What Is a Reasonable Level of Cybersecurity for Your Business?

Understanding your risk, your people, and what’s worth protecting

When you’re trying to balance a business budget, IT and cybersecurity often end up on the chopping block. It’s understandable. If things seem to be running fine and no one’s banging down your digital door, it can be tempting to see security as an optional extra. Something to upgrade later.

But here’s the catch. Most cybersecurity issues don’t show up until it’s too late. And once they do, they usually hit hard.

What Is a Reasonable Level of Cybersecurity?

A common mistake is thinking cybersecurity is all about fancy tools or expensive software. In reality, the biggest risk to your business isn’t the tech at all. It’s the people using it.

I don’t mean that in a harsh way. We’re all human. We all get busy. We’re all trying to juggle multiple things at once. That’s exactly what attackers count on.

If there’s one truth about cybersecurity that often gets overlooked, it’s this: people are almost always the weakest link. Whether it’s clicking a link in a phishing email, accidentally sharing a password, or rushing through an approval process without double checking, it’s usually a person who opens the door.

Social Engineering: Why People Are Still the Biggest Risk

I once heard about a controller who got hit with a fake invoice during a particularly chaotic week. They were swamped, approvals were flying in every direction, and they wired over $50,000 to what turned out to be a completely made-up company. The signs were there. But under pressure, even experienced professionals can miss them.

This is what social engineering is all about. It’s less about hacking systems and more about hacking people. Trick them, distract them, or catch them off guard. Attackers know when to strike. A clever one might hit an accounting firm during tax season, knowing full well that everyone’s overwhelmed. An email that might look suspicious in July suddenly looks like just another deadline in April.

What they’re after depends on the business. It could be sensitive client records, internal access, or direct financial gain. Sometimes it’s about stealing data to sell. Other times, it’s about extortion. The method shifts, but the goal is the same. Find the fastest path to the crown jewels of your organization, and often that path runs straight through someone’s inbox.

Matching Your Risk Profile to a Reasonable Level of Cybersecurity

So the question isn’t “should we invest in cybersecurity?” The real question is, “how much security makes sense based on what we have to lose?”

That’s where risk comes in. Every business has a unique risk profile. A small construction company doesn’t need the same privacy controls as a health clinic. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need anything. It means understanding what matters most in your business. Think about the data, the systems, and the processes, and then put the right level of protection around those things.

It’s Not Just Tools. It’s People, Processes, and Perspective

Yes, there are more affordable tools now. Yes, automation can help reduce overhead. But the true cost of good cybersecurity isn’t just found in the software. It’s in the time and thought that goes into building a strategy that works.

That strategy should cover people, process, and technology. The people need to know what to look out for. The process should include things like double-checking invoices or confirming bank account changes. The technology supports both of those, but it doesn’t replace them.

Even something as simple as a short training session can save a business thousands. Especially when your team is under pressure. And let’s face it, when isn’t a team under pressure?

You Don’t Have to Guess Alone

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s about being prepared. It’s about knowing what you’re protecting and who might try to get it. And it’s about asking the hard question now instead of after something goes wrong. What would happen if someone clicked the wrong link? This is why I state, "reasonable level of cybersecurity."

If you’re not sure where your business stands, that’s where a fractional CTO like me can help. I won’t sell you stuff you don’t need. My role is to help you get clear on what matters, what’s at risk, and what level of protection makes sense. And I’ll do it without turning it into a jargon-filled nightmare.

Because at the end of the day, cybersecurity is about people. The ones you work with, the ones you serve, and the ones who might try to take advantage when no one’s looking.

Let’s make sure you’re ready.