As Cybersecurity Awareness Month launches this October, businesses all over the world are coming together to talk about the importance of digital security.
According to the UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey, the cost of a cyber breach for small businesses is £7,960, increasing to £12,560 for medium businesses. For a lot of SMEs, this is a business expense that is difficult to swallow, and prevention doesn’t come cheap either.
And whilst the temptation to cut costs is tempting, the truth is that many experts are warning that cybersecurity should now be a key investment for any business.
What Have Some Of The Biggest Cyber Attacks Been This Year?
To put into context just how damaging cyber attacks can be, here are some of the biggest of the year, according to Raconteur:
- Marks and Spencer: A cyber attack that prevented them from taking online orders and payments in store, costing nearly £300 million.
- Co-op: Suffered a cyber attack in April, with member names and contact details stolen.
- Harrods: Attacked twice in 2025, with customer data leaked.
- H&M: Saw in-store payments stop for hours, costing thousands in lost revenue.
- Jaguar Land Rover: Hit by an attack that shut down production and caused a huge £1.7 billion in lost revenue.
- Heathrow: Travellers were stranded with huge delays in September after a cyber attack hit Collins Aerospace.
So, why should businesses take cybersecurity more seriously than ever before? To find out, we asked the experts….
Our Experts
- Kevin Landt, VP of Product, Cybersecurity at Thrive
- Adrian Cox, CEO of Beazley
- Emilio Escobar, CISO at Datadog
- Crawford Warnock, Founding Director at Firstname Communications
- Dan Jones, Senior Security Advisor at Tanium
- Joseph Rooke, Director Risk Insights (Insikt Group) at Recorded Future
- Martin Greenfield, Founder and CEO at Quod Orbis
- Varun Uppal, Founder of Shinobi Security
- Sebastien Marchon, CEO of Rydoo
- Vivek Dodd, CEO at Skillcast
- Tom Peirson-Webber, Head of Engineering at Harbr Data
- Rob Kneller, Director at KIT365
- Afshin Attari, Senior Director of Public Sector at Exponential-e
- Krystal Mattich, Senior Director of Security, Privacy, and Risk
- Scott Walker, Chief Architect at Orange Cyberdefense
- Trine Oksnebjerg, Consultant Director at IT & Tech Consultancy Firm, emagine
- Steve Timothy, Sales Director, Cyber Security at Ricoh
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Kevin Landt, VP of Product, Cybersecurity at Thrive
“As the threat, impact and scrutiny of cyberattacks intensify, companies need to treat cybersecurity as a core business risk. Boards and executives are now being judged on preparedness, not intentions, which makes resilience a leadership issue as much as a technical one.
“Automation and generative AI help attackers create convincing lures at scale, increasing the speed and volume of phishing and social engineering attempts. The result now is not just data loss but also operational stoppages, revenue hits, regulatory exposure and long-lasting reputational damage. Ransomware remains widespread. Once attackers gain a foothold, they can move rapidly from one system to another, which leaves very little time for teams to spot the intrusion and shut it down.
“Taking cybersecurity seriously means making preparation routine. As a step-by-step guide, businesses should start with an objective risk assessment to surface real gaps, then build layered controls to prevent, detect and recover. Patch systems, remove default credentials, enforce strong authentication and apply least privilege. Keep offline or write-protected backups and test them regularly so bad actors cannot encrypt or delete them. Use modern endpoint protection and DNS filtering to block malicious activity early, with constant monitoring to spot abnormal behaviour quickly. Prepare and rehearse playbooks, and measure time to detect, contain and recover. Invest in people. Regular training on AI-generated lures and a culture of rapid reporting will close a critical gap and move security from a reactive clean-up to resilient operations.”
Adrian Cox, CEO of Beazley
“Almost every day we see reports on the damage that cyber-attacks are inflicting on businesses around the world. Perhaps business leaders are left simply wondering when it will be their turn for operations to be shut down, data leaked, and trust fractured.
