You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to be a target. In fact, small and mid-sized businesses are now prime targets for cybercriminals. They’re seen as easier to breach, and more likely to pay up.
According to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, the global average cost of a breach reached $4.88 million. That figure includes downtime, lost customers, legal fees, ransom demands, and damage to your reputation.
Here’s the hard truth: for industries like construction and manufacturing, the average breach cost jumps even higher – rising to approximately $5.56 million. These sectors bear the brunt of operational disruptions, legacy systems vulnerabilities, and supply chain exposure.
Why Construction and Manufacturing Pay More
- Operational Risk: Systems failure doesn’t just cost IT dollars, it can halt an entire project, delay deliveries, damage client confidence, and impact contracts and revenue.
- Complex Infrastructure: These environments often rely on a mix of IT and industrial control systems. That complexity makes breaches more costly and harder to resolve.
- Downtime Impact: Every hour offline in production or logistics adds to the financial toll.
How to Avoid Becoming a Headline
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Think of it as your always-on digital guard. Unlike traditional antivirus solutions, EDR monitors everything; logins, file changes, unusual behaviors, and steps in when something suspicious happens. It’s becoming a must-have, with cyber insurance providers increasingly requiring it. - Human-Centered Training
Even the best tools can’t catch everything. That’s why training should be:- Simple and relatable to each job role
- Short and repeated rather than once a year
- Reinforced with simulated phishing drills
- Accompanied by a no-blame culture that encourages reporting small mistakes
- Strategic MSP Partnership
A trusted managed IT provider does more than set up software:- They monitor threats in real time
- Provide training that matches your workplace
- Run simulated breach drills
- Perform ongoing risk assessments tailored to your industrial operations
Final Thought
The cost of a breach isn’t just financial, it’s about lost time, projects, and trust.
If you’re not sure whether your systems (or your people) are ready to handle sophisticated threats, now is the time to act.
You don’t have to find out the hard way.
Schedule a free discovery call with us, and let’s take a close look at your current cybersecurity posture. No tech jargon. No pressure. Just a plan that fits your operation.