Earth is calling... Earth is calling... Novel-T

Since the middle of last year, many SME entrepreneurs have changed their minds. Cyber security was not very important to many of them, but entrepreneurs now want digital security for their companies as well. Large companies were more likely to fall victim to cybercrime previously, but SMEs are hearing more and more stories from fellow entrepreneurs who have been affected. “They recognise themselves in their stories and think they might be next”, says cybersecurity expert Liesbeth Holterman. Novel-T has hired her to help companies in the Eastern Netherlands secure their digital data. “I developed a QuickScan together with a few other experts. By asking various questions, we can quickly gain insight into the risks that entrepreneurs face and advise them on the measures they should take to reduce them. We support entrepreneurs in all kinds of areas in the field of innovation and digitisation issues together with other colleagues of the Novel-T SME team.”

According to her, companies are becoming increasingly ‘cyber-aware’, which is very necessary. “We are becoming more and more dependent on IT. The corona period made us even more dependent because entrepreneurs have started doing more online business in the lockdowns to still generate revenue. Employees have started working from home, and webshops were set up, which increases the need for security.”

Liesbeth explains the importance of cybersecurity in a few sentences. “A comparison: where do you think a thief is more likely to break in? In a loft where everything is easy to grab or in a house with several rooms, where valuables may not be visible from just one glance? It is the same for IT security: you should not make it easy for criminals to access valuable data.”

She works as an expert at Novel-T, including for ‘one of the ministries’. “I also work for the interest group for cybersecurity companies. Cyber is so important. We want to show companies how easily they can fall victim to phishing or malware and how dangerous that is.”

Entrepreneurs can ask Novel-T for advice, but Novel-T does not carry out measures. “We have the knowledge; a company in the manufacturing industry needs to take different measures than a baker, but security is important for both. If an incident occurs, it can take a long time before the problem is resolved, and the company can continue their online activities safely. It takes around three weeks in the case of a ransomware attack. Being down for that long is a considerable period, which can cost a lot of money. To prevent is better than cure. We give advice and refer to companies in the region that can help SMEs with the next steps in securing their business digitally.”