IntelliGRC Urges Small Businesses to Standardize Security During Cybersecurity Month

FAIRFAX, Va., Oct. 1, 2026 – During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a national campaign led by CISA and the National Cybersecurity Alliance, IntelliGRC is calling on small businesses to make security and compliance standard equipment.

IntelliGRC, a cyber governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) platform built for managed service providers (MSPs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs), argues that continuous, documented security protects critical infrastructure regardless of enforcement timelines.

According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, over one million cybercrime complaints were logged in 2025, with reported losses nearing $21 billion. Verizon's 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report found that 31 percent of breaches now begin with vulnerability exploitation, and 48 percent involved a third party. This highlights the significance of small suppliers within the Defense Industrial Base handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Ozzie Saeed, Founder and CEO of IntelliGRC, emphasized that password protection is just the beginning. He noted that the real challenge for small businesses is the ability to demonstrate compliance, on paper and when needed. "Small businesses without a compliance team struggle to prove on paper that they are staying compliant," Saeed stated. IntelliGRC aims to provide MSPs with the tools to deliver high-caliber compliance without a large bench of experts. He added, "Good security should be a default standard, not an optional upgrade."

The company points out that even minor details, such as having the 'Store passwords using reversible encryption' setting enabled in Windows environments, can pose a significant security risk and violate requirements like NIST SP 800-171. Furthermore, businesses must document and demonstrate the effectiveness of their disciplinary actions to show due care, rather than merely claiming it.