Irish Consultancy Launches AI-Assisted Cybersecurity Service Tailored for Small Businesses
BH Consulting introduced BH Haven, an ongoing managed service combining human security consultants with proprietary AI tools to help small and medium-sized enterprises navigate GDPR, NIS2, and EU AI Act compliance. The service addresses a documented gap in cybersecurity expertise among Irish SMEs by delivering proportionate, ongoing support across risk assessments, incident response, data protection, and third-party risk management. AI tools handle analysis and evidence mapping while consultants retain final decision authority, and the service is planned to expand from Ireland and the UK to Nordic and other EU markets.
BH Haven addresses a documented competency crisis in Irish small business security. Research from Munster Technological University and Ireland's National Cyber Security Centre identified that SMEs lack adequate cybersecurity preparedness, often due to resource constraints and limited access to qualified personnel. The consultancy structured its offering in four tiers to match different business sizes and risk profiles, ensuring that even resource-constrained organizations receive proportionate guidance rather than scaled-down enterprise solutions.
The service model preserves traditional consulting accountability while automating administrative tasks. Human consultants retain authority over all substantive decisions—risk assessment, control effectiveness, and remediation priorities—while AI handles evidence collection, gap analysis, and preliminary reporting. This design choice explicitly maintains professional liability with the consulting firm, keeping responsibility clear despite the technological assistance involved in service delivery.
The launch could help reduce cybersecurity exposure among a large population of under-resourced businesses. If adopted widely, it may narrow the gap between large enterprises and SMEs in regulatory compliance and breach prevention, potentially lowering incident frequency across smaller organizations. However, success depends on uptake rates and whether proportionate guidance translates into meaningful risk reduction. The service's expansion into Nordic and broader EU markets suggests demand exists, though questions remain about whether AI-assisted compliance truly prevents breaches or simply improves documentation.