The Small Business Cyber Security Guy | UK Cybersecurity for SMB & Startups

• No More Excuses: Cyber Essentials Forces MFA on Every Cloud Service (Apr 2026)

  In this episode Graham and Mauven break down a major overhaul to Cyber Essentials coming into force from April 2026. The hosts explain the headline change — mandatory multi-factor authentication (MFA) for every cloud service with no loopholes — and how the scheme has tightened scoping so any internet-connected service or system that processes company data is now in scope. Topics covered include the new emphasis on passwordless authentication (passkeys, FIDO2 hardware keys, and biometrics), why the NCSC is pushing these technologies, and the practical security benefits and limits of passwordless solutions. They also discuss the real-world impact on small businesses: thousands currently relying on weak passwords or shadow IT will face failed assessments, unsupported software will trigger instant fails, and many firms will need to budget for MFA where it’s not free. Graham and Mauven share concrete, actionable advice for listeners: inventory every cloud service (including forgotten Dropbox or personal Gmail accounts used for work), involve the whole team, enable MFA everywhere possible (and budget for paid options), collect and document evidence (screenshots, logs), map networks and implement segmentation where needed, and plan early to avoid rush and audit pain. Key takeaways: the bar is being raised to reduce simple attacks, passwordless is being validated as a practical option, expect a drop in pass rates at renewal time, and businesses should start preparing now or face chaotic assessment outcomes. Hosts: Graham Falkner and Mauven MacLeod.

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• FinalSpark, Ethics & Security: What Living-Neuron Computers Mean for Your Company

