Cyber attacks do not only target large companies. Small and medium businesses are attractive targets because they hold valuable data and often have fewer defenses. Zippie IT, a veteran-owned company in Meridian, Idaho, provides cybersecurity services that protect your systems, accounts and data. We also help you recover quickly if something goes wrong.
Why small businesses are targeted
According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, ransomware appeared in 44% of all breaches, and in 88% of breaches at small and medium businesses, compared with 39% at larger organizations. IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report found it took an average of 241 days to identify and contain a breach. That is a long time for an attacker to sit inside your systems.
Most small businesses do not have a full-time security team, so that is the gap we fill.
Protection that covers the whole business
Our 360° protection is part of our managed IT services. In practice, it brings together:
- Spyware Protection
- Spambot Shield
- Database Security
- Transaction Security
- Client Protection
- A.I. Threat Learning
- Network Scanning
- CPU Threats Safety
- Fast Cloud Backup and Scheduled Backups
- Disaster Recovery
- 24/7 Support
The basics every small business should have
Good security is mostly a set of habits and settings done consistently. When we look at a business, these are the areas that matter most:
- Strong sign-in protection. Passwords alone are not enough, but multi-factor authentication, and passkeys where they are supported, make stolen passwords far less useful. See our Microsoft 365 support.
- Updates applied promptly. Attackers look for known flaws in software that nobody has patched, so we include monitoring and patching in every managed IT plan.
- Backups that work. A backup you have never tested is a guess, so you need copies of your data that you can restore, kept where ransomware cannot reach them.
- Email protection and awareness. Most attacks start with a message, so filtering helps, and so does a team that knows what a suspicious email looks like.
- Limited access. People should have the access their job needs and no more, especially administrator rights.
- A plan for when something goes wrong. When it matters, knowing who to call and how you will get back to work saves hours.
Threats facing small businesses
We write regularly about the threats we see, and these guides explain the most common ones in plain language:
- Scam and phishing emails: How to Spot a Scam Email Now That They Look Real
- Ransomware: How Small Business Ransomware Attacks Work
- Account takeover: What Are Passkeys, and Should Your Business Use Them?
- Weak sign-in protection: Why SMS Codes Are No Longer Enough
- Scam QR codes: QR Code Scams and How to Protect Your Business
How we work with you
Assess. First, we look at how your network and systems are set up and scan for weak spots.
Protect. Next, we put layers of protection around your devices, network, email and data.
Support. After that, our team is available 24/7 when something looks wrong.
Recover. Finally, scheduled backups and a disaster recovery plan mean an incident does not have to stop your business. See our Backup and Disaster Recovery service.
Cybersecurity services as part of managed IT, or on their own
You can have security as part of our managed IT services. You can also add it alongside your own IT team through co-managed IT, or buy it as project work through our consulting services. For continuous monitoring, intrusion detection and 24/7 coverage, see Advanced Cybersecurity. If your business has to meet specific requirements such as HIPAA, PCI DSS or CMMC, see Compliance Consulting, including our PCI DSS assessments and CMMC readiness assessments.
Start with a free security review
Not sure where you stand? Our free security review looks at who can get into your systems, how you protect accounts and passwords, whether your software stays up to date, your backups, and the security of your network and Wi-Fi. You get a written report and a call to go over it, typically within 24 hours once you give us access to the systems and accounts we need to review. There is no obligation to hire us.
Cybersecurity for Meridian and Treasure Valley businesses
Our office is in Meridian, and we work with small and medium businesses across the Treasure Valley, including Boise, Nampa, Eagle and Caldwell. We also support clients across the United States. See managed IT in Meridian and the Treasure Valley for how we work locally.
Frequently asked questions
Do small businesses really need cybersecurity?
Yes. Small and medium businesses are common targets, and in Verizon’s 2025 report ransomware appeared in 88% of breaches at small and medium businesses. For a small business, one incident can be enough to stop day-to-day operations.
Is cybersecurity included in your managed IT service?
Our 360° protection is part of our managed IT services. You can also have security alongside your own IT team through co-managed IT, or as project work through our consulting services.
What does a security review involve?
We look at who can get into your systems, how you protect accounts and passwords, whether your computers and software stay up to date, your backups, and the security of your network and Wi-Fi. You get a written report and a call to go over it.
What happens if we are attacked?
Our team is available 24/7 when something looks wrong. Scheduled backups and a disaster recovery plan help you get back to work, so an incident does not have to stop your business.
Questions about compliance
Do you help with compliance requirements such as HIPAA?
Yes. HIPAA sets rules for protecting health information, and our Compliance Consulting service helps you prepare for it. We work with specialty health clinics, psychiatry offices, dental offices and chiropractic offices. Then we compare your systems and practices with the requirements that apply to you, explain your options for closing any gaps, and can give you ongoing guidance through our vCIO services as your policies and procedures develop. We can sign a business associate agreement where the rules call for one. See IT and compliance for healthcare practices.
Many of the technical safeguards HIPAA looks for, such as controlling who can access your systems, keeping backups and keeping software up to date, overlap with the cybersecurity and managed IT services we already provide.
We help you prepare and improve. We do not provide legal advice, and where a framework requires a formal certification or audit, the accredited body for that framework carries it out. HIPAA is one of several frameworks we help with, along with PCI-DSS, SOC 2, NIST and CMMC.
Do you work with businesses outside Meridian?
Yes. Our office is in Meridian, and we serve businesses throughout the Treasure Valley as well as clients across the United States.
Not sure where you stand?
Request a free security review. We look at how well your systems, accounts and data hold up, then give you a written report and a call to go over it. You can also ask for a free network review or contact us for a free consultation. Call (208) 810-1795 or email info@zippieit.com.
Not sure where you stand? Try our free cybersecurity health check, a 5 minute self-check with a score and your biggest gaps.