A recent study found that nearly 70% of businesses take more than 24 hours to fix a critical cybersecurity vulnerability. That’s a full day where hackers could exploit the issue—potentially stealing financial data, customer information, or even shutting down operations with ransomware.
For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), these delays are especially dangerous. Unlike large corporations with dedicated security teams, SMBs often have fewer resources to recover from an attack. A single security breach can lead to lost revenue, legal troubles, and a reputation hit that’s hard to shake.
Why Slow Cybersecurity Fixes Are a Big Problem
Many business owners assume cyberattacks mostly target big companies. The reality? SMBs are prime targets. Hackers know smaller businesses often lack the security budgets and expertise of larger enterprises, making them easier to breach.
If a critical vulnerability sits unpatched, a business could face:
- Financial loss—Data breaches and downtime cost money, often thousands of dollars per hour.
- Legal and compliance issues—Failing to secure customer data can lead to fines and lawsuits.
- Reputation damage—Customers lose trust quickly when their personal data is exposed.
- Operational disruptions—Cyberattacks can bring an entire business to a standstill.
What’s Slowing Businesses Down?
The Swimlane study identified several reasons businesses struggle to fix vulnerabilities quickly:
Too Many Manual Processes
Many businesses still rely on spreadsheets or outdated tracking methods to manage cybersecurity issues. This wastes time—up to 50% of IT teams’ time is spent tracking and prioritizing issues instead of fixing them.
Scattered Security Data
Cybersecurity tools often don’t work together, meaning IT teams have to piece together information from multiple systems to understand what needs urgent attention. This slows down response times.
Unclear Prioritization
Not all security issues are equally dangerous, but many businesses lack the tools to determine which vulnerabilities need immediate attention. As a result, critical threats may be ignored while less urgent ones get addressed first.
How SMBs Can Fix Cybersecurity Gaps Faster
The good news? You don’t need an enterprise-level budget to improve cybersecurity response times. Here are practical steps that can make a big difference:
Automate Vulnerability Management
Automation tools can identify, prioritize, and even fix vulnerabilities without requiring manual effort. This not only speeds up response times but also ensures that critical threats don’t slip through the cracks.
Improve Communication Between Teams
Security delays often happen because business owners, IT teams, and decision-makers aren’t on the same page. Having regular cybersecurity check-ins can help prioritize fixes and allocate resources more efficiently.
Use Continuous Monitoring
Instead of waiting for quarterly security reviews, businesses should implement real-time monitoring tools that instantly detect vulnerabilities. The faster an issue is found, the quicker it can be resolved.
Train Employees on Cybersecurity Best Practices
Human error is a major cause of cyber incidents. Phishing scams, weak passwords, and accidental clicks on malicious links can all expose a business to attacks. Regular employee training can reduce these risks significantly.
Consider Outsourcing Security to Experts
If hiring a full-time cybersecurity team isn’t feasible, managed security service providers (MSSPs) can handle monitoring, patching, and threat response. This gives SMBs access to enterprise-level security without the high overhead costs.
The Bottom Line
The longer a cybersecurity vulnerability remains unfixed, the greater the risk of a costly data breach, operational shutdown, or loss of customer trust.
By automating security processes, improving communication, monitoring systems continuously, and training employees, SMBs can dramatically reduce their cybersecurity risks – without breaking the bank.
Cyber threats aren’t waiting. Businesses shouldn’t either.