A Holiday reminder to small businesses

A Holiday Tale of foreboding

Last December,
the small business owner knew,
it was time to take a break, long-overdue.
The office was quiet.
The orders quite steady.
The cyber-criminals were cool and stood by the ready!

Then, two days after Christmas, the phone rang.

A locked system. Frozen files. A ransom note sitting where invoices used to be.

What started as “we’ll deal with IT after the holidays” turned into weeks of downtime, lost revenue, and uncomfortable conversations with customers.

That’s the reality many small and mid-sized businesses face — especially during the holidays, when teams are distracted, schedules are light, and cybercriminals know defenses are often down.

According to the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, over 74% of breaches involve small businesses, making them a top target — not a safe one.

Small Risks Add Up — Until Something Breaks

Most businesses don’t fail from one massive security flaw. Instead, smaller issues quietly stack up in the background:

• Outdated systems that haven’t been patched

• Employees using weak or reused passwords

• Missed backups or untested recovery plans

• Unsecured cloud tools added “temporarily”

Individually, they seem manageable. Together, they create the perfect environment for cyberattacks.

According to Gartner, 99% of cloud security failures will be caused by avoidable user or configuration errors by 2025. These everyday oversights are exactly what attackers hope to find.

A proactive MSP near me — like Nerdwork Services — helps your team find these weak spots early and fix them before they become business-wide emergencies.

Modern Threats Move Fast — Faster Than Most Teams Can React

Cybercriminals now use automation and AI to scan for vulnerabilities 24/7. Once they find one, they strike quickly.

Ransomware gangs often gain entry weeks before the attack triggers, silently collecting data and accessing systems. By the time anyone notices, the damage is done.

Small IT teams or “someone who handles IT when needed” simply can’t keep up with today’s threat speed. This gap leads to:

• Longer downtime

• Higher recovery costs

• Lost customer trust

• Permanent data loss

With 24/7 monitoring, strong cybersecurity layers, automated alerts, and strategic small business technology planning, a managed IT services partner keeps your company protected even when your team is off the clock.

Ignoring Risk Costs More Than Fixing It Early

Many business leaders assume that tightening security or upgrading IT will be too expensive. But the real cost comes from downtime and cleanup.

IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report found that the average small business breach costs over $3 million when factoring downtime, recovery, fines, and lost business opportunities.

Proactive IT support and cloud solutions don’t just save money — they protect your brand, operations, and the people who rely on your business every day.

An expert MSP can create a roadmap that aligns with your budget, reduces risk, and keeps productivity high.

The Holiday Takeaway

The biggest IT threats aren’t loud. They’re the quiet ones we plan to “handle later.”

The holidays are a reminder: peace of mind comes from preparation, not luck.

Partnering with Nerdworks Services, LLC gives your business year-round protection, reliable support, and a technology strategy built for long-term success.

Don’t wait for a post-holiday crisis.
If you’re ready to find and fix the risks you can’t see, contact Nerdworks Services for a consultation.

Sources

• Verizon. 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report.

• Gartner. “By 2025, 99% of Cloud Security Failures Will Be the Customer’s Fault.”

• IBM. 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report.

To help you stay compliant, we have created the IT Compliance Checklist for CPAs. This is the comprehensive checklist you need to identify issues, fix them, and build compliance BEFORE your next audit.

If you have any questions or need further explanation, this checklist comes with a 30 minute consult to personalize this checklist to your firm.

STAYING COMPLIANT -IT Compliance Checklist for CPAs

Nerdworks Services, LLC specializes in helping accounting firms and other compliance-driven companies navigate remote work's complexities while maintaining compliance and supervision standards through collaborative consulting, infrastructure design, IT management, training, and ongoing support.

Nerdworks Services, LLC | 1901 Central Drive, Suite 401, Bedford, Texas 76021 | 682-324-9360 | website:https://nerdworks.services/ email:[email protected]