(And What It’s Already Costing Businesses Like Yours)
Waiting to assess your IT risk is like ignoring a leaking roof during a thunderstorm. You might stay dry for a bit, but the damage is already creeping in.
If you’re running a small or mid-sized business and haven’t done a recent risk assessment, here’s what you’re risking in real, tangible terms:
1. Cyber Threats Don’t Wait
Tangible Impact: $4.45 million (the average cost of a data breach (IBM, 2023))
SMBs often think they’re too small to be targeted. They’re wrong. In fact, 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses, and 60% of them go out of business within 6 months of a breach.
- A phishing email clicks through = infected server
- One weak password = exposed customer database
- No MFA? That’s a hacker’s dream
A risk assessment identifies these vulnerabilities before attackers do.
2. Downtime Is Costing You More Than You Think
Tangible Impact: $5,600 per minute (average cost of downtime (Gartner))
For SMBs, even a 2-hour outage can cost tens of thousands in lost productivity, sales, and reputation damage.
- Can your team work if the server’s down?
- Can customers reach you if your systems go offline?
- Is your backup plan tested or just “in theory”?
An assessment reveals weak points in your infrastructure and recovery plans.
3. Compliance Isn’t Optional
Tangible Impact: $100,000+ (average fine for HIPAA violations)
Even without a breach, non-compliance can trigger audits, fines, and lawsuits. In 2024, several SMBs paid six-figure penalties for GDPR and PCI violations.
- Do you know where all your sensitive data lives?
- Are your vendors compliant, too?
- Are you logging access and protecting regulated data?
Risk assessments catch compliance gaps before regulators do.
4. You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know
Tangible Impact: 30–40% of IT assets go untracked in SMB environments
These “shadow IT” assets old laptops, personal devices, unmonitored cloud apps create hidden attack surfaces.
- Old VPN still active? That’s a free door for attackers
- Forgotten user accounts? Prime targets for credential stuffing
- Unpatched devices? Malware playground
A proper assessment creates an asset inventory, risk map, and action plan.