In our latest member spotlight, NI Cyber speaks with Dr Clare Ryan, CEO and co-founder of ITUS Protect, a cybersecurity start-up helping small businesses across the UK and Ireland understand and manage their cyber risk.
ITUS Protect is a cloud-based cyber risk platform designed specifically for small businesses, a group that often faces the same threats as large enterprises but without the teams, budgets or tools to manage them effectively.
Founded in 2018, the company was created after years of working directly with small organisations and seeing a recurring challenge, business owners knew cyber threats were rising, but they didn’t know where to start to manage them.
We recently sat down with Dr Clare to learn more about ITUS Protect, its mission and how it helps small businesses. Read the full conversation below.
“Our mission from day one has been simple,” explains Clare.
“Small businesses deserve clarity, not confusion. We built ITUS Protect to give them a clear, real-time picture of their cyber risk and have built in guidance on the practical steps to strengthen it.”
Clare, tell us what inspired the creation of ITUS Protect?
During my consultancy work, I repeatedly met business owners who felt overwhelmed by cybersecurity. They were investing in tools, insurance policies, or ad-hoc services but had no visibility of whether these were working. Many assumed they were ‘too small’ to be targeted. Unfortunately, this is something that simply isn’t true anymore.
43% of UK businesses reported a cyber breach this year, and SMEs remain the most frequently targeted. We know cyber insurance uptake is climbing among larger businesses, however less than 20% of small businesses hold a policy. Having adequate insurance is essential when you experience a cyber incident as it can provide technical assistance to help recovery and buffer the financial impact. However, insurers want more evidence of good cyber hygiene before offering meaningful cover and it’s this ‘evidence’ that can be challenging for small businesses. We built ITUS Protect to bridge that gap.
What does ITUS Protect do differently?
We focus on confidence. The platform scans and assesses a business’s cyber posture, gives them a colour-coded risk score, and provides clear, prioritised steps to improve. We use simple methods and language to avoid overwhelm. Notably, our reports are designed so small businesses can share them with insurers, brokers or their IT partner to demonstrate the controls they have in place.
Our goal isn’t just to help businesses reduce risk, it’s also to help shape a more transparent, data-driven approach to cyber insurance underwriting for small organisations. We believe small businesses should be assessed on the maturity of their controls, not a tick-box questionnaire.
What challenges do you see for SMEs in the current cyber landscape?
Cyber threats are evolving faster than most small teams can keep up with. Ransomware, business email compromise, and AI-powered scams are increasing, while compliance expectations continue to rise. A recent survey from BT in partnership with Be The Business revealed that 4 in 10 small businesses have been victims of an attack or breach in the last 12 months. Furthermore, 2 in 5 SMEs have not had implemented cyber security training for staff (Source: BT Newsroom, June 2025). Coupling this information together is worrying as it demonstrates the lack of internal knowledge that exists against rising attacks. Put simply, many SMEs don’t have internal expertise to navigate this.
We want to make cybersecurity manageable, even for the smallest business. Our aim is that by giving them live visibility of risk and supporting the journey to improvement we’re helping them build long-term resilience.
What’s next for ITUS Protect?
We’re continuing to grow our footprint across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK, deepening our partnerships with MSPs, brokers and industry networks. Our long-term ambition is to help reshape how cyber insurance is evaluated for SMEs making coverage fairer, more reflective of real controls, and more accessible.
As Clare concludes:
“If we can make cybersecurity clearer for small businesses, we can change how they protect themselves and how the industry protects them.”
You can find out more about ITUS Protect via their LinkedIn page or by visiting their website: itusprotect.io If you’re interested in booking a free demo with the team you can do so via this link: https://itussecuretechnologiesltd.pipedrive.com/scheduler/0Yj2jEh3/itus-protect-demo-take-control-of-your-cybersecurity