Cyber Security for Small Business in Dubai

Why Small Businesses in Dubai Are Targets

Attackers know SMEs often have weaker defences than large enterprises - and the data shows it. Around 73% of UAE organisations were hit by ransomware in recent years, and the UAE Cybersecurity Council reports over 200,000 attacks a day. A single breach can mean lost data, downtime and fines a small business can't easily absorb.

Our SME Cyber Security Stack

We deploy enterprise-grade protection, right-sized and priced for small businesses. Everything is managed for you - no in-house security team required.

• Managed firewall (FortiGate, Sophos) with content filtering
• Endpoint protection and antivirus on every device
• Email security and anti-phishing
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password policy
• Encrypted backups and ransomware recovery
• Security audits and vulnerability assessments

How Much Does It Cost?

For most Dubai SMEs, cyber security is bundled into an IT AMC from Request a quote - far cheaper than a single breach. We start with a free security assessment, show you the gaps, and prioritise fixes by risk before you spend anything.

• Bundled into IT AMC from Request a quote
• Standalone security audit available
• Free initial security assessment

Don't Forget the Human Layer

Most breaches start with a person clicking the wrong link. We train your staff to spot phishing and social engineering, and run simulated phishing tests, so your team becomes your first line of defence rather than your weakest point.

What Attacks on Dubai SMEs Actually Look Like

The attacks that hurt small businesses in the UAE are rarely sophisticated - they are practical, and they work because nobody was watching. The most common pattern we deal with is business email compromise: an attacker sits quietly inside a compromised mailbox for weeks, learns who pays the invoices, then sends a convincing payment instruction with a swapped IBAN. Ransomware most often arrives through an exposed remote desktop port or a phishing attachment, encrypts the file server overnight, and turns a working business into a standstill by morning. We also see payroll-diversion emails to HR and WhatsApp messages impersonating the owner asking finance for urgent transfers. None of these require genius to stop - they require the baseline below to be in place before the email arrives.

• Business email compromise: patient attackers, real invoice threads, one changed bank account number
• Ransomware through exposed RDP or a phishing attachment - the file server is always the target
• Payroll and supplier-payment diversion aimed at whoever moves money
• Owner impersonation on WhatsApp and email pressuring staff into urgent transfers

The 10-Point SME Security Baseline

This is the checklist we implement for every small business client. If all ten are in place, the common attacks above mostly bounce off; if three or four are missing, it is a matter of time.

• Multi-factor authentication on email, banking and every admin account
• Operating system and application patches applied on a monthly cadence, not when convenient
• EDR (managed antivirus with detection and response) on every computer, not just some
• An off-site, immutable backup that ransomware cannot reach or encrypt
• Email authentication and filtering: SPF, DKIM and DMARC configured, phishing filtered before the inbox
• Least privilege: staff accounts that cannot install software or touch systems they do not use
• A company password manager replacing reused passwords and shared spreadsheets
• Short, regular staff phishing awareness training - the human layer fails first
• A properly configured firewall with remote access through VPN only
• A written incident plan with one phone number to call the moment something looks wrong

Cyber Insurance Readiness

Cyber insurance has become common for Dubai SMEs - and insurers have become strict. Applications now ask specifically whether you run MFA, EDR, and tested off-site backups, and claims are refused when the answers turn out to be optimistic. We prepare businesses for both sides of that conversation: implementing the controls insurers require, and producing the evidence - backup test logs, patch reports, MFA coverage - that keeps a policy valid when you actually need it. If you already hold a policy, we can map your current setup against its conditions and close the gaps before renewal.