In June 2025, Be the Business partnered with BT Business to deliver a highly targeted and insight-rich cyber security event for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This event isn’t just a standalone workshop — it’s strategic move to help BT understand the real-world cyber challenges SMEs face, surface product opportunities, and embed BT’s growing cybersecurity offering within the SME ecosystem. Our SME community - The Productivity Collective - sees wrap around engagement and impact measurement.
The partnership demonstrates how corporates can work with Be the Business to develop meaningful relationships with the SME market, gather actionable intelligence, and place their products directly into solution-focused conversations.
The challenge: SMEs under threat, but underequipped
According to research, SMEs are increasingly in the crosshairs of cybercriminals — 99% of all UK businesses are SMEs, making them the most exposed group in the country. Yet only 3 in 5 SME leaders have received any cyber security training, and less than half believe they could confidently recover from a cyberattack. Furthermore, 18% of SME decision-makers admitted they had no cyber security measures in place at all.
This gap in awareness, capability, and confidence provided a perfect context for the event, designed to drive three outcomes:
Help SME leaders improve their cyber resilience.
Surface the practical challenges SMEs face that BT’s products can address.
Position BT as a partner and enabler in the SME digital security journey.
The approach: a high-impact, expert-led event
The event, held at BT’s offices, attracted SME leaders from a pool of 139 registrants. Those present engaged deeply with the content and workshops. BT’s own teams facilitated sessions — giving them direct exposure to customer challenges and enabling authentic product conversations.
Key themes explored:
Emerging AI-driven threats and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Low uptake of employee training — with only 50% of participants having delivered cyber training in the past year.
Common technical gaps including backup protocols, access control, and MFA friction points.
A desire for affordable, scalable solutions that match SME constraints.
High interest in BT’s upcoming products, even though it hadn’t launched yet.
The results: Lifting awareness, confidence, and product interest
The event achieved measurable outcomes:
+1.3 point increase in confidence managing cybersecurity.
+0.9 point increase in awareness of cybersecurity products and practices.
An average score of 4.4 out of 5 on how ready participants felt to implement next steps post-event.
85% of attendees reported an improved perception of BT as a supporter of small business cybersecurity.
Participants walked away with clear intentions:
“The key takeaway from today is to invest in your cyber security from the offset to reduce the risk of data breaches, data loss, and damage to reputation.”
— Tatenda Mutsvairo, Ashley Gladman Events
“We came here today to learn more about cyber security and how we can implement that into our business... A big thank you to BT and Be the Business for putting on an amazing event.”
— Guy Wenham, Geometric Manufacturing Ltd
Strategic value for BT — and a model for others
For BT, the event served as a proof point for deeper SME engagement — demonstrating that:
Direct engagement builds trust and product awareness more effectively than outbound campaigns.
Facilitated workshops offer SMEs a chance to surface real concerns, making BT’s solutions more relevant.
Community-led formats like our The Productivity Collective can seed long-term brand loyalty and insight.
And for any other corporate with SME-focused products — especially in fintech, SaaS, insurance, and business services — this case study shows how Be the Business can deliver high-impact, insight-driven engagements that both support SMEs and strategically position your offer.
Let’s Talk
If your organisation wants to get closer to the SME market, understand their challenges more deeply, and co-create better-fit products and services — talk to us. Events like this are just the beginning.
Headline takeaways
Clear product opportunity
Participants showed strong interest in BT’s upcoming cyber security tools, particularly affordable training solutions.
Stronger SME engagement
85% of attendees said their perception of BT’s support for small businesses improved after the event.
Action-driven impact
Confidence in managing cyber security rose by 1.3 points, with leaders leaving ready to implement real changes.
