From tiny seeds to big problems

What sycamore trees can teach us about keeping a business safe online.

Abri CS

Have you spotted the helicopters?

At this time of year, sycamore seeds seem to be everywhere. They spin down from the branches and land in flowerbeds, between paving slabs, in gutters and in all the corners you rarely think to check.

Most of us sweep a few away, or pull up the odd seedling when we notice it. But leave one alone for long enough and it can put down roots and grow into a tree that takes real effort to deal with.

Three sycamore seeds with papery wings resting on a mosaic garden table
Sycamore seeds, fresh from the garden. Each one has a papery wing that makes it spin like a helicopter blade, so the wind can carry it a long way from the tree.
A pair of sycamore seeds with the wing and the seed labelled The wing helps it spin The seed is the part that grows
How it works: the seeds grow in joined pairs, and the papery wings turn each fall into a slow spin.

Now picture the same idea in your office. Small, overlooked things can quietly grow into much bigger problems, and they are far easier to deal with early.

The same seed at four stages. The longer it is left, the bigger the job.

The office version of a sycamore seed

In a business, the seeds tend to be everyday admin that slips down the to-do list:

  • The same password used for several different accounts.
  • An update reminder that keeps getting put off until tomorrow.
  • A log-in that still works for someone who left months ago.
  • An important file that only exists in one place.

On their own, none of these stop the day running. Customers are served, invoices go out and everyone gets on with their work. But each one is a small gap that someone with bad intentions could take advantage of, and they are much easier to tidy up now than after something has gone wrong.

Five ten-minute checks for your to-do list

You don't need to be technical to make a real difference. These are the kind of checks an office manager, business owner or charity trustee can pick up today. Tick them off as you go.

Check who still has a key

Your email, banking, accounts software and shared drives are like the doors to your office. It is worth knowing who can open them.

Ask yourself

  • Can anyone who has left, or any old supplier, still log in?
  • Is two-step login switched on for email and banking? (This is the extra code sent to your phone.)
  • Does everyone have their own password, rather than one shared by the team?

Say yes to the updates

That pop-up asking you to restart is easy to ignore on a busy day, but updates often close gaps that criminals already know about.

Ask yourself

  • Are automatic updates switched on for work laptops and phones?
  • Is anyone still using a very old computer that no longer gets updates?

Keep a simple list of what you use

Like a seedling that pops up somewhere unexpected, apps and online accounts can build up without anyone keeping track. Staff sign up for a handy tool, or save files to a personal account.

Ask yourself

  • Do you know which online services and apps the team uses?
  • Are work files kept in the places you've agreed on?
  • Are there old laptops or unused accounts still hanging around?

Keep a spare copy

Pulling up a seedling takes seconds. Removing a fully grown tree takes days. A good backup is what keeps a bad day from turning into a bad month.

Ask yourself

  • Are your important files copied somewhere safe on a regular basis?
  • Has anyone actually tried getting a file back from the backup?
  • Who would take charge if the computers stopped working tomorrow?

Pause before you pay

Scams usually rely on urgency and trust: an invoice with new bank details, or an email that looks like it's from the boss asking for a quick payment.

Ask yourself

  • Would the team check a change of supplier bank details by phone first?
  • Does everyone know who to tell if something looks odd, without worrying about getting into trouble?

Beyond the quick checks

These checks are a great place to start, but they're not the whole picture. As an organisation grows, so do its people, suppliers, systems and responsibilities, and a handful of one-off fixes can only go so far.

Good cyber security is really good housekeeping: knowing which risks matter most, deciding who is responsible for what, and checking from time to time that things are still working. For some organisations the next step is Cyber Essentials certification. For others it might be a risk review, clearer policies, staff awareness sessions or a look at key suppliers. The right approach depends on your size, what you do and the information you hold.

How Abri Corporate Services can help

We believe protecting your business shouldn't only start once something has gone wrong. We help businesses and charities take a structured, practical approach to governance, compliance, operational risk and cyber resilience.

Whether you're a small business, a growing SME or a charity working with limited resources, we can help you work out where to start, find the gaps that matter and plan sensible next steps. You don't have to tackle everything at once. The important thing is to start.

If a small weakness became a big business problem tomorrow, would you know what to do?

If you're not sure, we'd be happy to talk it through.

Contact Abri Corporate Services
A fully grown sycamore tree laden with clusters of seeds