There are many benefits, that unfortunately come with costs, of developing a cybersecurity program in a business. Before going over what those costs and benefits are, we must first understand what cybersecurity is and why it would be needed. A simple definition of cybersecurity would be the protection of networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access or criminal use to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. So, for a business to implement a cybersecurity program, it would first need to protect a network, device, and or data from being compromised. The benefit of implementing a security program is just that, to secure sensitive data and or operations that are vital to the business’s operation. To increase trust and integrity, a business must protect the data that it collects, most likely from customers. If a vital part of your business runs online through a network, then if that network becomes compromised and shuts down, how will that affect the business? There are many different reasons and benefits to implementing a security protocol; however, depending on the scale and effectiveness of the system, the costs may add up quite a bit. For a large enterprise dealing with data by the millions, it may be in its best interest to have a dedicated security team to integrate, adapt, and upgrade security systems. This would cost thousands to millions of dollars per year. However, for a small business that can’t afford such a secure and precise system, there are still steps they can take to drastically implement security. From basic general knowledge of cybersecurity threats to more efficient routing of a network, or simply purchasing a VPN. Such basic and cheap methods could prevent a small business from losing thousands of dollars. Going back to simply gaining knowledge, that particular step of learning about and how to identify those threats, such as scam emails or text messages, is such a simple yet effective method of further securing your business; the best part is it only costs a little bit of time.