How quickly should a business respond to a cyber incident?

The first hour after detection is considered the golden hour that determines outcome severity. Organisations that detect breaches internally save an average of $900,000 in costs. Only 22% of UK businesses have a formal cybersecurity incident management plan in place.

What is multi-factor authentication and why do we need it?

MFA requires two or more verification methods to access an account. Microsoft reports that over 99.9% of compromised accounts did not have MFA enabled. Only 40% of UK businesses have two-factor authentication enabled (DSIT 2025). MFA can prevent more than 99.9% of account compromise attempts.

Do small businesses really need cybersecurity?

Yes. 50% of small businesses (10-49 employees) reported a cybersecurity breach in 2025. UK small businesses face around 65,000 hack attempts daily, with approximately 4,500 successful breaches. More than a quarter of SMBs say a single cyber attack could put them out of business entirely.

How do supply chain attacks affect UK businesses?

Only 14% of UK businesses formally review cyber risks from their immediate suppliers. 35.5% of all global data breaches in 2024 originated from third-party compromises. Supply chain attacks add an average of £241,620 to the total cost of a breach and take 267 days to detect and contain.

Comparison

On-Premise vs Cloud Cybersecurity: Which Is Best for UK SMEs?

A practical comparison for UK businesses — covering features, costs, and which option suits different requirements.

Key Facts

£8,260average breach cost for businesses with negative outcomes

£27bnestimated annual cost of cybercrime to the UK economy

65,000hack attempts on UK small businesses every day

£3,550average cost of the most disruptive breach for UK businesses

Last updated: March 2026

On-Premise vs Cloud Cybersecurity

Feature	On-Premise	Cloud Cybersecurity
Best For	Depends on requirements	Depends on requirements
UK Availability	Widely available	Widely available
Typical Cost	Varies	Varies
Complexity	Varies	Varies

When to Choose Each Option

Guidance based on your business requirements.

Choose On-Premise When

Your business has specific requirements that favour this approach. Budget and resources align with this solution. Your existing infrastructure supports it

Choose Cloud Cybersecurity When

Your business needs a different approach. You have different budget considerations. Your team has relevant experience

Cost Considerations

Both On-Premise and Cloud Cybersecurity have different cost profiles. The right choice depends on your business size, existing infrastructure, and specific requirements. AMVIA can help you evaluate which option delivers the best value for your situation.

The AMVIA Recommendation

For UK SMEs migrating to or already using cloud services, cloud-native security is the right choice. It eliminates hardware refresh cycles, provides automatic threat intelligence updates, and integrates directly with Microsoft 365. AMVIA deploys cloud-native security stacks — MDR, email security, and identity protection — that work with your existing Microsoft environment, not against it.

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