Survey reveals that SMBs are leaving themselves open to cyber attack.
Melbourne, 16 December 2010 – Research commissioned by anti-virus and Internet security vendor, AVG Technologies, shows that while most small business owners understand the need to protect their IT systems, too few are putting procedures into practice to secure their highly valuable assets from cyber crime.
As a result of the survey, AVG (AU/NZ) has released the AVG Small Business Security Guide to help shield SMBs. Now freely available from the online AVG Business Resource Centre, the Guide is an 11-page action template covering the establishment of policies and processes to secure workplace practices and deliver governance over technology use.
From the 2,000 SMBs surveyed in the US and UK for the recent “AVG SMB Market Landscape Report 2010”, more than half (52 percent) have no IT security guidelines for their staff, while one in seven has no Internet security software or solutions in place at all. Often because they have no dedicated IT staff, small business owners aren’t educated as to the latest dangers, or assume they are too small to attract the attention of cyber criminals. However, SMBs are prime targets, with the survey revealing at least one in four has already experienced a security breach.
Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist at AVG (AU/NZ), said: “From the research we know that SMBs have a fundamental understanding that Internet security threats are a very real hazard to their businesses. Despite this, too few feel able to make the time or allocate the manpower to do anything about it. This Guide is essential, easy reading for time-poor owners of small businesses to help them work through the action check list.”
In a separate informal survey conducted by AVG (AU/NZ), it was revealed that a business has not only financial but high personal value to their owners. Borrett posed the hard question and next-step answer: “How much would it cost in both money and reputation if your computers were hacked and information and customer data was compromised or stolen? The cost of implementing and keeping security software current is a drop in the ocean compared to the risks. The next question is, do you want to take the gamble?”
Free access to AVG’s SMB Business Resource Centre
With its detailed knowledge of SMBs and their business security information needs, AVG (AU/NZ) has created a Business Resource Centre (AU: www.avgatwork.com.au and NZ: www.avgatwork.co.nz).
It provides the owners and IT managers of small and medium sized businesses with informative guides, blog posts, videos, demos and tools to help them protect their businesses from Internet and network security threats.
AVG SMB Market Landscape Report 2010
The research for the AVG SMB Market Landscape Report 2011 was undertaken by GFK NOP, which polled owners of American and UK small business with less than 100 employees. It showed that:
83% of small businesses agree that having the right level of IT security protection is critical to their business.
77% said that a security threat could have a significant negative impact on their business.
55% felt they can make IT security decisions without third party influence.
Only 48% have a clear IT security policy in place for their staff, leaving them at the mercy of what employees decide to download or access online.
As a result, 1 in 4 have experienced a security breach.
1 in 7 have no security software or systems in place at all.
The survey also revealed that the majority of small businesses expected to see growth in the next five years. But that growth could be jeopardised unless the right security measures are in place: SMBs must reduce the risk of interruptions to business critical IT systems and the potential loss of customers to competitors.