“I reject that thinking. While there is no simple solution to this problem, and cyber-attacks are inevitable, it’s time to build a mindset of preparation, not panic. Building resilience that focuses on before, during and after prevention and protection is the only way we can avoid prolonged outages that shatter reputations and cripple finances. Whilst no institution is impenetrable, appropriate controls and protections do help, and the quality of response to an attack is as impactful as preventing one in the first place.
“Insurance is an important part of the solution, but it cannot be the only piece.
“I would encourage business leaders to take action, putting cyber protection and security at the heart of their business thinking and engage with their insurance broker to ascertain the role that it can play to ensure they are as resilient and ready as possible.”
Emilio Escobar, CISO at Datadog
“The State of Cloud Security report found that companies are implementing new security strategies amid growing concerns about credential theft, a problem that is exacerbated by long-lived credentials that never expire and frequently get leaked in source code, container images, build logs and applications artifacts. This year, 59% of AWS IAM users, 55% of Google Cloud service accounts and 40% of Microsoft Entra ID applications had an access key older than one year. This has led to companies adopting data perimeters and centrally managed multi-account environments to reduce security risks.
“Every identity—human or machine—represents a potential entry point to our critical data. Strong access controls and continuous verification aren’t just security features; they’re foundational to protecting our assets in today’s borderless environment.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Crawford Warnock. Founding Director at Firstname Communications
“The risks and losses from a cyberattack have never been higher.
“The bad guys are now prepared to bide their time, have a myriad of ways to make money from their illegal activities, and can draw on services that rival any cybersecurity offering.
“But if we are to focus on one key aspect of why businesses now need to take cyber more seriously than ever before, it can be summed up in one word: reputation. 2025 has been the year that cyberattacks have hit some of the most well-respected names in UK business: M&S, Harrods, JLR… this is not just a posh hit list. It is a lesson to any business, of any scale, that has built up a reputation amongst its customer base around values such as trust, assuredness, security, and that general sense that the company involved is dependable, because it is secure.
“Reputation is an implied relationship and the bad guys know that – for businesses – even implied relationship capital is worth more than financial capital. By hitting that reputation hard in customer facing areas (such as online ordering, or click and collect), or by timing attacks to coincide with times when all eyes are on a business (such as new license plate launches), malicious actors inflict so much more damage. This alone demands businesses address cyber more urgently…”
Dan Jones, Senior Security Advisor at Tanium
“It’s never been more important to take cybersecurity seriously, and support for Windows 10 ending serves as a timely reminder.
“For organisations, support for Windows 10 has now officially ended. For those that haven’t made the move, whilst it’s no longer possible to get ahead of the change, it’s not too late to act! Every device still running Windows 10 is now a potential weak point, with attackers primed to exploit unpatched systems. Once that happens, the consequences can be severe: downtime, data loss, compliance failures, and financial penalties.
“It’s a reminder that the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, and complacency is one of the biggest risks businesses faces. Threat actors are moving faster, using automation and AI to exploit even minor gaps in defences.
“Microsoft’s paid support extensions offer a temporary lifeline, but that safety net comes at a cost, and it increases every year. The longer businesses delay migration, the more expensive it becomes to stay protected, both in fees and in risk. There’s a real cost of doing nothing.
“The priority now must be visibility and control. IT teams need to identify every vulnerable endpoint, isolate, or patch where possible, and plan an orderly move to Windows 11. With real-time monitoring and unified endpoint management, organisations can contain exposure today while building for a more confident tomorrow.
“Treat this upgrade as a reminder that strong IT hygiene and proactive resilience are critical to staying secure in an environment where attackers move faster than ever”
Joseph Rooke, Director Risk Insights (Insikt Group) at Recorded Future
“Today cyber threats are evolving faster than most organisations can respond. AI is equipping adversaries with the tools to automate reconnaissance, phishing, and exploit development. This is dialling up the volume and precision of threats, enabling criminals to operate at faster tempos than ever before.
