When Should a Small Business Pay for Managed IT Support and Cyber‑Security?

A plain‑spoken guide for owners who think “it won’t happen to me” – but it does.

The myth of “too small to be a target”

Even a one‑person shop that works out of a kitchen table, a home‑based freelancer, or a boutique that makes $5 K a year is a digital business. You probably:

• send invoices through an online accounting service,

• accept credit‑card payments on a tablet or a simple POS,

• store customer emails and phone numbers in the cloud, and

• log into your bank from the same Wi‑Fi you use for Netflix.

Every time you click a link, open an attachment, or type a password you create a doorway that a cyber‑criminal can walk through.

Recent industry surveys are stark: 81 % of U.S. small businesses reported a data or security breach in the past year, and 73 % said they had experienced a cyber‑attack. The size of the company didn’t protect it—what mattered was the amount of data being handled and the lack of basic protections.

What changes as revenue and headcount grow?

Revenue / Staff	What you typically start doing	Why the risk jumps
$0 – $10 K / 1‑2 people	A single laptop, a cloud‑based accounting app, a personal‑bank login.	One stolen password can empty the bank account in minutes.
$10 K – $100 K / 3‑9 people	Multiple SaaS tools (CRM, email marketing), a basic POS, occasional remote work.	More logins = more chances for a credential to be phished; a compromised device can spread to the whole office network.
$100 K – $1 M / 10+ people	Integrated e‑commerce, payroll processing, employee data, customer purchase histories.	A breach can halt sales, expose credit‑card data, and trigger costly compliance penalties.
> $1 M	Several locations, custom software, regulated data (PCI‑DSS, HIPAA, etc.).	The financial loss from a single incident can easily exceed a year’s IT budget, and legal exposure multiplies.

Bottom line: As soon as you handle any financial transaction, store personal information, or let more than one device connect to the internet for work, the potential loss from a cyber incident quickly outpaces the modest monthly cost of managed IT services.

The real price of “doing nothing”

• Direct theft – A hacker who gains your banking credentials can transfer the entire balance in a single night.

• Ransomware downtime – The average small business loses 2‑3 weeks of operation, which translates to missed sales, unpaid payroll, and angry customers.

• Compliance fines – If you store credit‑card or health data, a breach can trigger penalties ranging from a few thousand to six‑figure amounts.

• Reputation damage – Even a minor breach erodes trust; customers often switch to a competitor after hearing about a security lapse.

Compare those possible losses with a typical managed‑service package from TodoSecure: $150 – $500 per month (roughly $1,800 – $6,000 per year). In most cases the potential loss is ten times larger than the annual service fee.

Simple signs it’s time to call in an Managed Service Provider

• You’ve added a new employee or started allowing remote work.

• You accept online payments or use a point‑of‑sale system.

• You store any personal data—customer emails, employee records, health information.

• You’ve ever clicked a suspicious link, even if nothing happened.

• IT tasks are stealing time from your core business activities.

If any of those sound familiar, a partnership with TodoSecure can give you peace of mind without you needing to become a tech expert.

What TodoSecure does for you

• Proactive monitoring – We watch your network 24/7 and alert you before a threat becomes a breach.

• Automatic updates and patching – No more “I forgot to install the latest Windows update.”

• Secure VPN and firewall management – Safe connections for remote workers and home offices.

• Regular backups and quick recovery – Restore your data in hours, not days.

• Compliance assistance – Guidance on PCI‑DSS, HIPAA, or other regulations you may need.

• Simple, flat‑rate pricing – Predictable monthly cost, no surprise bills.

A quick decision formula

Annual cost of managed IT (≈ $2,000‑$6,000)
          <
Potential loss from a single breach (often $10,000‑$100,000+)

When the left side is far smaller than the right side, the investment is clearly justified—and it’s rarely a “nice‑to‑have” expense; it’s a risk‑management necessity.

Next steps for the busy owner

1. Book a free 30‑minute security audit – We’ll look at your current setup and point out the biggest gaps.

2. Receive a custom service proposal – Clear list of what we’ll do, how much it costs, and the service‑level guarantees.

3. Let us handle the tech – You get back to serving customers, making products, and growing revenue.

Bottom line

Whether you earn $5 K or $1 M, whether you work alone from a kitchen table or run a ten‑person office, the moment you rely on computers, the internet, or digital payments you become a target. The cost of a managed‑service partnership is tiny compared with the financial, legal, and reputational damage a breach can cause.

Don’t wait for an incident to force the decision. Let TodoSecure protect the technology that powers your business so you can focus on what you do best.

[Schedule your free security assessment today → www.todosecure.net/contact]