  What if I told you there’s a laboratory in Switzerland where scientists are building computers from living human neurons?   Sounds like science fiction, right? But it’s happening right now, and the energy crisis driving this research is about to affect every small business owner’s cloud computing bills.   In this episode, Noel, Graham, and Mauven explore FinalSpark’s revolutionary biocomputing platform. This Swiss company has created the Neuroplatform, a system using approximately 160,000 living human neurons to perform computational tasks. Their goal?   Solving the massive energy consumption problem created by artificial intelligence and modern data centres.   Your brain runs on 20 watts of power. Current AI data centres consume megawatts.   FinalSpark claims their biological processors could use a million times less energy than traditional computing. That’s not incremental improvement – that’s fundamental transformation.   But here’s the catch: this technology is still early, really early. So why should small business owners care about laboratory experiments with brain cells?   Because the energy costs driving this research are already affecting your Azure bills, your SaaS subscriptions, and your cloud hosting fees. And understanding where technology is heading helps you make better decisions about where to invest your limited resources.   What You’ll Learn Why energy consumption in computing matters to small businesses right now How FinalSpark’s biocomputing platform actually works (in terms that won’t require a neuroscience degree) The realistic timeline for when this technology might affect your business What small businesses should actually do about emerging technologies The security implications nobody’s talking about yet The uncomfortable ethical questions around growing human neurons for computation   Key Quotes   Noel Bradford:“Training a single large AI model produces the same carbon emissions as five cars create during their entire lifetime. And that statistic is from 2019. Modern models like GPT-4 produce 50 to 100 times more emissions than that.”   Graham Falkner:“So naturally they thought, you know what, let’s just use actual neurons instead. Because that’s a perfectly reasonable next step when your silicon experiments don’t work.”   Mauven MacLeod:“Bloody hell. Today’s topic just got properly mental.”   Noel Bradford on timeline:“In the next 12 months, nothing. Ignore biocomputing entirely. Focus on the security basics most businesses are probably still getting wrong.”   On security implications:“How do you secure a computer made from living cells? Do you need to understand neuroscience to exploit vulnerabilities in bioprocessors? If someone breaches a living computer system, is it a cyber attack or biological warfare?”   About FinalSpark Founded by: Dr. Martin Kutter and Dr. Fred Jordan Location: Vevey, Switzerland Previous company: Alpvision (anti-counterfeiting specialists) Current project: The Neuroplatform   Research credentials: Published peer-reviewed research that reached the top 1% of most-read articles in Frontiers journal Providing free access to 10 universities worldwide (36 applications received) Created APIs and documentation for remote access Built Discord community with 1,200+ members discussing biocomputing Participating universities: University of Michigan Free University of Berlin University of Exeter Lancaster University Leipzig University University of York Oxford Brookes University University of Bath University of Bristol Université Côte d’Azur (France) University of Tokyo Key Facts from the Episode   Energy consumption statistics: Data centres consumed 1.5% of global electricity as of 2024 Projected to reach 3% by 2030 AI is accelerating growth exponentially Meta, Google, and OpenAI are talking about building nuclear power stations   The biocomputing advantage: Human brain runs on 20 watts Modern AI data centres use megawatts (millions of watts) FinalSpark claims million-times efficiency (99.9999% reduction) Some sources cite up to billion-times more energy efficient   The Neuroplatform specifications: 10,000 living neurons per organoid 16 organoids total Approximately 160,000 neurons system-wide Neurons survive up to 100 days in active use Accessible remotely by researchers worldwide   Why This Matters for Small Businesses   Immediate concerns: Energy costs always roll downhill to cloud hosting bills and SaaS subscriptions AI tools your business uses (Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, customer service chatbots) all burn energy Every interaction costs carbon, and those costs eventually reach small businesses Future implications: If biocomputing proves viable, benefits arrive through infrastructure improvements Your cloud providers incorporate biological processors Your costs decrease, capabilities increase You won’t buy biocomputers any more than you buy specific processor architectures now   What to watch for (2-5 year timeline): •Early commercial applications in specialised tasks •Medical diagnostics applications •Pattern recognition improvements •Industry adoption signals   Practical Takeaways for Business Owners   Do these things now: Secure current systems properly (multi-factor authentication, proper backups) Train staff on cybersecurity basics Achieve Cyber Essentials certification Build adaptable IT infrastructure   Build awareness: Subscribe to technology news sources Spend 15 minutes monthly reading about emerging tech Build mental models of where technology might head Prepare for paradigm shifts Watch for these milestones: Commercial partnerships with major tech companies Published benchmarks proving practical advantages Scaling demonstrations (thousands of neurons for months) Security framework development Independent energy validation studies Remember: Mad ideas sometimes win (iPhone, Netflix, electric cars) Companies that survive aren’t the ones that predicted the exact future They’re the ones who built adaptable systems that could pivot Focus on fundamentals whilst keeping awareness of emerging tech   Resources Mentioned FinalSpark: Company website and Neuroplatform information FinalSpark Butterfly demonstration application (control virtual butterfly using living neurons) Discord community (1,200+ members) Academic publications in Frontiers journal Further reading: Full blog post with technical details and source verification available at thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy.co.uk Research papers on biological computing Energy consumption studies for AI and data centres The Uncomfortable Questions We Need to Answer   As Noel, Graham, and Mauven discuss in the episode, biocomputing raises security and ethical questions that nobody has answers for yet:   Security concerns: How do you secure computers made from living cells? Can you hack biological neural networks? Do you need neuroscience expertise to exploit vulnerabilities? Is a breach a cyber attack or biological warfare? How do you wipe a neuron’s memory? Can you verify data deletion? How do you conduct forensic analysis on biological substrates? Ethical considerations: These neurons aren’t conscious or sentient (they’re biological cells performing functions) But they’re human neurons grown from human stem cells Where’s the ethical line if we can grow larger collections? How large before we worry about experiences or consciousness? How do we measure consciousness in biological systems grown for computation? Should these conversations happen now, before ubiquity? The hosts emphasize that awareness isn’t the same as answers, but these discussions need to happen before the technology becomes widespread.   What the Hosts Say You Should Actually Do   After 22 minutes of discussing living neurons, Swiss laboratories, and energy crises, the practical advice is refreshingly straightforward:   Do Nothing different for now at least!   Seriously. Don’t change your technology strategy based on biocomputing research. Instead: Secure your current systems properly Implement proper backup strategies Train your staff on cybersecurity basics Achieve Cyber Essentials certification Build IT infrastructure that serves your business objectives   Why? Because the exciting developments in biocomputing don’t change the fact that most UK small businesses still haven’t done the tedious, essential security work that prevents 95% of attacks.   As Noel puts it: “The companies that survive aren’t the ones that predicted the exact future. They’re the ones who built adaptable systems that could pivot when the future arrived unexpectedly.”   Next Steps Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes exploring where technology is heading and what it means for your business.   Leave a review if you found this episode valuable. Reviews genuinely help other small business owners find the show. Takes 30 seconds, makes a real difference.   Share this episode with business owners who need to understand how energy costs are about to affect their cloud computing bills.   Visit the blog at thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy.co.uk for the comprehensive write-up with all technical details, source verification, and links to the research.   Comment with your thoughts: Do you think biocomputing is the future or an expensive dead end? Your questions sometimes become future episodes.   About The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast Practical cybersecurity advice for UK small businesses, delivered with humour and authentic British personality.   Hosted by Noel Bradford (40+ years in IT, ex-Intel/Disney/BBC, current CIO) Graham Falkner (Tech Savy small business owner & voice over artist representing the SMB reality) Mauven MacLeod (ex-government cybersecurity background) New episodes weekly Website: thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy.co.uk Podcast feed: https://feed.podbean.com/thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy/feed.xml   Final Thoughts from the Hosts Noel Bradford:“After 40 years in this industry, I’ve learned that mad ideas sometimes win. Especially the really mad ones.” Mauven MacLeod:“Stay curious, stay sceptical, stay secure, and maybe keep one eye on the Swiss scientists growing computers in dishes.” Graham Falkner:“The small business cybersecurity challenges haven’t changed. But knowing where technology is heading helps you make better decisions about where to invest your limited resources.”   Legal Disclaimer The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast is produced for educational and informational purposes. All information provided is believed to be accurate at the time of recording, but cybersecurity is a rapidly evolving field. Listeners should verify current information and seek professional advice specific to their circumstances. The hosts and producers are not liable for actions taken based on information provided in this podcast. Always implement cybersecurity measures appropriate to your business needs and risk profile. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.   Tags biocomputing, FinalSpark, living neurons, computing energy crisis, AI energy consumption, small business technology, future of computing, cybersecurity, data centres, cloud computing costs, Swiss technology, enterprise technology, SMB technology strategy, emerging technology, biological computing, neural networks, technology innovation, small business podcast, UK business, cyber essentials  

