SMEs, or small and medium-sized enterprises, are organizations that operate with fewer employees and lower budgets than large companies. In cyber security, their size matters because security programs, compliance work, and staff training often have to be done with limited time and specialist support. That makes SMEs more likely to rely on a small internal team, outside consultants, or general-purpose tools rather than a dedicated governance function.
Attackers often target SMEs because they may have weaker controls around email security, account protection, vendor risk, and employee awareness. The same pattern applies to AI security and governance: if staff are not trained on what data can be shared, how to verify outputs, or when human review is required, a small mistake can become a privacy, fraud, or compliance incident. Defensively, SMEs benefit from simple role-based training, approved-use policies, strong access controls, and clear escalation paths. In practice, SME security is about making the basics consistent and repeatable.