OxLEP Chief Executive offers SMEs advice following worldwide cyber attack

The recent worldwide cyber security attack though – in the main – targeting large national and international organisations, should act as a timely reminder to thousands of small businesses in Oxfordshire. Our county is home to around 31,000 VAT-registered businesses, many of whom will have the ability to put much-resource behind cyber threats – but for smaller business, where resources are often tight, it would be easy to overlook online security issues. Our message to Oxfordshire SMEs is the online attacks should act as a stark reminder that cyber security must remain a top priority and should not be ignored – and there is plenty of support available to businesses. The Oxford Cyber Cluster  is an informal group of small companies who actively work in cyber security, promoting the need for increased resilience in this area, offering practical advice. In addition – businesses should review their current cyber security procedures against the up-to-date advice given by the National Cyber Security Centre. Advice includes; keeping security software patches current, using proper antivirus software services and backing up any data that matters to a business. Our vision is to see Oxfordshire as a vibrant, sustainable, inclusive, world-leading economy – driven by innovation, enterprise and research excellence. With that vision comes inevitable growth and the need to invest in new technologies which naturally, opens-up everyone – but particularly SMEs – to online risk. And with 85,600 new jobs set to be generated in Oxfordshire by 2031 – over half of which have already been created, many by SMEs – that risk is certainly not going to go away. Oxfordshire Business Support – a service of OxLEP – offers guidance and advice for businesses starting out, or growing. Find out more information.