5 Cybersecurity Mistakes Denver Small Businesses Make
Denver’s Growing Cybersecurity Problem
Colorado saw a 42% increase in reported cyberattacks against small businesses in 2025, according to the Colorado Attorney General’s office. Denver businesses — from law firms on 17th Street to medical practices in Cherry Creek — are prime targets because attackers know smaller organizations often lack enterprise-grade security.
After working with dozens of Denver businesses on their cybersecurity posture, we see the same mistakes over and over. Here are the five most common — and what to do about each one.
1. No Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
It sounds basic, but we still encounter Denver businesses running Microsoft 365 without MFA enabled. A single compromised password gives attackers access to email, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams — essentially your entire operation.
The fix: Enable MFA on every account, starting with admin and executive accounts today. Microsoft Authenticator is free and takes five minutes per user to set up. Conditional Access policies add another layer by restricting logins from unusual locations or devices.
2. Treating Compliance as a Checkbox
Denver has a high concentration of healthcare practices, law firms, and financial services companies — all subject to strict compliance requirements (HIPAA, CMMC, SOC 2). Many businesses treat compliance as an annual audit exercise rather than an ongoing security practice.
The fix: Build compliance into daily operations. Automated monitoring, regular access reviews, and documented incident response plans keep you compliant year-round — not just during audit season.
3. No Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Traditional antivirus catches known threats. Modern attacks use fileless malware, living-off-the-land techniques, and zero-day exploits that signature-based antivirus completely misses. We regularly see Denver businesses relying on Windows Defender alone with no centralized management or alerting.
The fix: Deploy a managed EDR solution across all endpoints — desktops, laptops, and servers. EDR provides real-time threat detection, automated response, and forensic data when incidents occur. Pair it with a Security Operations Center (SOC) for 24/7 monitoring.
4. Skipping Employee Security Training
Over 90% of successful cyberattacks start with a phishing email. Your team is your first line of defense, but most Denver businesses provide security training once during onboarding — if at all.
The fix: Run monthly phishing simulations and quarterly security awareness training. Track who clicks, who reports, and use the data to target additional training where it’s needed. Make it part of your culture, not a compliance checkbox.
5. No Tested Backup and Recovery Plan
Having backups is not the same as having a recovery plan. We’ve seen Denver businesses with backups that hadn’t been tested in years — and when ransomware hit, the backups were either corrupted, incomplete, or took days to restore.
The fix: Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, on two different media types, with one copy offsite (cloud). Test restores quarterly. Document your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) so everyone knows what “recovered” actually means.
What Denver Businesses Should Do Next
If any of these mistakes sound familiar, you’re not alone — and you’re not too late. Start with a cybersecurity assessment to understand where your gaps are, then prioritize fixes based on risk and business impact.
Technology Response Team works with 55+ businesses across the Denver metro area, providing managed cybersecurity, compliance, and IT services. Contact our Denver team for a no-obligation security assessment.