Communications and Technology Industry Research

In news that might be music to the ears of hackers and spammers, a survey by AT&T (News - Alert) shows that, although the majority of small businesses secure its computer systems, 24 percent do not bother with computer and online data security, and one in ten has taken no action whatsoever to secure data. The survey was conducted based on a telephone survey of 1,000 owners and/or employees responsible for IT at small businesses in ten U.S. metropolitan or regional areas.

 

Nearly two-thirds of small businesses consider online security a concern, and more than 80 percent of business owners have taken some action against spam and virus by installing software such as spam filters or anti-virus protection. But the worrying factor is that among companies that have not taken any action against online security threats, two-thirds feel it’s not an issue with their business at all.

 

This security negligence goes further: one-third of small businesses have not taken enough protection for wireless data security. However, when it comes to data backup, nearly all (93 percent) of them said they back up their data.

 

“The fact that so few small businesses back up their data remotely is surprising because so many companies recognize the importance of protecting their data,” said Research firms IDC’s (News - Alert) vice president of SMB and home office research Raymond Boggs. “It’s like flossing your teeth — people, including me, know they should, but just don’t do it regularly. The key is to make the process routine, automatic, convenient, and painless.”

 

Among the small businesses that have ignored the online security aspects of their business, nearly two-thirds thought it was not a serious issue, and two percent of the respondents didn’t even know that such security threats existed that could harm their business.