Dutch SMEs seem less convinced about the benefits of the European Cybersecurity Law: While 75% of SMEs in other European countries believe the bill will give them a competitive advantage, only half of Dutch SMEs are convinced. At the same time, these SMEs also argue that following the law would be worth the investment.
Three-quarters of SMEs say they are very satisfied with European cybersecurity law. They even see the rules as a competitive advantage over players without security obligations. Therefore, the inconvenience of additional work and increased costs seems easily solvable for SMEs.
Dutch SMEs think differently
However, Anouck Teiller, Chief Strategy Officer at HarfangLab, says the figures for the Netherlands are less positive. Teiller elaborates on the Dutch mindset in SMEs: Satisfaction levels in the Netherlands seem to be low compared to the European average: “Despite being under additional pressure due to the legislation, 50% of Dutch companies consider EU cybersecurity and data protection legislation to be a competitive advantage.”
Conversely, Dutch SMEs are the most confident that compliance efforts are worthwhile (82%). To achieve this, they seem to prefer partnering with European cybersecurity partners. 74% believe a European partner can better meet their needs.
The law matters
In addition to the research, cybersecurity firm HarfangLab points out why a European cybersecurity law is important: “Small and medium-sized enterprises make up a large part of Europe's economic community, so improving their cyber resilience is crucial. These companies face the same threats as larger companies, but often have far fewer resources to protect themselves,” Teiller said.
This figure comes from a study commissioned by HarfangLab, itself part of the European cybersecurity industry and headquartered in Paris, France. 750 SMEs from the Netherlands (50), Belgium (100), France and Germany participated in the study.
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