Edinburgh based IT expert Graeme Davis, Managing Director of IT Foundations, has warned of an increase in attempted cyber crimes in the city.

“We’ve seen an escalation of attempted cyber attacks on small and medium sized businesses in the city. We do not believe any of these businesses are being specifically targeted, criminals are using scatter gun tactics of firing malware and phishing emails out to see what they might catch.”

IT Foundations recommends that for most SME’s the single best investment they can make to reduce the chances of falling victim to these attacks is to train their staff to be able to recognise the signs of malware and dangerous emails.

Graeme explains that “many small and medium-sized businesses make the mistake of spending a lot of money on expensive technology to protect them and although technological solutions are important, often the best solution is to educate people first and then follow with the tech afterwards. You will absolutely get a better ROI investing in your people than in your hardware”

There are many great training tools that can be bought online, such as uSecure or Knowbe4, or you can contact your IT support provider who may be able to assist you.

IT Foundations have been supporting Edinburgh businesses since 2000 and specialise in supporting small and medium sized businesses.

Find out more.