Small firms 'placing data at risk'

News Article - 20 March 2008
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One in three small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK (33 per cent) are currently risking their business security by leaving back-up tapes in the office.

A new report by IT support firm Connect claims that leaving back-up tapes in offices at the end of the day can negate efforts to back up servers and places business goals at risk.

The study, Risky Business, states that more than two thirds of small firms polled (69 per cent) have never tested the business processes for retrieving information held on back-up tapes.

SME Web reports that interviews with the IT managers and directors of 151 companies in Britain revealed that small firms needed to protect business critical data better and points out that there are many more efficient and secure ways of backing up information.

One in ten SMEs stated that they had suffered major data loss because back-up systems had failed, often due to a lack of careful planning.

A recent study by Netflare of SMEs found that many were failing to take advantage of e-tailing opportunities and were neglecting websites, with 23 per cent failing to update sites since their launch.

Embracing new technology, such as business and accounting software, can enhance small firms' productivity, boost security, control costs and protect data.

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