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• Ghosts in the Machine — Halloween Special: When Your Tools Turn on You

  This Halloween special of the Small Business Cyber Security Guy peels back the curtain on the scariest place hackers hide: the tools and toolchains you trust. Hosts Graeme Falkner, Noel Bradford and Mauven MacLeod go ghost hunting inside compilers, build systems and update pipelines to show how supply‑chain attacks can insert backdoors that you’ll never spot by reading source code alone. The episode revisits Ken Thompson’s classic compiler backdoor thought experiment and explains, in plain language, how a compromised compiler can propagate secrets invisibly. The hosts walk through real incidents — XcodeGhost, SolarWinds, EventStream, and Log4j — to demonstrate how attackers target development tools and upstream suppliers to compromise software at scale. Expect practical, small-business-focused anecdotes (including a midnight accounting patch that wreaked havoc) and clear explanations of why technical debt, single-developer codebases, and blind trust in update pop-ups are dangerous. The conversation highlights how even open-source software can be compromised if maintainers or dependencies are compromised. The episode also covers defences and takeaways: demand provenance and supply-chain transparency from vendors, insist on reproducible builds where possible, use two-person reviews and well-maintained dependencies, and protect access with strong authentication. The hosts debate how to distribute trust, verify your verifiers, and reduce single points of failure so one compromised supplier or contractor can’t haunt your whole business. There’s a sponsor segment from Authentrend about passwordless biometric sign-ins as a way to block credential-based intrusions, along with links to resources and a trial, in the show notes. Throughout, the hosts balance technical history and horror stories with concrete steps small businesses can take now to keep their compilers and supply chains clean. Listen for clear, actionable advice for small businesses, including how to ask vendors the right questions, when to bring in trusted IT partners, and simple measures to keep the lights on and the doors locked against the ghosts in your code. Sláinte — and may your backups never rise from the grave.

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• The Doorman Fallacy: How Cost Cuts Become Catastrophes

