Our goal is to improve the security resilience of Irish SMEs to protect their business, social and global interests and responsibilities.
Cybersecurity is a global challenge - affecting individuals, organisations, and societies in general. Small companies are even more vulnerable than larger organisations. Despite 95% of small and medium Irish businesses experiencing a cyber-attack in the past year, most Irish SMEs have inadequate resources to effectively address the risk. The societal impact of improving the Irish SME sector’s resilience to cyber risk will accrue not only to the SME sector but the wider Irish economy.
The importance of Digital Resilience for SMEs
The impact:
SMEs account for 99.8% of Irish enterprises and support 70% of all employment. The societal impact of improving the Irish SME sector’s resilience will reduce the negative outcomes associated with cyber incidents, such as data breaches, business disruption, financial loss and reputational damage. These outcomes will contribute to a stronger, more resilient economy and align with the strategic aims of the National Cyber Security Centre. Looking beyond the Irish context, reduction in systemic cybersecurity risk in Ireland will benefit the wider European Union and supports the EU’s Digital Resilience strategies. The World Economic Forum identifies “widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity” as one of the Top 10 Global Risks over both the next 2-Year and 10-Year outlook, indicating that cybersecurity risk management is projected to remain a key global concern in both the medium to longer term.Ireland’s national interests will be served through the development of effective, research-informed, cyber tools empowering Irish SMEs to address cybersecurity risk within their own businesses, thereby enhancing the digital resilience of the Irish and wider European economies
Want to work with us?
We are interested in partnering with Local enterprise offices, small and medium size businesses, cybersecurity companies and consultants and government agencies among others.
The project team:
A National Challenge Fund: Cyber Shock project, funded by : 
Contact us on cyber-resilience@cyberskills.ie to get involved.
