Cybersecurity-A-Business-Imperative-for-Canada
                     Cybersecurity: A Business 
Imperative for Canada
"Cybersecurity isn't a technology problem. It's a business 
continuity problem, and every Canadian business owner needs 
to treat it like one."
— Muppala Chandra Sekhar Reddy, Sr. Manager 
Cybersecurity, Infosprint Technologies
73% of Canadian SMBs have experienced a cybersecurity 
incident, often without expecting to be targets. At Infosprint 
Technologies, we guide Canadian organizations through these 
challenges, helping them build a defensible cybersecurity posture.
Canada's Unique Cybersecurity Exposure
Global cybersecurity advice often misses Canada's unique regulatory expectations, economic ties, and specific threats. The 
National Cyber Threat Assessment (2025–2026) highlights key risks:
Ransomware-as-a-service State-sponsored espionage AI-enabled attacks
Targeting small and mid-sized Targeting Canadian intellectual Social engineering and phishing.
organizations. property.
The financial stakes are high, with the average cost of a data breach in Canada reaching CA$6.98 million in 2025. Legal 
obligations like PIPEDA and provincial frameworks require breach disclosures, a detail often missed by US-focused guides. 
Canadian SMBs are also attractive "side-door" entry points into larger US supply chains.
Recent studies show over 70% of Canadian SMBs experienced a cyberattack in 2024, and two-thirds of ransomware 
victims paid the ransom. While the government invests $900 million, individual businesses remain responsible for their 
defenses.
Security: More Than a Checklist, It's a Posture
Traditional cybersecurity advice often focuses on checklists: install antivirus, enable MFA, train employees. While important, this approach 
offers compliance, not resilience.
Today's threat landscape, with automated ransomware scans, demands more. Companies that recover fastest from attacks prioritize:
• A clear security philosophy
• Consistent practices
• Tested recovery procedures
• Leadership alignment around risk
Cybersecurity is an operational discipline that protects revenue, trust, and growth. Organizations treating it as a business discipline are 
better positioned to manage risk and scale securely.
"Security isn’t about adopting every framework. It’s about understanding your exposure and building protections that fit how 
your business actually operates."
— Muppala Chandra Sekhar Reddy, Sr. Manager Cybersecurity
7-Step Framework for Canadian Cybersecurity Posture
This framework is designed for organizations with 5-250 employees, focusing on practical, actionable steps. It's not about enterprise-level 
complexity, but about building foundational security. Each step builds on the last, so you don't need to do everything at once, but you must 
start somewhere.
Assess Risk
Protect Endpoints 
& Email
Know What to 
Protect
Secure Identity
This guide will walk you through each step, helping you understand how to build robust security that fits the realities of a growing Canadian business.
STEP 1: Know What You’re 
Protecting (Asset & Data 
Inventory)
The most common cyberattack entry point is often a forgotten cloud tool with 
access to sensitive data. You cannot protect what you haven't mapped. Every 
Canadian business needs to answer three critical questions:
• Where does your customer and employee data live?
• Which systems and tools are accessible from the public internet?
• Which third-party applications and vendors have access to sensitive 
information?
This is a business exercise requiring involvement from every team that touches 
data. Map devices, software, SaaS tools, data types/locations, third-party access, 
and internet-facing systems. Under PIPEDA, you must identify breached personal 
information and assess "real risk of significant harm," which is impossible 
without a clear inventory.
STEP 2: Assess Your Risk, Not Your Fear
Risk assessment isn't a complex report; it's about honestly answering: "What 
is most likely to happen to us?" and "What would hurt us most if it did?" Many 
small businesses try to protect everything, ending up protecting nothing well. 
Focus on what matters most. Simple Risk Matrix:
Top Threats for Canadian SMBs (2025):
Use a two-axis system (likelihood 
Phishing via business mail: 61% of Canadian SMBs receive phishing and impact: low, medium, high) 
attempts. to prioritize risks. Address high-
Weak or Stolen Credentials: Reused passwords are a major vulnerability. likelihood, high-impact risks first.