  The £18,000 Saving That Cost £200,000 in Revenue Ever cut a cost that seemed obviously wasteful, only to discover you'd destroyed something far more valuable? Welcome to the Doorman Fallacy —it's probably happening in your business right now. In this episode, Noel Bradford introduces a concept from marketing expert Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy" that explains precisely why "sensible" security cost-cutting so often leads to catastrophic consequences. Through five devastating real-world case studies, we explore how businesses optimise themselves into oblivion by defining roles too narrowly and measuring only what's easy to count. Spoiler alert: The doorman does far more than open doors. And your security measures do far more than their obvious functions. What You'll Learn The Core Concept What the Doorman Fallacy is and why it matters for cybersecurity The difference between nominal functions (what something obviously does) and actual functions (what it really does) Why efficiency optimisation without a complete understanding is just expensive destruction The five-question framework for avoiding Doorman Fallacy mistakes Five Catastrophic Case Studies 1. The Security Training Fallacy (Chapter 2) How cutting £12,000 in training led to a £70,000 Business Email Compromise attack Why training isn't about delivering information—it's about building culture The invisible value: shared language, verification frameworks, psychological safety What to measure instead of cost-per-employee-hour 2. The Cyber Insurance Fallacy (Chapter 3) The software company that saved £18,000 and lost £200,000 in client contracts Why insurance isn't just financial protection—it's a market signal Hidden benefits: third-party validation, incident response capability, customer confidence How cancelling coverage destroyed vendor relationships and sales opportunities 3. The Dave Automation Fallacy (Chapter 4) Insurance broker spent £100,000+ replacing a £50,000 IT person The £15,000 server upgrade that Dave would have known was unnecessary Institutional knowledge you can't document: vendor relationships, crisis judgment, organisational politics Why ticketing systems can't replace anthropological understanding 4. The MFA Friction Fallacy (Chapter 5) Fifteen seconds of "friction" versus three weeks of crisis response The retail client who removed MFA and suffered £65,000 in direct incident costs Why attackers specifically target businesses without MFA The reputational damage you can't quantify until it's too late 5. The Vendor Relationship Fallacy (Chapter 6) Solicitors saved £4,800 annually, lost a £150,000 client Why "identical services" aren't actually identical The difference between contractual obligations and genuine partnerships What happens when you need flexibility and you've burned your bridges Key Statistics & Case Studies 42% of business applications are unauthorised Shadow IT (relevant context) £47,000 BEC loss vs £12,000 annual training savings £200,000 lost revenue vs £18,000 insurance savings £100,000+ replacement costs vs £50,000 salary £65,000 incident costs vs marginal productivity gains £150,000 lost client vs £4,800 vendor savings Common pattern: Small measurable savings, catastrophic unmeasurable consequences. The Five-Question Framework Before cutting any security costs, ask yourself: What's the nominal function versus the actual function? What does it obviously do vs what does it really do? What invisible benefits will disappear? Be specific: not "provides value" but "provides priority incident response during emergencies" How would we replace those invisible benefits? If you can't answer this, you're making a Doorman Fallacy mistake What's the actual cost-benefit analysis, including invisible factors? Not just "save £8,000" but "save £8,000, lose security culture, increase incident risk" What's the cost of being wrong? In cybersecurity, the cost of being wrong almost always exceeds the cost of maintaining protection Practical Takeaways What to Do Tomorrow Review your most recent efficiency or cost-cutting decision. Ask: Did we define this function too narrowly? What invisible value might we have destroyed? Are we experiencing consequences we haven't connected to that decision? Better Metrics for Security Investments Instead of measuring cost-per-hour or savings-per-quarter, measure: Incident reporting rates (should go UP with good training) Verification procedure usage frequency Time-to-report for security concerns Vendor response times during emergencies Employee confidence in raising concerns Making Trade-Offs Honestly Budget constraints are legitimate. The solution isn't "never cut anything." It's: Acknowledge what you're sacrificing when you cut Admit the risks you're accepting Have plans for replacing invisible functions Make consequences visible during decision-making Ensure decision-makers bear some responsibility for outcomes Quotable Moments "The doorman's job is opening doors. So we replaced him with an automatic door. Saved £35,000 a year. Lost £200,000 in revenue because the hotel stopped feeling luxurious. That's the Doorman Fallacy." — Noel "Security training's nominal function is delivering information. Its actual function is building culture. Cut the training, lose the culture, then wonder why nobody reports suspicious emails anymore." — Noel "We saved £8,000 on training. Spent £70,000 on the Business Email Compromise attack that training would have prevented. The CFO was very proud of the efficiency gains." — Noel "You can't prove a negative. Can't show the value of the disasters you prevented because they didn't happen. So the training gets cut, the insurance gets cancelled, and everyone acts surprised when the predictable occurs." — Mauven "The efficiency consultant's dream outcome: Measurable cost eliminated, unmeasurable value destroyed, everyone confused about why things feel worse despite the improvement." — Noel Chapter Timestamps 00:00 - Pre-Roll: The Most Expensive Cost-Saving Decision 02:15 - Intro: Why Marketing Books Matter for Cybersecurity 05:30 - Chapter 1: The Book, The Fallacy, The Revelation 12:00 - Chapter 2: The Security Training Fallacy 19:30 - Chapter 3: The Cyber Insurance Fallacy 27:00 - Chapter 4: The Dave Automation Fallacy 35:30 - Chapter 5: The MFA Friction Fallacy (+ Authentrend sponsor message) 42:00 - Chapter 6: The Vendor Relationship Fallacy 49:30 - Chapter 7: Hard-Hitting Wrap-Up & Framework 58:00 - Outro: Action Items & CTAs Total Runtime: Approximately 62 minutes Sponsored By Authentrend - Biometric FIDO2 Security Solutions This episode is brought to you by Authentrend, which provides passwordless authentication solutions that address the friction problem discussed in Chapter 5. Their ATKey products use built-in fingerprint authentication—no passwords, no PIN codes, just five-second authentication that's both convenient AND phishing-resistant. Microsoft-certified, FIDO Alliance-trusted, and designed for small businesses that need enterprise-grade security without enterprise-level complexity. Learn more: authentrend.com Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode: Rory Sutherland's "Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life" Authentrend ATKey Products: authentrend.com Episode 3: "Dave from IT - When One Person Becomes Your Single Point of Failure" (referenced in Chapter 4) Useful Tools & Guides: Download our Doorman Fallacy Decision Framework (PDF) Template: Articulating Invisible Value in Budget Meetings Checklist: Five Questions Before Cutting Security Costs Case Study Library: Real-World Doorman Fallacy Examples UK-Specific Resources: ICO Guidance on Security Measures NCSC Small Business Cyber Security Guide Cyber Essentials Scheme Information About Your Hosts Noel Bradford brings 40+ years of IT and cybersecurity experience from Intel, Disney, and the BBC to small-business cybersecurity. Now serving as CIO/Head of Technology for a boutique security-first MSP, he specialises in translating enterprise-level security to SMB budgets and constraints. Mauven MacLeod is an ex-government cyber analyst who now works in the private sector helping businesses implement government-level security practices in commercial reality—her background bridges national security threat awareness with practical small business constraints. Support The Show New episodes every Monday at Noon UK Time! Never miss an episode! Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy/feed.xml Help us reach more small businesses: ⭐ Leave a review (especially appreciated if you mention which Doorman Fallacy example hit closest to home) 💬 Comment with your own efficiency optimisation horror stories 🔄 Share this episode with CFOs, procurement specialists, and anyone making security budget decisions 📧 Forward to that one colleague who keeps suggesting cost-cutting without understanding the consequences Connect with us: Website: thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy.co.uk Blog: Visit thesmallbusinesscybersecurityguy.co.uk for full episode transcripts, implementation guides, and decision-making templates LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-small-business-cyber-security-guy/ Email: [email protected] Episode Tags #Cybersecurity #SmallBusiness #SMB #InfoSec #CyberInsurance #MFA #SecurityTraining #ITManagement #BusinessSecurity #RiskManagement #DoormanFallacy #BehavioralEconomics #SecurityROI #UKBusiness #CostBenefit #SecurityCulture #IncidentResponse #VendorManagement #Authentrend #FIDO2 #PasswordlessAuthentication Legal The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast provides educational information and general guidance on cybersecurity topics. Content should not be considered professional security advice for your specific situation. Always consult qualified cybersecurity professionals for implementation guidance tailored to your organisation's needs. Copyright © 2025 The Small Business Cyber Security Guy Podcast. All rights reserved. Got a question or topic suggestion? Email us at [email protected] or leave a comment below!

