New research from ISO certification consultancy platform Be Certified has revealed that cybersecurity concerns are the most common barrier for UK SMEs seeking to undertake digital transformation.
Be Certified surveyed 700 UK SME owners and managers, with 42 per cent of respondents citing cybersecurity as the biggest obstacle to digitalisation in 2026. Overall, 93 per cent of those polled said that they had concerns about digital transformation, despite 55 per cent viewing the process as a key priority for this year.
The highest levels of concern were seen in the construction and healthcare industries, with 48 per cent of respondents from the construction sector viewing cybersecurity as their main concern, along with 47 per cent of healthcare respondents.
Such concerns are arguably increasingly justified, amid mounting cybersecurity risks and worsening financial impacts from breaches. Cybersecurity attacks are estimated to cost UK businesses around £14.7 billion each year, while the National Cyber Security Centre has reported a 50 per cent increase in "highly significant" cyber attack incidents in the past year.
Agnes Sopel, Lead Auditor and ISO consultant, Be Certified, commented: "Cyber security remains the largest barrier for SMEs in digitalising their operations. As cyber-attacks grow in frequency and sophistication, businesses must ensure they adopt the right security tools to protect their data and processes.”
Aside from cybersecurity, other barriers to digital transformation cited by SME leaders included the rapidly changing digital landscape (41 per cent), employee knowledge gaps around digital tools (38 per cent), a lack of budget for digital tools (28 per cent) and a lack of resources for workforce training (24 per cent).
Agnes Sopel continued: “For SMEs, it's essential to implement multi-layered security measures in addition to employee training. A cybersecurity framework like ISO 27001 can also help SMEs formalise their security strategy and ensure that their data and systems are protected against emerging threats.”
Poll respondents said that funding and training programmes could affect their ability to undertake digital transformation. 18 per cent said they would prefer support in the form of grants or subsidies for buying digital platforms and software, while a further 18 per cent preferred subsidised training programmes.
17 per cent called for tax incentives for investing in digital tools, 15 per cent wanted financial support to boost hiring and 14 per cent selected low-interest financing schemes.