Unpatched Software: Exploitable flaws in outdated systems.
Third-Party and Supply Chain Risk: Your security is tied to your partners'.
Ransomware: Canada has the 4th-highest rate globally; preparation is key.
STEP 3: Lock Down Identity (The New Security 
Perimeter)
The traditional network perimeter is gone. Cloud platforms, remote work, and 
SaaS tools mean your 'perimeter' is now every user identity. Most Canadian 
SMBs leave this wide open.
Key Identity Security Measures:
Password Manager: Implement a business-grade tool for strong, unique 
MFA Everywhere: Protect email first, then all other passwords.
critical accounts. Principle of Least Privilege: Grant access only to what's strictly necessary.
Quarterly Access Reviews: Audit and remove access immediately when 
employees leave.
Single Sign-On (SSO): Centralize authentication for multiple cloud apps.
"In Canada, 15–20% of user credentials are at risk of compromise due to 
reuse, weak passwords, or prolonged access. The greater risk arises when 
those accounts lack MFA and appropriate access controls."
— Muppala Chandra Sekhar Reddy, Sr. Manager Cybersecurity
STEP 4: Protect Your Endpoints & Email
Email remains the most common attack vector, relying on human behavior. Endpoints (laptops, phones, smart devices) are potential doors 
to your network, each needing management.
Email Security
Anti-phishing & filtering: Configure built-in features, consider dedicated tools.
DMARC, DKIM, SPF: Prevent domain spoofing.
BEC protection: Flag impersonations, set up payment approval workflows.
Endpoint Protection
EDR: Real-time monitoring and isolation of infected devices.
Device encryption: Enable full-disk encryption on all company devices.
MDM: Enforce policies, remote wipe lost devices.
Patching: Apply critical patches within 24–72 hours.
Human Layer
Effective security awareness training involves regular, short, scenario-based sessions and simulated 
phishing tests. Immediate, contextual feedback drives behavior change more effectively than annual 
compliance training.
STEP 5: Build Your Backup & Recovery 
Foundation
Ransomware is the dominant cyberthreat. It encrypts files, demands payment, and halts business. In 2024, two-
thirds of Canadian SMBs paid ransoms due to lack of alternatives.
Your backup strategy IS your ransomware strategy. Clean, tested, immutable backups make ransomware a 
survivable incident. Without them, you pay or rebuild from scratch.
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule:
3 copies of your data
2 copies on different media types
1 copy stored offsite or air-gapped
The key is 'immutable' backups. Modern ransomware targets connected backup drives. Immutable backups cannot 
be changed or removed, making them essential for ransomware defense.
STEP 6 & 7: Compliance & Incident Response
STEP 6: Know Your Compliance Obligations (PIPEDA STEP 7: Build Your Incident Response Plan Before You 
and Beyond) Need It
PIPEDA regulates personal data handling. Organizations must An improvised incident response is costly and chaotic. A specific, 
notify Canada's OPC and affected individuals of breaches posing tested, and known plan is crucial. It doesn't need to be complex, 
"serious harm." Maintain records of ALL breaches for 24 months. but it must cover:
Roles & Escalation: Who is notified, makes decisions, 
Compliance is a commercial gating issue. Enterprise customers require:communicates.
Containment: Isolate systems without destroying forensic 
SOC 2 Type II reports: Independent audit of security controls.
evidence.
Vendor security questionnaires: Detailed inquiries into 
PIPEDA Assessment: Decision tree for mandatory notifications.
practices.
Communication Protocols: Who speaks to customers, media, 
Data Processing Agreements (DPAs): Contracts for handling 
staff.
customer data.
Failing to answer basic security questions can cost deals. Insurance Notification: Notify providers early.Test your plan annually with tabletop exercises to identify gaps 
Documentation: Record all actions, decisions, and 
before an attack.
communications.
Cybersecurity is an ongoing decision, not a delay. Start with the highest-impact step you can execute now. Infosprint Technologies offers a 
free cybersecurity assessment for Canadian businesses.