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• Beds, Bins and DNS: How One AWS Region Outage Sank the Smart Home

  Hosts Mauven MacLeod and Graham Falkner deliver a fiery rant about the recent AWS US East 1 DNS outage and what it reveals about our dependence on cloud services. In this episode, they unpack the outage's real-world impact — from Snapchat and Venmo outages to Philips Hue bulbs and automated litter boxes going dark — and share colourful personal anecdotes, including a navigation fail on a Loch Lomond walk and a high‑tech mattress that turns into an expensive paperweight when the cloud hiccups. The pair dig into the technical and cultural roots of the problem: DNS as an ageing single point of failure, the dangers of concentrating critical infrastructure in one region, cost‑cutting that sacrifices resilience, and the worrying effects of automation and staff churn. They discuss how small businesses, banks, gaming platforms, and everyday consumers all found themselves unable to process payments, take bookings, or even turn on a light due to a single regional fault. Mauven and Graham also examine the human side of outages — exhausted sysadmins, online threads that read like group therapy, and the blurred line between human operators and automated systems shipping production code. They mock the absurdity of smart devices that need the internet to perform basic functions, and contrast that with the resilience of simple, offline tech (their beloved vinyl collections make a cameo). Finally, the episode offers a clear call to action: rethink resilience. Topics covered include multi‑cloud and hybrid strategies, decentralisation, offline fallback modes or “stupid mode” for essential devices, and the need to prioritise technical debt and redundancy over short‑term savings. Expect sharp humour, practical frustrations, and a promise of tangible fixes and advice in the next episode — plus plenty of memes and sympathy for the folks keeping the lights on.

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