Picture the scene. You open your laptop on a Monday morning, and nothing is working. Your files are gone, your emails are locked, and your clients are waiting.
You realise that you’ve been hacked, but you don’t know what to do or why it happened.
After all, you recently installed antivirus software. Surely that was enough to protect you.
Unfortunately, antivirus software is yesterday’s defence tool.
It’s still hugely important in protecting your files from viruses, but it’s not strong enough to keep your business safe from today’s ever-changing threats, which include phishing emails, stolen passwords and malware.
That’s why we’re on a mission to tell people in Suffolk and Essex that antivirus software alone is not enough to protect their business.
Hackers are incredibly clever, and they’ve used technology to their advantage. So, as cyber threats have evolved, so have the risks for businesses.
The Myth vs. Reality. Why antivirus alone isn’t enough
Installing antivirus software on your business computer system is like locking your front door.
It’s a good start, but what if someone climbs through the window?
Imagine losing access to every client file, every invoice, and every email overnight. That’s what happens when hackers slip past antivirus software.
Today’s attacks are ever-changing. They’re phishing emails that look like they came from your bank. They’re stolen passwords that open the door to your entire business. They’re AI-powered scams so convincing that even tech-savvy people fall for them.
It’s a never-ending task trying to keep up with the hackers, because as soon as you’ve got your defences sorted for one potential problem, another one crops up. For our cybersecurity experts, it’s like a constant game of whack-a-mole, only with far more serious stakes.
And here’s the reality that we’re constantly educating local businesses in Suffolk and Essex about.
Every day and every hour you delay putting proper protections in place, you’re gambling with your company.
- Could you afford a week of unexpected downtime?
- Could you explain to clients that their data was exposed?
- Can you cope with the financial costs of recovering your data and also the loss of earnings?
- Would a data breach cause your customers to lose trust in you and go elsewhere?
Hackers know you’re busy.
They know you’re juggling payroll, client deadlines, and growth plans, and you’re not prioritising cybersecurity.
That’s why they target small to medium-sized businesses in Ipswich, Colchester, and Felixstowe in the first place.
They know you’re probably working on a five-year-old laptop with minimal IT support. For them, that’s an open door because they are almost guaranteed success when they try to break in.
Let’s take a reality check. What’s happening in Suffolk and Essex right now?
If you’re a regular reader of our blog posts, then you’ll know that we’re constantly bringing you the latest statistics of cybercrime in the East of England.
We do this because we want to make it clear that we are all facing severe threats, right here on our doorstep. As a responsible member of the Ipswich business community, we see it as our duty to provide IT support and cybersecurity advice to local businesses to help you stay safe from harm.
The latest cybercrime statistics in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex remain worrying.
Using publicly available data from the NFIB Fraud and Cyber Crime Dashboard, we have looked up the number of cybercrime reports (personal and commercial) made to the police between 01/01/2025 and 21/11/2025.
- In Suffolk, there have been 532 reports of cybercrime this year, with total losses of £40,000.
- In Norfolk, there have been 660 reports of cybercrime, with total losses of £337,800.
- In Essex, there have been 1,710 reports of cybercrime, with total losses of £11,700.
These aren’t big corporations with deep pockets. They’re businesses like yours and people like you: accountants, consultants, family-run firms, freelancers.
We can guarantee that every single person or business that was a victim will have thought, “It won’t happen to me.”
Hackers don’t care about your size or sector. They care about opportunity. And small businesses are the easiest targets because owners are busy, budgets are tight, and IT often feels like a “later” job.
That’s why we’re always telling businesses: the question isn’t if they’ll try, it’s when.
You can’t assume or hope that it won’t happen to you. You have to assume that it will, and by putting in those protective layers now, you’ll be more resilient and protected.
Affordable cybersecurity solutions for local businesses
If you’ve been putting cybersecurity off, you’re not alone. Most business owners in Ipswich, Colchester and Chelmsford tell us the same three things.
You’re struggling for time. You’re juggling clients, day-to-day operations and trying to stimulate growth. Cybersecurity feels like a job for “later.” What’s the hurry if the problem isn’t there? But what if “later” is the day your systems go down? That’s why we make it easy to set up your cyber defences and IT support in one afternoon, so you don’t have to worry about time or disruption.
You’re worried about the budget. Every penny counts, we get it. But you know that prevention costs far less than recovery. A single data breach could cost thousands in lost revenue and GDPR fines.
You don’t know what to do or whom to talk to. That’s why we’re here. We’ll guide you through the essentials of strong passwords, MFA, backups, and user access controls. We promise that there will be no tech-speak, just clear steps that protect your business today and scale as you grow.
Cybersecurity shouldn’t be scary or expensive.
It should be simple, affordable, and local.
That’s what we deliver for businesses in Suffolk and Essex.
