Why UK SMBs Can’t Afford to Ignore Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery in 2025

Cyber attacks are a significant threat to businesses in the UK, with 50% of UK businesses reporting a cyber attack in 2024. In fact, 81% of these businesses hit by cyberattacks are small to mid-sized, with the average cost reaching £10,830. Yet, just 19% have a cyber incident response plan in place, as recommended by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

As more small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) rely on cloud technology to run critical business functions, having a cloud-based disaster recovery (CBDR) plan is even more crucial. Whether the threat comes from ransomware, accidental deletion or service outages, the ability to recover quickly can mean the difference between survival and shutdown.

Why SMBs Are Under Attack

Cyber threats are evolving quickly, and SMBs have become prime targets. Unlike larger enterprises, many SMBs lack dedicated cybersecurity resources and expertise, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks. At the same time, the widespread move to cloud services, from financial systems to customer data, means even minor disruptions can have major operational impacts.

Common threats like phishing, ransomware and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks are on the rise, but human error and system misconfigurations also play a significant role in causing downtime. Without a strong, regularly tested cloud-based disaster recovery plan, SMBs risk losing critical data, damaging customer trust and suffering revenue losses.

What’s at Stake Without a Cloud-Based DR Plan

Downtime is expensive. The longer your systems are offline, the greater the financial and reputational damage. Cloud-based disaster recovery allows SMBs to restore systems and data quickly, minimising interruption. Without it, recovery can take days or weeks, risking compliance breaches, lost sales and damaged client relationships.

Ask yourself: if a cyberattack happened tomorrow, how fast could your business bounce back? If you can’t answer that confidently, it’s time to prioritise your disaster recovery strategy.

Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery: How It Works

Cloud-based disaster recovery means your data and systems are replicated securely to a cloud environment. If your primary systems fail, your operations can quickly switch to the cloud copy, ensuring continuity. Unlike traditional backups, this setup supports rapid failover and recovery without costly infrastructure duplication. For SMBs, this approach is cost-effective and scalable. It eliminates the need for a secondary data centre and reduces the burden on internal IT teams through managed services that handle maintenance and testing.

How to Build a Resilient Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery (CBDR) Strategy

Every resilient CBDR plan shares several essential elements that work together to ensure your business can quickly recover from disruptions and maintain continuity.

• Identify Critical Assets: Know which applications and data need immediate recovery.
• Set Recovery Goals: Define Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) based on your business tolerance.
• Test Regularly: A plan is only as good as its execution. Test failovers and recovery processes often.
• Assign Roles: Clear responsibilities ensure fast, organised response when disaster strikes.
• Review and Update: Cloud environments evolve, and so should your DR strategy.

Common Mistakes SMBs Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Many SMBs mistakenly assume their cloud provider covers all disaster recovery needs. In reality, cloud security operates on a shared responsibility model, meaning it’s up to your business to protect your data and plan for continuity. Some of the most frequent mistakes include:

• Failing to test recovery plans regularly.
• Underestimating the financial impact of downtime.
• Creating overly complex recovery procedures that are hard to execute.

Keeping your DR plan simple, tested and aligned with your actual business needs is key to avoiding these pitfalls.

Secure Your Business with a Cloud-Based Disaster Recovery Strategy

With 4 in 5 cyberattack victims in the UK being SMBs and many lacking incident response plans, the risk of becoming a target is growing rapidly. A cloud-based disaster recovery strategy is more than just IT insurance; it’s a crucial foundation for business security, continuity and growth.

Retail Assist specialises in helping UK SMBs build scalable, cost-effective disaster recovery plans that fit their unique needs. We ensure you’re prepared to withstand evolving cyber threats and attacks, so you can focus on growing your business with confidence.

Book a consultation today and protect your business from unexpected disruptions.