“State-sponsored operations have brought cyber firmly into the geopolitical spotlight. Espionage, influence operations, and the disruption of critical infrastructure are now routine tools of statecraft. The capabilities developed by these actors often spill over into the criminal ecosystem.
“Ransomware groups are adopting increasingly sophisticated ways to compromise victims as well as targeting victims’ suppliers and service providers to gain access. Even more concerning is the rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service operations, meaning actors are hiring affiliates who may lack technical expertise but can access a range of advanced tools to target victims and extort money from them.
“The solution lies in intelligence-led security: it is vital that defenders understand the intent, infrastructure, and behaviour of threat actors. Not having cyber threat intelligence is like a government not having an intelligence service and hoping nothing happens. Cybersecurity is a business risk, not just a technical one, and the companies that treat it that way will be the ones that endure.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Martin Greenfield, Founder and CEO at Quod Orbis
“Cybersecurity is not just a business IT issue anymore; it must become a national priority. The recent wave of high-profile breaches shows how quickly large organisations can be brought to their knees, and yet we’re still too often treating the symptoms, not the disease. Government support for recovery efforts, such as the funding for Jaguar Land Rover, is welcome, but it doesn’t address the root cause: our critical infrastructure remains dangerously exposed.
“Simply investing in more security tools isn’t the answer. The complexity of today’s digital environments means teams are overwhelmed by data, battling alert fatigue, and stretched beyond capacity. While blame is often targeted at IT teams, the truth is that the system itself is unsustainable.
“Automation can ease the load, but technology alone won’t fix the problem. People remain at the heart of cyber defence, and they need greater visibility, the right remediation tools, and a clear mandate to act decisively.
“That’s why I’m calling for government, industry bodies, and the brightest minds in cybersecurity to come together and build a unified, proactive national strategy. Without it, we’ll continue to operate in silos and attackers will keep exploiting the gaps.”
Varun Uppal, Founder of Shinobi Security
“The routes that attackers are exploiting to gain access to IT infrastructures in order to get their hands on everything from our finances and health data to work communications and personal messages are rapidly accelerating in volume and sophistication. The challenge facing IT teams isn’t just the technical complexity of modern application, it’s the speed at which they are evolving.
“Traditional security approaches, like periodic, point in time pentests simply can’t keep up with the continuous development and speed at which hackers operate. By the time vulnerabilities are discovered, the app has likely already changed, creating gaps that can be exploited.
“Across every sector, digital infrastructure is becoming faster, more interconnected, and more automated, and yet many security practices remain reactive. Teams are becoming increasingly overwhelmed with alerts, tools, and data, yet huge pressure continues to be placed on security professionals to keep pace with the threat landscape yet unseen gaps are an inevitability in complex systems without clear visibility and actionable insights.
“Businesses need to move from reactive, point-in-time security to proactive, continuous strategies that integrate seamlessly with development and operations to avoid the financial and reputational implications that come with a breach.”
Sebastien Marchon, CEO of Rydoo
“With third party breaches doubling last year, the supply chain has become an attractive entry point for cyber criminals. And with such hacks having a meaningful impact on a company’s reputation and bottom line, companies must take action.
“As a result, cybersecurity is no longer solely the concern of technology and IT teams, but a C-suite issue, as companies seek to ensure that suppliers don’t end up being their Achilles heel.
“The introduction of legislation including the EU’s NIS2 directive and the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will help to set minimum expectations for suppliers, but with stats like these, companies need to be taking matters into their own hands to ensure alignment with suppliers on cybersecurity.
“Decision makers across departments, whether its finance, HR or marketing, need to look for signs that their suppliers treat cybersecurity as seriously as they do, particularly their SaaS suppliers who often have access to internal company systems and data.
