Why Small and Medium Businesses Need SIEM: Security Beyond Antivirus

TLDR: SMBs are prime targets for cyberattacks, but traditional SIEM solutions are priced and designed for enterprises. SNYFT brings enterprise-grade security monitoring to businesses of all sizes at SMB-friendly pricing, with 15-minute setup instead of 6-month projects.

The SMB Cyber

Security Gap

Here's an uncomfortable truth: small and medium businesses are under constant cyberattack, but most have no idea until it's too late.

By the Numbers

• 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses (Verizon DBIR)
• 60% go out of business within 6 months of a significant data breach
• Average cost of a data breach for SMBs: €3.6M (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
• Average time to detect a breach: over 250 days (Ponemon Institute)

But here's the paradox: while SMBs face enterprise-level threats, they typically have:

• No dedicated security team
• Limited IT budget
• No 24/7 monitoring
• Basic antivirus and firewall at best

What is SIEM, Really?

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is like having a security guard who watches all your digital doors and windows 24/7, connects the dots between suspicious activities, and alerts you to real threats.

Traditional cybersecurity tools (antivirus, firewall) are reactive—they block known threats. SIEM is proactive—it detects unusual behavior before it becomes a breach.

Think of it this way:

• Antivirus: Locks on your doors
• Firewall: Security fence around your property
• SIEM: 24/7 security camera system that alerts you to suspicious patterns

Why SMBs Traditionally Couldn't Afford SIEM

Enterprise SIEM solutions (Splunk, IBM QRadar, ArcSight) weren't built for SMBs:

Pricing Barrier

• Enterprise SIEM: €50,000-500,000+ annually
• Requires dedicated security team: €200,000+ annually
• Professional services for setup: €50,000-100,000
• Total first-year cost: €300,000-800,000+

For a 50-person company? That's insane.

Complexity Barrier

• 6-12 month deployment projects
• Requires specialized security analysts
• Endless manual rule tuning
• High maintenance overhead

The SMB Reality

Most SMBs end up with:

• Basic antivirus (€5-15 per user/month)
• Maybe Microsoft 365 security features
• Hope nothing bad happens
• No visibility into actual threats

The Modern Threat Landscape for SMBs

Attackers know SMBs are soft targets. Here's what we're seeing:

1. Ransomware Attacks

Cybercriminals specifically target SMBs because:

• They'll likely pay (can't afford downtime)
• They have weaker defenses
• They're less likely to have backups
• They rarely have incident response plans

Real example: Czech manufacturing company, 120 employees, hit with ransomware. 3 weeks of downtime, €280,000 in losses and ransom payment.

2. Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Attackers compromise a CEO or CFO email and send fraudulent payment requests. Without monitoring:

• No alert when CFO logs in from Romania at 3 AM
• No detection of unusual email forwarding rules
• No visibility into suspicious payment requests

Real example: Slovak logistics company lost €180,000 to fake vendor payment request.

3. Insider Threats

Not always malicious—often it's employees making mistakes:

• Sharing credentials
• Accidentally exposing data
• Falling for phishing
• Accessing data they shouldn't

Without SIEM, you have no idea:

• Who accessed what data
• When unusual behavior occurred
• Whether credentials were compromised

4. Supply Chain Attacks

Your security is only as strong as your weakest vendor. Modern businesses connect to:

• Cloud services (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, AWS)
• Third-party SaaS tools
• Partner systems
• Customer portals

One compromised integration = full breach

What SMBs Actually Need

Not enterprise SIEM. Something different:

✅ Easy Setup

• Days, not months
• No professional services required
• Automated configuration
• Clear, actionable dashboards

✅ Affordable Pricing

• Pay for what you use
• No huge upfront costs
• Scale with business growth
• Transparent, predictable pricing

✅ Pre-Built Detection

• Rules that work out of the box
• Based on real-world threat intelligence
• Automatically updated
• No manual tuning required

✅ Simple Alerts

• Plain English, not security jargon
• Clear severity ratings
• Actionable recommendations
• No alert fatigue

✅ Compliance Support

• GDPR compliance built-in
• NIS2 Directive support
• Audit-ready logging
• Automated reporting

How SNYFT Changes the Game

We built SNYFT specifically for SMBs. Here's how it's different:

Fast Setup: 15 Minutes, Not 6 Months

1. Connect your cloud services (Microsoft 365, Azure, AWS)
2. We automatically configure monitoring (no manual setup)
3. Start getting alerts within minutes

No professional services. No deployment project. Just connect and go.

