SMEs must beef up their cyber defences

Singapore

SMALL and medium size enterprises (SMEs) could do more to shore up their cyber defences and such actions will not necessarily need very expensive investments, say observers.

But it is critical for SMEs to make cyber security a business priority and part of an ongoing journey.

"If your company collects and stores personal data, creates intellectual property, or has any 'secret ingredient' that explains why your company has a competitive advantage, or has built up a good client base and market reputation, then any one of these factors puts you at risk of being targeted by cyber attackers," said Daryl Pereira, partner and head of Cybersecurity Consulting at KPMG in Singapore.

Cybersecurity has grabbed international headlines in r…