Britain’s businesses open IT security threat

37% of UK SMEs admit they either do not have, or are unsure of the level of their IT protection, according to new research out today.

This admission follows figures revealing over 15,000 new computer viruses were discovered in 2005 alone.*

The research by businesslink.gov.uk also revealed that 47% of SME managers believe that they will be at risk of a security breach in the next twelve months - with 59% of those believing the threat will come from electronic viruses.

More than one in ten businesses are failing to review their IT security at least once a year and with 22% of those questioned stating they’re not confident in their ability to manage IT security due to a lack of understanding of the technologies involved, it appears that British SMEs are severely unprepared to cope with any significant threat.

Research from the National Computing Centre (NCC) shows that small businesses are especially prone to believing they do not face the same risks as larger companies. Even one-man bands share the same risks but often they do not understand what they are and what they need to do about them.

businesslink.gov.uk has been working with the NCC, to develop tools and produce and update guides that are relevant for anyone starting or growing a small business in the UK. The tool takes the user through a series of areas that relate to the people they employ, the technology they use and the processes they have in place.

Mark Holden, IT Security Expert from businesslink.gov.uk, said The IT risks will enable SMEs to reduce the time and costs associated with managing an efficient and secure IT system. Specifically, we wish to help businesses understand and protect against the most common IT-related risks but also enable them to be far more pro-active in developing ways of keeping every aspect of their business’ IT. Once a business has carried out an IT risk assessment, they will be presented with a detailed breakdown of their risks, practical and detailed advice on how to reduce them, and links to further guidance both within the businesslink.gov.uk site and industry expertise such as NCC.

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