given that the threat landscape in 2025 has been defined by the cyberattacks on Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer, Co-operative Group and Harrods, it’s clear that bad actors are as ruthless as they are relentless in their mission to cause maximum disruption to companies, their supply chains and the customers and communities they serve,” says Stuart Brookes, PaperCut’s EMEA regional lead and head of sales and channel. Stuart points to the government’s cyber security breaches survey 2025, which reports that 43% of businesses and 30% of charities reported having experienced any kind of cybersecurity breach or attack in the past 12 months. “This equates to about 612,000 UK businesses and 61,000 UK charities; that’s a sobering reminder of the prevalence of this sort of crime,” he says. “Therefore, SMBs mustn’t be complacent and mistaken in thinking they’re unlikely to be a target, not least when their security defences are usually less robust than larger organisations.” Matúš Szépe, lead developer at MyQ, adds that the threats SMBs face are growing in volume and sophistication. “The rise of generative AI has completely changed the cyberthreat landscape,” he adds. “It’s no longer just the stereotypical ‘Nigerian prince’ email, we now see highly convincing phishing attempts, deepfake content and automated attacks tailored to local languages and cultural contexts. “This means even small businesses, which once felt ‘under the radar’ are now directly targeted with advanced tools that previously belonged only to large- scale operations.” Leigh Jolly, change and information security lead at Konica Minolta Business
Solutions (UK) Ltd, agrees that the rise in sophisticated ransomware and phishing attacks presents a direct threat to SMBs. “As does their position in supply chains, where they may be seen as a weak entry point for a much larger prize,” she adds. “They can be particularly susceptible to increasingly sophisticated attacks that can compromise day-to-day business operations, such as having data encrypted, and the threat of sensitive information being leaked, leading them to pay ransoms.” Ian Fox, channel solutions and services specialist at Xerox, adds that cybercriminals are highly resourceful and constantly searching for the weakest link in a company’s network. “For many SMBs, that link can be an overlooked endpoint such as a multifunctional device (MFD),” he notes. “Default passwords, outdated firmware, or unpatched print management software can all become easy targets. “As the print and IT environments become more interconnected, SMBs must treat every device on the network as a potential access point.” Trends With the growing acceptance of how SMBs are a target for cybercriminals, it means customer demands are evolving. For instance, Stuart notes that the acceptance of cloud as an alternative to on-premises servers means SMBs are now looking seriously at print management as a solution. “We’re seeing massive opportunities that simply weren’t there three years ago,” he adds. “At the same time, price is always a factor, but in times of economic pressure, it often becomes the only factor. With a sluggish economy, lacklustre productivity and many SMBs facing rising costs – from increases in the minimum wage and national insurance contributions to the commercial threats posed by AI – they’re increasingly laser-focused on price. “Vendors and resellers can provide real
Contributors
Stuart Brookes
papercut.com
Matúš Szépe
myq-solution.com
Leigh Jolly
konicaminolta.co.uk
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