{“lastseen”:”2026-05-18T16:28:42″,”description”:”AI is rapidly reshaping how work gets done in companies and organizations. In celebrating National Small Business Month, we want to acknowledge the unique challenges that growing business leaders face as AI creates both opportunity and risk. They face constant tradeoffs between moving fast, managing risk, and keeping operations stable under pressure. At the same time, cybercriminals are moving faster, their attacks are becoming more targeted, and AI is helping increase efficacy of the threats. In fact, AI-automated phishing is 4.5 times more effective than traditional cyberattacks. It takes only one convincing phishing email, and one stray click to enable a breach.1\\n\\nThe key question is: How can we maximize the benefits of AI while staying protected in a rapidly evolving threat landscape?\\n\\nRead the datasheet: \u201cAI is here. How will you keep your business secure?\u201d\\n\\n## Cybersecurity\u2014from IT issue to business risk\\n\\nToday\u2019s cybersecurity landscape is defined by speed, scale, and automation\u2014trends that disproportionately affect growing businesses. According to the 2025 Microsoft Digital Defense Report, Microsoft now processes **more than 100 trillion security signals every day** and blocks **4.5 million new malware files daily** , underscoring just how industrialized cybercrime has become. Increasingly, cyberattackers are using AI to automate phishing, generate highly convincing scams, and rapidly adapt malware, making cyberattacks more frequent and harder to detect. \\n\\nFor businesses that often lack dedicated security teams or round-the-clock monitoring, this shift has real business consequences: disrupted operations, financial loss from ransomware or fraud, and lasting damage to customer trust. The report also notes that most modern cyberattacks now target identities, like user accounts and access\u2014a challenge for organizations relying on cloud services and remote work without strong protections in place for accounts and access. As AI continues to amplify both the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks, cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue for businesses\u2014it\u2019s a core business risk that can directly affect resilience and growth.\\n\\nSource: Cyber Signals Issue 9.2\\n\\n## Building a foundation of trust\\n\\nIn this new reality, security becomes the foundation of trust\u2014helping growing businesses protect their operations, preserve customer trust, and move forward with confidence. For business owners, cybersecurity isn\u2019t just about stopping cyberattacks; it\u2019s about keeping the business running day to day. When systems go down, orders can\u2019t be processed, employees can\u2019t do their work, and customers are left waiting or wondering whether their data is safe. Even short disruptions can have outsized consequences for growing businesses, from lost revenue and stalled growth to reputational damage that\u2019s hard to repair. By making security a core part of how the business operates\u2014not an afterthought\u2014even the smallest businesses put themselves in a stronger position to withstand disruptions, maintain credibility with customers, and create a stable foundation for long-term growth.\\n\\nSource: The Devastating Impact of Ransomware Attacks on Small Businesses.3\\n\\nCybersecurity for small and medium businesses\\n\\n## Simple, built\u2011in security for your growing business\\n\\nEffective security must be simple, approachable, and fit the realities of running a business with limited time and resources. Many growing businesses don\u2019t have dedicated security teams or the time and resources to manage complex tools, yet they still need protection that keeps pace with modern threats. Microsoft Security is built with this in mind, offering integrated, easy\u2011to\u2011manage protections that help safeguard devices, identities, email, and cloud apps without adding unnecessary complexity. Microsoft 365 Business Premium combines productivity and built-in security in one streamlined solution, with centralized visibility and automation that reduces manual effort. It helps protect your users, devices, and data across your business, so you can stay focused on customers and day-to-day operations. By providing security that works quietly in the background\u2014and scales as the business grows\u2014Microsoft helps businesses of all sizes protect what matters most without slowing them down.\\n\\n\\u003e _Allowing people to operate devices and applications without conditional access increases risks. Getting that done was a huge success for us._ \\”\\n\\u003e \\n\\u003e \u2014Theo Mouchteros, Head of IT Operations, Acumen\\n\\nRead the Acumen case study\\n\\n## Take the next step\\n\\nTo discover the right security plan for growing business, read our small and medium business plans and pricing options or contact Microsoft Sales for more support.\\n\\nTo learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.\\n\\n* * *\\n\\n1Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025.\\n\\n2Cyber Signals Issue 9.\\n\\n3The Devastating Impact of Ransomware Attacks on Small Businesses.\\n\\nThe post How to better protect your growing business in an AI-powered world appeared first on Microsoft Security Blog.”,”published”:”2026-05-18T16:00:00″,”modified”:”2026-05-18T16:00:00″,”type”:”mssecure”,”title”:”How to better protect your growing business in an AI-powered world”,”source”:””,”references”:””,”id”:”MSSECURE:E5598FF641557BA6C7DA58B40E66D892″,”bulletinFamily”:”blog”,”cwe”:null,”cvelist”:[],”sourceData”:””,”sourceHref”:””,”cvss”:{“score”:0,”severity”:”NONE”,”vector”:”NONE”,”version”:”NONE”},”cvss2″:{},”cvss3″:{“version”:””,”vectorString”:””,”baseScore”:0,”baseSeverity”:””,”attackVector”:””,”attackComplexity”:””,”privilegesRequired”:””,”userInteraction”:””,”scope”:””,”confidentialityImpact”:””,”integrityImpact”:””,”availabilityImpact”:””,”cvssV3″:{“version”:””,”vectorString”:””,”baseScore”:0,”baseSeverity”:””,”attackVector”:””,”attackComplexity”:””,”privilegesRequired”:””,”userInteraction”:””,”scope”:””,”confidentialityImpact”:””,”integrityImpact”:””,”availabilityImpact”:””}},”href”:”https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/2026\/05\/18\/how-to-better-protect-your-growing-business-in-an-ai-powered-world\/”,”category_name”:”News”,”post_link”:””,”product”:””,”version”:””,”vendor”:””,”ai_description”:””,”ai_severity”:””,”ai_vendor”:””,”ai_product”:””,”ai_version”:””,”ai_score”:0}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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