Small businesses can learn valuable lessons from the cyber-attacks which hit big brands during 2025. That’s according to a leading firm of IT and cyber security specialists in the East Midlands.
Companies including Marks and Spencer, the Co-op and Jaguar Land Rover all suffered major disruption as a result of computer hacks over the last 12 months.
Nottinghamshire-based cyber security experts Your IT Department Ltd are warning that no company is too big or too small to be targeted and the consequences could be more damaging for smaller firms in the coming year.
“Hackers will hit whoever is easy to target,” says Your IT Department’s team leader in security and compliance, Fern Ritchie. “A large company can usually survive a data breach, but a 30-person business might not. It can lead to lost revenue as well as a loss of trust among clients.”
However, the good news is that small and medium-sized businesses, often with simpler structures, can usually secure themselves faster if they take the right steps.
There are simple measures that small businesses can implement to improve their cyber resilience, such as introducing multi-factor authentication, adding layers of security beyond just a password. This is part of the government’s Cyber Essentials certification system which is designed to help businesses protect themselves from common online threats.
“We have helped many companies secure Cyber Essentials certification,” says Fern. “By becoming Cyber Essentials certified it means you’re not only demonstrating a commitment to cyber security but also gaining crucial peace of mind, knowing that you have vital defences in place against the most frequent cyber-attacks.
“After the various data breaches during 2025, there are lessons to be learned for all companies, whatever their size, in 2026. Cyber security doesn’t have to be expensive but ignoring it definitely is.”
Your IT Department has won several awards in recent years and provides managed IT services to more than 100 businesses across the UK.