“Green flags include a dedicated security expert of team, trusted industry accreditations, and transparent testing and incident response protocols. These are no longer just “nice-to-haves”, they’re critical indicators of whether a supplier will strengthen or weaken the overall security of a company.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Vivek Dodd, CEO at Skillcast
“The scale and increasing frequency of recent cyberattacks across major retail and public sector organisations have triggered a dramatic shift in how seriously businesses are treating security measures. These attacks are not just serious data breaches, but have rapidly evolved into operational nightmares which cause severe long-term financial and reputational setbacks.
“With this “fraud pandemic” exposing just how vulnerable many businesses are, particularly those relying on outdated processes or inconsistent training, it is putting pressure on already-stretched IT systems and is leaving customer data dangerously vulnerable.
“What we have witnessed is a fundamental shift in how businesses are responding to cyber threats. The 692% surge in interest for cybersecurity training and compliance reflects a widespread realisation: cybercrime is evolving, and rapidly, rendering what might have protected systems a year ago obsolete.
“What is especially alarming is the still-present gap between confidence and competence. The results from our Careless Clicks survey emphasised that while most professionals feel confident in identifying a threat, a significant portion regularly fail basic security steps. It also demonstrated that, critically, the right awareness and practices are still not being embedded into daily operations, leaving staff unprepared or ill-equipped to handle cyber threats.
“The most resilient businesses will be those that integrate cybersecurity awareness and compliance directly into their culture, treating it as a continuous, evolving learning process. As cybercrime becomes more sophisticated and targeted, so too must our defences, and that starts with training every individual on a regular basis to build a foundation of shared responsibility and governance.”
Tom Peirson-Webber, Head of Engineering at Harbr Data
“Right now, companies are rolling out AI agents, LLMs, and tools like MCPs because they dramatically improve productivity – employees can pull insights, process data, and get work done that used to require specialist skills. But there’s a flip side: making systems easier to use for the right people also makes them easier to exploit if someone gets in without permission. It’s no longer enough to just lock the door. You need real-time visibility into who – and which AI systems – have access to what, plus granular permissions and adaptable controls that can keep up as things change.”
Rob Kneller, Director at KIT365
“Cybersecurity is a core business risk that affects every organisation, regardless of size or sector. The increasing digitisation of supply chains has created more points of vulnerability than ever before, and attackers are exploiting them. We are seeing small suppliers and large enterprises alike becoming entry points for wider breaches, with a single compromise often impacting thousands of businesses downstream. Because of this, companies need to take a proactive approach. This means treating cybersecurity as a board-level priority, not just an IT task. Leaders need to understand the risks, ask informed questions and allocate proper resources to protect their organisations and their partners. Awareness and accountability must be embedded across every level, from leadership to frontline staff.
“As human error remains the most common cause of breaches, so training and culture are critical. By promoting a no-blame environment and encouraging staff to report suspicious activity, businesses can strengthen their first line of defence: their people.
“Cybersecurity is about resilience and trust. In an increasingly interconnected world, the organisations that prioritise it will not only protect themselves but also gain a competitive advantage through reliability and confidence.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Afshin Attari, Senior Director of Public Sector at Exponential-e
“The evolution of technology has led to a blurring of once clearly defined network boundaries. This has caused the perimeter to become more dispersed, requiring us to adapt and evolve our security capabilities.
“Most companies handle a wide range of sensitive information, especially the public sector, which hold personal data of citizens, national security information, and critical infrastructure data, making it a very attractive target to cybercriminals.
“Decentralised perimeter protection is where the protection of an organisation’s assets is distributed across various points rather than being concentrated at a single place. Traditionally, security models relied on a strong, centralised perimeters, such as a firewalls to protect everything inside a network.
“Today, organisations are moving towards more distributed and cloud-based environments. This is because cyber security is becoming harder to centralise as the nature of work changes, IT environments become more diverse as employees increasingly work remotely.
“Updating IT infrastructure and increasing investment in security technologies such as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), companies can protect both office and remote workers with robust security capabilities, ensure privacy through encryption and strengthen cyber threat defences.”
