SMB Security Survey Reveals High Awareness, Lagging Protection

In today’s digital-first world, cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue — it’s a business imperative. And while small businesses may run lean, they carry the same responsibility as large enterprises when it comes to securing data, operations, and reputation.

Adversaries don’t always target by size. They target opportunity wherever it exists. In many SMBs, that opportunity to attack stems from under-resourced teams, outdated tools, and a false sense of security. As threats evolve in speed and complexity, small businesses must evolve too, adopting security strategies that are proactive, intelligent, and built to respond in real time.

To understand where SMBs are making progress, and where they still need help, CrowdStrike commissioned a survey of small businesses across industries. The findings show clear momentum in SMB security, but they also reveal critical gaps in execution, investment, and readiness. The message is clear: The need for stronger security is urgent, and SMBs can’t afford to wait.

The State of SMB Cybersecurity

The CrowdStrike State of SMB Cybersecurity Survey reveals how small businesses are navigating today’s evolving threat landscape and where critical security gaps remain.

This disconnect is especially evident when comparing strategy to outcomes. While 94% of SMB leaders consider themselves “somewhat” or “very” knowledgeable about cyber threats, many remain exposed. Fewer than half provide regular employee training, and just 11% have adopted AI-powered security tools.

This gap between awareness and action leaves SMBs vulnerable to phishing, credential theft, and fast-moving attacks. With an average eCrime adversary breakout time of just 48 minutes in 2024, reacting after an incident is no longer enough. Resilience demands a proactive approach that keeps pace with evolving threats and fits within the realities of limited IT resources.

Even with a plan in place, protection isn’t guaranteed. While 83% of SMBs report having a cybersecurity strategy, those with plans were just as likely to suffer a breach as those without one. In some cases, these plans may be outdated, incomplete, or not fully executed, potentially creating a false sense of security. Ransomware, identity-based attacks, and phishing campaigns can exploit these gaps — especially among the smallest businesses. Twenty-nine percent of SMBs with fewer than 25 employees were hit by ransomware, and 75% of that group say a major attack could shut them down entirely.

Limited budgets compound the problem. Only 7% of SMBs say their budget is sufficient, and most rely on general IT staff or outsourced providers. Because of this, their security tools must be easy to deploy and manage, and effective out-of-the-box. But too often, cost is prioritized over capability — leaving SMBs vulnerable to the threats they’re trying to prevent. To stay secure and competitive, small businesses need solutions that simplify security, grow with their business, and help turn awareness into action.

How CrowdStrike Protects Small Businesses

To close the gap between awareness and protection, SMBs require cybersecurity solutions that are built for speed, simplicity, and real-world effectiveness. Those solutions should proactively stop threats before they cause harm, without overwhelming SMBs’ limited IT resources.

CrowdStrike’s endpoint security delivers cutting-edge protection through a lightweight agent and cloud-native platform, combining AI-driven threat detection with rapid deployment and seamless integration. Designed to simplify security operations, it empowers SMBs to stay ahead of attacks without slowing down their teams or overwhelming their resources.

For smaller businesses, CrowdStrike Falcon® Go is an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box endpoint bundle for users across all security expertise levels, providing next-gen antivirus and device control, all within a simplified UI. CrowdStrike Falcon® Enterprise is another bundle option for SMBs, with additional capabilities such as firewall protection, threat hunting, and endpoint detection and response. This is a strong option for those seeking additional protection or needing to meet specific business and operational requirements.

For SMBs looking for fully managed protection, CrowdStrike Falcon® Complete Next-Gen MDR provides 24/7 expert management and monitoring of the CrowdStrike Falcon® platform, eliminating threats before they impact business operations. This managed service ensures that SMBs stay protected, even without in-house cybersecurity expertise.

And it’s working. SMBs across industries are already seeing the impact of CrowdStrike’s modern approach to cybersecurity, with faster detection, simplified operations, and greater peace of mind. Below are some of their insights:

“What surprised us about CrowdStrike was not just that we had a best-in-class solution. It also saved us money, especially for endpoint protection. Greater efficiencies improved cost savings, and we significantly improved the ability to monitor and protect our environment.” – Don Thorstenson, IT Manager at BPG Designs
“While the previous vendor claims to be MDR, they simply alert us if they detect a threat and guide us on the remediation. In contrast, Falcon Complete will try to remediate the threat before escalating it. From a cost and feature perspective, it was a no-brainer to consolidate our MDR with Falcon Complete and add [our subsidiary] VCI’s assets to it.” – Kevin Tsuei, SVP Information Security Officer, Commercial Bank of California
“We’ve been using CrowdStrike for several years now and I’m very happy with the service and sleep much better knowing that our environment is being monitored 24 hours a day.” – Rieth-Riley Construction Co., Inc.¹

With CrowdStrike, small businesses can defend against modern threats, reduce risk, and operate with the confidence that their people, their customers, and their futures are protected — without needing an enterprise-sized team or budget. Now is the time to move from reactive to resilient.