From fear to resilience

Presentation overview

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sit at the heart of our digital economy, yet they remain among the most vulnerable to cyber threats. Despite their importance, SMEs often approach cyber security with limited resources, fragmented knowledge, and crucially, fear. This session explores how SMEs can move beyond fear to build genuine digital resilience.

Drawing on a decade of research across Europe and the UK, the talk will unpack the evolving cyber security landscape for SMEs, highlighting how perceptions of risk, governance structures, and environmental pressures shape strategic responses. It will trace the journey from understanding how fear influences decision-making to identifying the organisational and technological capabilities that enable resilience.

Key findings from large-scale empirical studies and machine-learning analysis will reveal the factors that drive cyber security investment, the barriers to digital transformation, and the role of boards, supply chains, and policymakers in shaping secure innovation. Attendees will gain an integrated perspective on cyber security as more than a technical issue; it is an organisational, strategic, and societal challenge. The session will conclude with practical insights for leaders and policymakers on how to foster a culture where cybersecurity becomes a source of trust, innovation, and sustainable growth for SMEs.

Biography

Marta F Arroyabe is Deputy Director of the Institute for Analytics and Data Science at the University of Essex and a Reader at Essex Business School. She is also a Senior Fellow of the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security (RISCS).

Her research examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) navigate cybersecurity within the broader context of digital transformation and strategic decision-making. She focuses on how businesses adopt new technologies, manage cyber risks, and build organisational resilience. Situated at the intersection of business organisation and sociotechnical cybersecurity, her work explores how firms integrate cybersecurity considerations into their innovation and transformation strategies — from decision-making processes to technology adoption and resilience-building.

Marta actively collaborates with businesses and policymakers to ensure that research insights translate into practical solutions. She advises on SME cybersecurity and digitalisation through her roles with the Bank of England & HM Treasury’s CBDC Academic Advisory Group and the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre’s Advisory Group.