Cybersecurity: What do small and medium businesses in Saudi Arabia need?

We recently surveyed 104 SMBs in Saudi Arabia to understand this market and help cybersecurity solution providers address the Saudi opportunity. It follows a survey in seven other markets (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US) executed in late 2024.

STL Partners’ survey results in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) show that among the companies that manage their cybersecurity, there is a high importance placed on this activity, with 97% saying that it is a top priority for their management. Additionally, 85% of businesses expect to increase their annual investment in cybersecurity in the next 12 months, with more than 50% expecting this uplift to be more than 10 percent.

We surveyed 104 IT decision-makers in KSA to understand how SMBs manage cybersecurity, what they think of it and what worries them, how they purchase solutions and what they expect to change in the future.

The survey also explores the current structure of the market and the opportunities for telcos. We look at which group of solution providers is winning, whom SMBs prefer to work with and what their appetite is for purchasing cybersecurity solutions from telcos.

SMBs in KSA that manage cybersecurity risks demonstrate a solid understanding of their needs

The report includes detailed recommendations for cybersecurity solution providers in KSA. It also features some country-specific recommendations for telcos to help them capitalise on the trend of growing cybersecurity spending by SMBs.

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In addition to the actual survey results, an important finding from our research process is that in KSA, there is a significant group of small companies that tend not to manage cybersecurity at all. Saudi cybersecurity providers have an opportunity to grow the market by including small businesses which typically tend to be a very heterogeneous group, with varying needs as well as low propensity and ability to spend. Nevertheless, the growing risk of cyberattacks, especially in the AI era, makes cybersecurity critical for companies of all sizes.

Click on ‘Download the full report’ to access the detailed report for KSA with all charts and insights.

Click on ‘Download additional files’ to access the full set of country-level survey data tables (in xlsx format).

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Content of the full report

• Executive summary and recommendations
• Introduction and sample
• Organisation and management of cybersecurity
• Importance of cybersecurity
• Challenges SMBs face
• Current adoption of cybersecurity
• Purchasing journey
• Expectations for the future
• Consideration of telco propositions

Related research

• Cybersecurity: What do small and medium businesses need?
• SMBs: How telcos should approach them
• Cyber security: What will consumers pay for?
• Quantum technologies: Strategic paths for telcos
• IoT security: The foundation for growth beyond connectivity

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Marina Koytcheva

Marina Koytcheva

Director, Research

Marina works across STL Partners’ research portfolio, with a specific focus on the Executive Briefing Service, consumer services and sustainability. She joined STL Partners in 2023 with 18 years of experience as a market analyst, first at Nokia, and then at CCS Insight where she led the market forecasting practice across all technology areas and modelled the impact of major global disruptions. She has wide expertise across telecoms, hyperscalers, device markets, consumer behaviour, and the impact of macroeconomic factors on the tech industry. Marina holds an MSc in Finance and Economics, and an MBA.