CYBERSECURITY READINESS ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES: A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH

Abstract

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are more and more reliant on digital technology to boost company efficiency, customer engagement and operational effectiveness. But the quick digital transition has exposed them to a lot of cyber risks, such as ransomware, phishing, malware, insider threats and data breaches. Unlike big organisations, SMEs frequently have little financial resources, cybersecurity experience and technology infrastructure, which makes them especially susceptible to sophisticated cyberattacks. While extensive advice is available from established cybersecurity standards and assessment models like ISO/IEC 27001, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and the CIS Critical Security Controls, they are typically too difficult and resource-intensive for small firms to adopt successfully. This article presents a Cybersecurity Readiness Assessment Framework tailored for SMEs. The suggested conceptual framework examines organisational readiness across six key dimensions: Governance and Policy, Risk Management, Technical Security Controls, Employee Awareness and Training, Incident Response and Recovery, and Continuous Monitoring and Improvement. The qualitative comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed framework is a simplified, scalable and practical assessment model, which allows SMEs to assess their cybersecurity maturity, identify organisational weaknesses, prioritise security investments and improve resilience against evolving cyber threats. The framework gives practical direction to company owners, policymakers, cybersecurity practitioners and academics looking for an adaptive cybersecurity governance model for resource-constrained organisations.