Krystal Mattich, Senior Director of Security, Privacy, and Risk
“In robotics, cybersecurity is the difference between those who scale and those who stall, and it’s also the foundation of trust. Robots operate in the real world, moving through public spaces and interacting with sensitive environments. That makes their data, from navigation maps to operational usage logs, uniquely valuable and uniquely at risk.
“The rise of connected, AI-driven systems has multiplied both the benefits and the risks. A single breach can erode confidence not only in one company, but in the broader landscape of autonomous technology. To safeguard innovation, organizations must adopt a “secure-by-design” approach, embedding encryption, access control, and transparency from the start rather than bolting them on later.
“A robot that performs reliably does so because its data pipeline is protected end to end. Building trust means proving that autonomy can be both intelligent and responsible. As robotics becomes part of everyday infrastructure, those who scale will be the ones treating data security and compliance as a continuous discipline, not a project with an end date.”
Scott Walker, Chief Architect at Orange Cyberdefense
“Our 2025 Security Navigator Report recorded a staggering 39% increase in cyber-attacks impacting OT systems between 2023 – 2024 compared to the entire 35-year period prior. It’s clear that certain adversaries are focusing on the industries where OT is widely used – such as manufacturing, energy and utilities, and transportation. The most concerning aspect of this is the threat to human safety, particularly in relation to critical national infrastructure (CNI). Since OT cyber-attacks began, physical impacts have been felt worldwide, affecting a broad range of sectors. This is an area where the risk is unacceptable, regardless of how unlikely the threat may be.
“It’s no longer a matter of ‘if’ adversaries attack, but ‘when’. And a single point of failure can lead to nationwide or even global disruption, particularly as global geopolitics are increasingly unstable and more nation-states are entering conflict. Despite the well-publicised growing threat of cyber adversaries, I still encounter many firms that have failed to plan for how to respond in the event of an attack, and this year’s cybersecurity breaches survey.”
Trine Oksnebjerg, Consultant Director at IT & Tech Consultancy Firm, emagine
“Cybercrime is at an all-time high and attacks have increased rapidly in the past two years, targeting businesses of all sizes and sectors. No organisation is immune, and even minor breaches can cost a business significant money whilst damaging crucial trust with customers and partners.
“There are more entry points for cyber criminals than ever with hybrid work and cloud services being the norm. Cyber operations need to be as tight as possible as a single vulnerability can transfer across systems in a short period of time. This is of paramount importance particularly as businesses can face heavy fines and legal consequences if customer data is not protected effectively.
“Companies must invest in robust cybersecurity strategies to build resilience, trust and maintain confidence in the market. Proactive measures like employee training, regular system audits, and incident response plans ensure businesses can operate safely in the digital world and have the answers if a crisis does arise.
“Cybersecurity must be on the top of the agenda for all businesses, and its significance must be understood by senior members of the organisation, not just the IT team. Companies that do not take it seriously to protect their operations risk being left behind.”
Steve Timothy, Sales Director, Cyber Security at Ricoh
“Cybersecurity has never been more important, not only because attacks are increasing in frequency, but because their impact on business continuity, reputation, and trust has never been greater. The National Cyber Security Centre’s latest review makes this clear: cyber threats are now a matter of when, not if.”
“That’s why the shift towards an ‘Assume Breach’ mindset is so critical. Organisations must focus less on the illusion of total prevention and more on resilience, how quickly they can detect, respond, and recover when an incident occurs.”
“Preparation and proactive protection always outweigh reaction after the fact. Having a clearly documented recovery plan, stored securely and accessible to the right people, is essential. Testing that plan regularly ensures that when an attack does happen, the response is fast, confident, and effective.”
“At Ricoh, we see daily how fast the threat landscape evolves. The protection that worked last year won’t protect you next year. Businesses that continually review and strengthen their defences, and embed security into every process, are the ones that will thrive in this new reality. Cybersecurity is no longer an IT issue; it’s a fundamental part of business resilience.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
