It’s Not My Problem: How Healthcare Models Relate to SME Cybersecurity Awareness

Abstract

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make up a significant part of European economies. Despite their economic importance, they are often described as poorly placed to deal with cyber risks because of resource constraints or commercial interests. Providing appropriate tooling would facilitate a greater appreciation of the risks and provide mitigation strategies. In a series of workshops demonstrating visualization tools for cybersecurity, constructs from healthcare models such as awareness, self-efficacy, and a willingness to engage were investigated to throw light on the likelihood that the technologies would be adopted. Although most constructs were validated, it turns out that self-efficacy could more appropriately be interpreted as a desire to understand a broader company narrative rather than empowering any individual to identify and manage cyber risk. As part of an ongoing examination of technology acceptance, this work provides further evidence that technology must be contextualised to make sense for the individual as part of the SME rather than as individual employee.