Cybersecurity basics for SMEs adopting AI tools

By Reckona AIUpdated 28 July 20268 min read

Adopting AI tools means connecting new systems to your customer data, documents and internal processes — each connection is a new surface to secure. Most SMEs don't have a dedicated security team, but the basics don't require one.

The core checklist

Area	What to check
Access controls	Does the AI tool access only what it needs, or your entire system by default?
Data retention	How long does the vendor keep your data, and can you request deletion?
Training on your data	Does the vendor train external/shared models on your customer data? This should be a firm no.
Audit logs	Is there a record of what the AI system accessed and when?
Encryption	Is data encrypted both in transit and at rest?

Questions worth asking any AI vendor directly

"Where is our data physically stored, and does that comply with our requirements?"
"What happens to our data if we stop using your service?"
"Can you provide a signed DPA (Data Processing Agreement)?"
"What's your incident response process if there's a breach?"

Common mistakes that undermine good projects

Giving an AI assistant broader access than the task needs — the narrowest access that works is always the safer default.
No one owning security review — someone specific should evaluate every new tool before rollout, even informally.
Ignoring employee-adopted "shadow AI" tools — staff using unapproved AI tools with company data is a growing, often invisible risk.

This complements, not replaces, legal/compliance review. See our DPDP Act compliance guide for the regulatory side of data handling in India.

How we handle it

Every AI system we build is deployed to your cloud, with access controls, audit logs and no training on your data — see our AI Automation practice for specifics.

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