K&P Logistics — 158 years in business — wiped out in 48 hours by ransomware. Noel Bradford and Maurven MacLeod unpack that real-world catastrophe to show small businesses how the same fate can be avoided. If you run a local shop, agency or family firm and think cybersecurity is either incomprehensible or unaffordable, this episode is for you.

Noel Bradford, with 40 years of experience in corporate security, and Maurven MacLeod, a former government cyber analyst who tracked nation-state actors, introduce themselves and explain why attackers are increasingly targeting customer databases and other easy-to-access systems. They describe common threat vectors and the mistakes that turn manageable incidents into business-ending disasters.

Topics covered include ransomware timelines, authentication failures, shadow IT risks, social engineering and real breach case studies. The hosts translate enterprise-level controls into simple, low-cost actions you can implement between customer calls — covering backups, multi-factor authentication, software hygiene, incident response basics and how to spot a phishing scam before it’s too late.

Key takeaways: perfect security is unattainable, but practical, layered defences dramatically reduce risk; small changes can stop most attacks; and preparation (not panic) is the difference between a blip and a shutdown. Expect clear, jargon-free advice, step-by-step recommendations and real lessons from the trenches.

Tune in for a fast, actionable guide to protecting your business assets and customer data. Subscribe to the Small Business Cybersecurity Guide for weekly episodes that make good security affordable and straightforward — because good security doesn't have to cost a fortune, but stupidity always does.