Protecting Your Business in a Digital World
In this blog series, we look at the true cost of a Ransomware attack on an SMB, it’s not just the ransom demand and all the factors can add up often resulting in crippling the business – SMB’s don’t have the unlimited resources of an Enterprise company. Find our what your risks are and how you can mitigate them in a cost-efficient way: Cybersecurity that pays off!
In many small to mid-sized businesses, “IT” often boils down to one person—or sometimes even a part-time responsibility tacked onto someone’s main job. This “one-person IT department” model may seem efficient or cost-effective at first glance, but over time, it carries real risks—both for business continuity and the person doing the work. Whether you’re that one IT person or the business leader they report to, it’s time to ask: Are we expecting too much from too few hands?
🎩 The Many Hats of Solo IT
In a given day, a one-person IT team might be asked to:
- Troubleshoot email and network issues
- Set up new devices and user accounts
- Manage backups and patching
- Handle helpdesk tickets
- Monitor cybersecurity alerts
- Respond to suspicious activity
- Train users
- Support remote work infrastructure
- Ensure compliance
And that’s just a typical day. When an incident happens—say, a ransomware alert or a server failure—everything else stops.
⚠️ The Hidden Risks
1. Burnout and Turnover
One-person teams carry the weight of an entire organization’s IT needs. Over time, the pressure can lead to mistakes, burnout, or even departure—and without documentation or redundancy, that creates a huge vulnerability.
2. Security Gaps
Staying on top of ever-evolving threats takes time and focus. When your only IT resource is spread thin, proactive cybersecurity often falls to the bottom of the to-do list.
3. Slow Incident Response
Cyber threats don’t clock out at 5pm. If your only IT person is on vacation or unreachable, your business could face hours—or days—of costly downtime.
4. Lack of Oversight or Backup
A single point of failure in IT means that one person holds all the keys—literally and figuratively. That’s a risky place to be, especially for regulated industries.
👩💻 What You Can Do About It
✅ Augment, Don’t Replace
You don’t need to replace your IT person—support them. Managed cybersecurity services like SidechainProtect work alongside your internal team to cover critical areas they can’t realistically handle alone:
- 24/7 monitoring and response
- Employee security training
- Ransomware protection
- Data backups and recovery
- Compliance reporting
It’s like giving your solo IT hero a full team of experts, without the headcount.
✅ Automate the Repetitive Stuff
Free up time by automating patch management, backups, and phishing simulations. That allows your IT resource to focus on higher-value tasks instead of firefighting.
✅ Create a Response Plan
If your IT person is unavailable during an incident, who steps in? Establish clear roles and an escalation process that includes outside support if needed.
✅ Involve Leadership
Business owners and executives should view IT and cybersecurity as strategic priorities—not just technical tasks. Regular check-ins, risk assessments, and budget discussions should include the voice of IT.
🔁 A Shared Responsibility
Technology is central to modern business, which means protecting and supporting it is everyone’s responsibility—not just one person’s job.
Whether you’re the overwhelmed IT lead or the business owner trying to stretch resources, know this: you don’t have to do it all alone.
With the right support, your IT manager can thrive—and your business can stay secure, compliant, and future-ready.
Want to lighten the load and strengthen your defenses? Let’s talk.
👉 Need help – We’re here to help you turn knowledge into action.
