Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Data privacy used to be the realm of hospitals, banks, and fervent devotees of the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution. Something we knew we wanted but conceptually assumed wouldn’t affect most people. Our dependence on the Internet for almost all aspects of daily life has changed that. In 2026, data privacy and cybersecurity are deeply intertwined. Protecting sensitive information isn’t just about stopping hackers.

For years, the prevailing myth among small and midsize businesses (SMBs) was that they were too small to be a target. That myth has been definitively shattered. The reality is sobering: SMBs now account for a disproportionate share of cyber incidents and data exposure. In fact, research cited in the Guardz 2025 SMB Cybersecurity Report found that 43% of U.S. SMBs have experienced a cyberattack, including 27% hit within the past year.

Data privacy in the workplace is not just compliance. It is how an organization protects employees, builds trust, and reduces business risk. Employees handle most workplace data, which makes them a major target for AI-powered threats like deepfakes and business email compromise (BEC). The best way to protect data is a mix of practical employee habits, realistic training, and strong controls like least privilege access, MFA, monitoring, and email authentication.

Guest post by WatchGuard Tech All-Star, Marko Bauer It's Monday morning, 7:30 AM. Your employees arrive at the office and can't log in. Systems are dead. Your phone rings. IT reports: Ransomware. All data encrypted. Then the email: €500,000 ransom. In 48 hours, the attackers will begin publishing customer data, contracts, and internal documents on the dark web. The first dump is already online, as “proof.” Your company is paralyzed. Production can't work. Sales has no access to orders.

Guest post by WatchGuard Tech All-Star, Michael Carter II At a glance: The trend is hard to ignore: most attackers do not “break in” anymore; they sign in using stolen or abused identities, not by bypassing a next-gen firewall, your EDR, or those fancy email and collaboration tool defenses. If an unauthorized identity can export it, you have not protected it, no matter how many controls you have in place.

In cybersecurity, incidents test more than just technical resilience ‒ they also test trust. As a managed service provider (MSP), the preventive measures you implement are critical. However, the strength of your support during your clients’ most critical times is what truly defines the trust they have in you. A cybersecurity incident may be precisely the moment when your client evaluates whether you are delivering on your promises as a quality partner for their business.

MITRE ATT&CK ER7 results are often reduced to simple headlines: detection percentages, prevention rates, or “100% coverage” claims. But those numbers alone don’t explain how a security platform actually behaves when an attack unfolds, nor how much operational effort is required to manage it. To understand the real impact of ER7 results, you need to look at detection efficiency and operational efficiency, not just raw coverage.

Most organizations already get solid protection from the security tools they use, but integrating a mix of those tools into a complete, well-coordinated defense remains challenging. Teams are stretched thin, threats move fast, and it takes time and expertise to monitor everything around the clock and respond the moment something looks suspicious. This is where an open approach to MDR helps meet partners and customers where they are.

For a long time, cybersecurity has been built around two basic actions: detecting and responding to cyber threats. However, automated attacks, advanced malware, and AI-driven threats show that reacting is no longer enough. Today’s attacks move fast, and in most cases, the damage is already done by the time they are detected. This is nothing new: organizations need to get ahead of risk and protect their systems before incidents occur.

Endpoint threats are evolving faster than ever - more automated, more precise, and harder to stop with detection alone. Today’s security teams need more than alerts; they need clarity, context, and the ability to respond in real time without adding complexity or operational strain. On January 29, 2026, at 8am PST (4pm GMT), join WatchGuard and GigaOm for an educational webinar that cuts through the noise around endpoint security.