Why this program?

• Over 85% of small businesses do not have a cybersecurity plan in place, due to lack of funding, skills, and awareness of potential risks.
• In Belgium, 42 % of small businesses fall victim to cyberattacks each year. The average downtime for these businesses is 3 weeks, and nearly half of businesses (48%) report productivity, revenue, and data losses as a result.
• Cybersecurity is not yet seen as a priority for many small businesses. Only 18% of Belgian businesses review their cybersecurity measures annually, while 19% never do.
• Prevention is the best defense: Businesses need to be aware of their cyber risks and manage vulnerabilities locally, within their teams and across their supply chains, before they can be exploited by hackers.
• Around 50% of Belgian businesses lack an active cybersecurity strategy and do not have a clear overview of their weaknesses, indicating a gap in preparedness among small businesses. The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium emphasizes the critical need to raise awareness among small businesses to enable them to bolster their defenses against cyber threats.

Program overview

Cybersecurity is as crucial for small businesses as it is for larger ones. But many small businesses do not yet see it as an urgent priority, especially given their limited time and budgets. Small businesses need to manage significant cyber risks in a way that is simple and straightforward for their small teams, while clearly identifying vulnerabilities across people, technology, and processes. Lupasafe supports them by making cybersecurity effortless, affordable, and feasible with the Lupasafe Cyber Monitor.

The Lupasafe Cyber Monitor leverages AI to equip small businesses with risk insights and a tailored dashboard that enable them to understand, identify, and assess their long-term cyber risks 24/7, 365 days a year. It allows them to scan endpoints, websites, emails, and more. In addition to risks such as invoice fraud, outdated software, and insecure cloud storage, small businesses also face the challenge of employees who are unprepared for phishing and handling sensitive data. Many lack a clear understanding of their vulnerabilities and need tailored, ongoing cybersecurity guidance. Since most cyberattacks begin with phishing, it is crucial to upskill teams to recognize and handle these threats. Awareness, education, and training ensure that all staff can contribute to keeping the business secure.

With the support of Mastercard Strive, Lupasafe will integrate cyber awareness training content for small business employees into its Cyber Monitor platform, equipping small businesses with the skills and resources they need to address their vulnerabilities and digitize safely.

Through its partnership with the UNIZO association in Belgium, Lupasafe will reach and provide small businesses with direct access to the platform, enabling them to receive immediate feedback on mitigating cyber risks. It will further support small businesses to develop compliance with the EU’s NIS2 regulatory framework. As this framework extends to smaller supply chains, businesses that are aware, informed, and in control of their cybersecurity will be better positioned to manage risks and compliance.

About Lupasafe

Lupasafe enables all businesses to be secure, audited, and compliant with regulations.

Lupasafe is the trusted platform that safeguards small and medium businesses, from auditors to beekeepers. It prevents cyberattacks across people, processes, and technology. The platform provides a unified view with actionable insights, protecting the reputation and continuity of small and medium-size enterprises with a single tool for risk management. Drawing on financial services and banking security expertise, Lupasafe scales security and compliance for modern businesses in a decentralized, global environment.

About UNIZO

Established more than 100 years ago, UNIZO (Organisation for the Self-Employed and SMEs) is the largest Flemish organization for self-employed entrepreneurs. UNIZO has over 82,000 members including craftsmen, service providers, liberal professions, companies in the commerce and distribution (retail) sectors as well as 423 local branches (one in every municipality, managed by volunteers). Most of them are located in the northern and Dutch-speaking part of Belgium (region of Flanders and Brussels).