22 February 2021
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia was keen on pushing SMEs to be digitally-enabled and technologically equipped to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world, and was set to achieve these goals by the year 2022. According to SME Corp, digitalisation was to come, given that all SME will shift to cashless payment.
Fast forward to now, 5,634 applications from SMEs have been received for the SME Business Digitalization Grant initiative, which 90% of the applications have been approved as of end of last year. SMEs in Malaysia are evidently harnessing the power of technology to survive. However, the increased online activities also open loopholes for cybercriminals.
According to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), 767,000 business users in Malaysia were almost infected with internet-borne malware in 2020. 269,533 phishing attempts were targeted against Malaysian SMEs in H1 2020, 56% more than previous year. 238,780 cryptomining attempts were targeted against SMEs in H1 2020, almost twofold uptick compared with previous year.
On average, a single data breach can cost as much as RM400,000 to an SME in Southeast Asia (SEA).
During the virtual media session with the Malaysian media, Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky shared that as the Malaysian SMEs continue to digitalise, cybersecurity should be on top of their mind regardless of the size of their business.
“Across the Southeast Asia region, SMBs bear the brunt of the pandemic. More than 8-in-10 SMBs from the region expected a decreased revenue for 2020 as early as May last year. While governments and financial organisations are quick to offer grants and schemes to help this crucial segment stay afloat, our experience showed that technology is the key for SMBs to survive. We fully understand that investment cuts are being done by business owners but it’s worth noting that cybercriminals are also lurking online. Digitalisation with cybersecurity in mind will always be the best step towards protecting and keeping your cash flow,” comments Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky.
Speaking at the virtual media event, Datuk William Ng, Central Region Chairman at Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (SAMENTA) says, “The value of making investments in the business’ future during an economic slump, not after. If you look at post-recession recoveries in the past, what companies choose to invest into their businesses has played a big role in how weak or strong they fared after a crisis. We are working with our members to tap on the allocations as announced by the government to open up fresh opportunities.”
Understanding the importance of SMEs’ cybersecurity, the global cybersecurity has recently launched its Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum (KEDRO), a new solution for SMEs in the SEA region.
“KEDRO goes beyond endpoint protection. It delivers full visibility and empowers SMEs’ limited IT staff to conduct a root-cause investigation and to quickly and intelligently respond against complex and costly threats. We have made this solution as simple to operate as possible, acknowledging the challenge of finding internal IT experts and most importantly, budget-friendly as we are aware of the pandemic’s financial impact to businesses in Malaysia,” adds Yeo.
To help SMBs in this challenging time, Kaspersky offers savings for new and existing customers valid on 10-999 nodes across the region until March 31, 2021.
For KEDRO new and add-on:
- 1 Year License – 33% savings
- 3-Year License – 40% savings
Interested SMB owners can find out more about this promo here: https://go.kaspersky.com/Kaspersky_EDRO_SEA_Promotion.html.
Kaspersky also provides tips and recommendations to securely rebuild SMBs in Malaysia:
- Educate your employees continuously about safe online habits.
- Make backups of important data and regularly update IT equipment and applications.
- Update and patch your systems regularly.
- Protect all devices with an antivirus solution. It is vital that you install a reliable security solution on devices that handle corporate data.
- Implement the right cybersecurity solution for every aspect of your business operations, both hardware and software related. Use a dedicated endpoint security solution equipped with web and application control, anomaly control and exploit prevention components that monitor and block suspicious activity on the corporate network.
- The best security is a solution that makes the work of IT departments easier, not difficult. If your business is booming, or is in a digital transformation phase, it's likely that resources are constantly being stretched. Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum, complements endpoint protection by providing full visibility and the ability to apply root cause analysis, for a complete understanding of the company's defense status against advanced threats.
