Calyptix and ITIC 2025 SMB Security Survey: 86% Cite Breaches as Top Threat, 49% Boost Security Budgets

Joint Calyptix and ITIC survey reveals SMB security concerns, rising costs of downtime, and increased investment in cybersecurity.

CHARLOTTE, NC, UNITED STATES, February 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- An 86% majority of small businesses say that security is the top business and technology threat facing their firms and the issue most likely to disrupt business operations, cause downtime and heighten the risk of non-compliance and litigation.

Those are the results of the newly released 2025 SMB Security and Hourly Cost of Downtime survey jointly conducted by Calyptix Security Corp., a maker of UTM firewalls for small businesses, and Information Technology Intelligence Consulting Corp. (ITIC), a Boston, MA-based research and consulting firm.
The Calyptix ITIC 2025 SMB Security and Hourly Cost of Downtime Survey also found that 75% of small businesses said human left their firms vulnerable to security hacks. Some 69% of respondents said issues relating to remote/hybrid work environments raise security risks.

The Calyptix and ITIC 2025 SMB Security and Hourly Cost of Downtime Survey polled a total of 715 SMB organizations including 115 Calyptix partner MSPs and corporate customers and an additional 600 small businesses from October through December 2024. The independent Web-based survey included multiple choice and essay questions.

“SMBs and micro-SMB organizations with 1 to 20, 50 or 100 employees are ‘our people’,” said Calyptix chief executive Ben Yarbrough. “This SMB Security survey focused on the unique challenges faced by the millions of SMB firms in the U.S. who are an often-overlooked constituency.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey latest statistics, a 98% majority of SMBs have fewer than 100 employees and 89% have fewer than 20 employees. “The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that SMBs contribute approximately 44% of the total revenue for all U.S.-based businesses. They face the same security threats as large enterprises but have fewer monetary and technology resources to repel targeted hacks,” said Laura DiDio, ITIC Principal.
Among the other Calyptix ITIC 2025 SMB Security and Hourly Cost of Downtime highlights:

• Remote employees are a top concern. Nearly 70% of survey respondents said that end users – especially remote employees – are their biggest concern because they are often lax in installing or turning on security features like anti-virus, anti-Phishing and even firewall security. Survey participants said many remote workers do not have security on their devices when they access sensitive data on the corporate network, leaving it vulnerable to security breaches and hackers.

• Downtime costs: Nearly four-in-10 or 37% of Calyptix small business MSP partners and customers said the cost of a single hour of downtime costs from $1,000 to $5,000. At the end of the spectrum, eight percent (8%) said a single hour of downtime due to a security incident can cost their firms from $25,001 to over $100,000.

• Security spending: The SMB and micro-SMB and MSP survey respondents recognize the importance of securing their environments. Over one quarter or 26% spend $1,000 to $1,000 to $5,000 annually on security products and services; 14 % of respondents spend $5,001 to $10,000 annually on security; 20% spend from $10,001 to $50,000 yearly on security and nine percent expend $50,001 to $100,000+ on their security budgets.

About Calyptix. Calyptix’ flagship product is the AccessEnforcer (AE) line of UTM firewalls, an all-in-one solution for network security and management. The Calyptix AE firewalls are especially tailored for SMBs and micro MSPs with 1 to 50 servers. The newest AE1900 delivers faster speeds; enhanced firmware; additional ports and more RAM to assist SMBs in combatting the latest security threats.

Joseph Schmidt
Calyptix Security Corp
+1 800-650-8930
joseph.schmidt@calytpix.com
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Calyptix & ITIC - Understanding the True Cost of Downtime