SMB-Friendly Pricing

• Trial Plan: free/14 days - Business plan in trial period
• Business Plan: 9 999 Kč/month - Professional monitoring for SMBs
• Enterprise Plan: Custom - Full features for larger organizations

Compare that to enterprise SIEM at €50K+ annually.

Built for Non-Security Experts

You don't need a security team. Our interface is designed for:

• IT admins
• Business owners
• Office managers

Example alert:

🔴 Critical: Unusual login from new location

User: jan.novak@yourcompany.cz
Location: Russia (never seen before)
Time: 2:47 AM (outside business hours)

Recommended action: Verify with user and reset password if unauthorized

Not: "Event ID 4625 on DC01 correlation rule triggered threshold of 5 within 10-minute window on correlation search CS_001_FAILED_AUTH."

Pre-Built Detection Rules

We include 50+ detection rules out of the box:

• Ransomware behavior patterns
• Unusual login locations
• After-hours access
• Mass file downloads
• Privilege escalation
• Email forwarding rules
• Failed authentication patterns
• And more...

All automatically enabled. No configuration needed.

European Data Residency

• All data stays in EU (Frankfurt, AWS)
• GDPR compliant by design
• NIS2 Directive ready
• Czech interface and support

Real-World Use Cases

Scenario 1: Compromised Account

Without SIEM:

• Attacker gains access to employee email
• Steals customer data over 4 months
• Company learns about breach from customer complaint
• €200K GDPR fine + reputation damage

With SNYFT:

• Alert within 15 minutes: "Login from suspicious location"
• IT admin locks account immediately
• Breach prevented, zero customer impact
• Total cost: €0

Scenario 2: Ransomware Attack

Without SIEM:

• Employee opens malicious attachment
• Ransomware encrypts files for 8 hours before detection
• 3 weeks downtime
• €150K in losses and ransom

With SNYFT:

• Alert within minutes: "Mass file encryption detected"
• Infected workstation isolated
• Files restored from backup
• Downtime: 2 hours
• Total cost: €0

Scenario 3: NIS2 Compliance

Without SIEM:

• Complex manual log collection
• Expensive consultants
• Incomplete audit trail
• Risk of non-compliance fines

With SNYFT:

• Automated compliance monitoring
• Pre-built reports
• Complete audit trail
• NIS2-ready from day one

Common Objections (And Answers)

"We're too small to be targeted"

❌ False. 43% of cyberattacks target small businesses. Attackers specifically target SMBs because you're less protected.

"We already have antivirus"

❌ Insufficient. Antivirus catches known malware. SIEM catches:

• Compromised credentials
• Insider threats
• Business email compromise
• Unusual behavior patterns

"We can't afford it"

✅ You can't afford NOT to. Average SMB data breach costs €3.6M. SNYFT costs 9 999 Kč/month. That's 0.04% of the average breach cost.

"We don't have a security team"

✅ That's exactly why you need SNYFT. We designed it for businesses without security teams. Clear alerts, plain English, actionable recommendations.

"It's too complex to set up"

✅ 15 minutes to full deployment. No professional services. No manual configuration. Connect your Microsoft 365 or AWS, and you're done.

The Bottom Line

Cyber threats don't discriminate by company size. If you have:

• Customer data
• Financial records
• Employee information
• Email and cloud services
• A website

You're a target.

The question isn't "Will we be attacked?" It's "When will we be attacked, and will we detect it in time?"

Traditional enterprise SIEM isn't the answer for SMBs. But ignoring the problem isn't either.

SNYFT bridges the gap: enterprise-grade security monitoring, built specifically for small and medium businesses, at prices that make sense.

Next Steps

Want to see SNYFT in action?

We're currently in our design partnership phase, working with our first customers to perfect the platform before broader rollout in Q1 2026.

Apply for early access →

Have questions?

Schedule a 15-minute intro call → Let's discuss your specific security challenges and whether SNYFT is the right fit.

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About the Author:
Daniel Paučo is the founder of SNYFT, a cloud-native SIEM platform designed specifically for SMBs. Previously worked on enterprise security systems, frustrated by the lack of accessible solutions for smaller businesses. Based in Czech Republic, focused on making European businesses more secure.

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