A Ballarat accountant called me last month in a panic. Client files encrypted. Systems locked. A ransom demand on screen. His business nearly ended that day.

He’s not alone. Regional businesses are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals who know smaller companies often have weaker defences. It’s time for an honest conversation about what Ballarat businesses actually need to do.

The Threat Is Real

Let’s dispense with the fiction that small regional businesses aren’t targets. They are, precisely because attackers expect them to be unprepared.

Recent incidents I’m aware of in the Ballarat region include:

• Ransomware attacks on professional services firms
• Business email compromise leading to fraudulent payments
• Customer data theft from retail businesses
• Supply chain attacks through trusted software

These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re happening to businesses you might know.

What Attackers Want

Understanding motivations helps prioritise defences.

Financial theft: Direct access to banking, fraudulent invoices, redirected payments. This is the most common objective.

Ransomware: Encrypting your data and demanding payment for the decryption key. Increasingly common, increasingly devastating.

Customer data: Personal information that can be sold or used for identity theft. Valuable if you hold sensitive records.

Business disruption: Sometimes attacks are competitive or retaliatory. Rare for small businesses but not unknown.

Most attacks are opportunistic. Criminals scan for vulnerabilities and exploit whatever they find. Making yourself harder than the next target is often sufficient protection.

The Basics That Actually Matter

Forget the complex frameworks. Here’s what genuinely protects small businesses:

1. Multi-Factor Authentication

Enable MFA on everything—email, cloud services, banking, accounting software. If a service offers it, turn it on.

This single change blocks most credential-based attacks. Stolen passwords become worthless without the second factor.

Cost: Usually free, built into services you already use.

2. Email Security

Most attacks start with email. Phishing, malicious attachments, business email compromise—email is the entry point.

• Use email providers with strong spam and malware filtering (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace)
• Train staff to recognise suspicious emails
• Verify any unexpected payment or process changes through separate channels

Cost: Business email plans cost $10-25 per user monthly and include security features.

3. Backup Everything

If ransomware encrypts your files, can you restore from backup? If the answer isn’t a confident yes, fix this immediately.

Effective backups are:

• Automatic (not dependent on humans remembering)
• Off-site (not connected to systems that could be compromised)
• Tested (you’ve verified you can actually restore)

Cloud backup services like Backblaze, Acronis, or Veeam provide automated off-site backup for reasonable costs.

Cost: $5-15 per computer monthly for basic cloud backup.

4. Software Updates

Outdated software has known vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Keeping everything updated closes those holes.

• Enable automatic updates for operating systems
• Update business software promptly when new versions release
• Replace software that’s no longer supported

Cost: Time, mostly. But critical time.

5. Access Control

Does the receptionist need admin access to the accounting system? Does the warehouse worker need access to customer financial records?

Limit access to what people actually need. When someone leaves, remove their access immediately.

Cost: Time to configure properly, but no direct cost.

When to Get Professional Help

The basics above protect against most common attacks. But some situations warrant professional cybersecurity assistance:

• You handle significant sensitive data (medical records, financial information, personal details)
• You’ve experienced a breach or incident
• Compliance requirements apply to your industry
• You’re integrating new systems with security implications

For businesses needing AI or technology guidance that includes security considerations, the team at Team400 can provide practical advice appropriate for small business budgets and risk profiles.

Responding to Incidents

If you experience a cybersecurity incident:

Don’t panic. Quick, calm action limits damage.

Isolate affected systems. Disconnect compromised computers from the network to prevent spread.

Don’t pay ransomware immediately. Contact professionals first. Sometimes files can be recovered without payment. Sometimes backups make payment unnecessary.

Report to authorities. The Australian Cyber Security Centre tracks incidents and can sometimes assist. Police reports may be required for insurance.

Notify affected parties. If customer data is compromised, legal obligations may require notification. Get legal advice quickly.

Learn and improve. After the crisis, analyse what happened and strengthen defences.

Insurance

Cyber insurance is increasingly available and worth considering. Policies typically cover:

• Incident response costs
• Business interruption losses
• Legal and notification expenses
• Sometimes ransom payments (controversial, but available)

Premiums vary significantly based on business type, size, and existing security measures. Shop around and ensure you understand what’s covered.

Several insurers now require baseline security measures before providing coverage. Consider this additional motivation to implement the basics.

The Culture Question

Technical measures matter, but culture determines whether they work.

If staff fear punishment for clicking on phishing emails, they’ll hide incidents rather than reporting quickly. If security feels like an imposition rather than protection, compliance will be grudging.

Build a culture where:

• Security awareness is ongoing, not a one-time training
• Reporting potential incidents is encouraged
• Mistakes are learning opportunities, not career-enders
• Security is everyone’s responsibility, not just IT’s

Start Today

Don’t be overwhelmed by everything you could do. Start with high-impact basics:

1. Enable MFA on your email and key systems this week
2. Verify you have working, tested backups
3. Check that software updates are current
4. Review who has access to what

Each improvement reduces risk. Perfect security is impossible, but meaningful protection is achievable.

The Ballarat accountant I mentioned recovered—he had backups, though it took two days to restore fully. He now has MFA enabled everywhere and tells his story freely to help others avoid the same experience.

Learn from his near-disaster before you have your own.