According to a survey of 1,000 small-to-medium businesses (SMB) released by StaySafeOnline, research suggests that SMBs are less likely to acknowledge the importance of their security needs. Because of this major lack of insight, many smaller companies don’t have the security measures in place that they require in order to remain compliant and keep their data safe.
The survey showed that 2/3 of small business owners are confident in the solutions that they currently have, yet almost 1/3 of these companies are uncertain if they’ve ever been hacked. Much of the reluctance to upgrade security is tied to concerns about cost; it’s an expense that many businesses don’t believe would have enough benefits to be worth the cost. This is particularly true for companies with less than 100 employees. Many small business owners (specifically those who are entrepreneurial) with 1-99 employees feel that their business only requires the amount of security that would be appropriate for an individual consumer.
These findings are also consistent with security for mobile devices, as SMBs are less likely than larger businesses to take measures to protect valuable business data on cellular devices. This practice makes small-to-medium-sized businesses the targets of mobile hacks and malware, and thus their data becomes even more vulnerable. Additionally, less than 1/2 of the SMBs surveyed are utilizing any type of email security.
StaySafeOnline urges smaller businesses to consider investing in a SaaS solution that can easily keep data on all devices and programs secure. Cloud security is a smart alternative to the installation of a security program or solution on the server when it comes to time and cost. A majority of small business owners have taken necessary steps to prevent fraud, but haven’t considered the implications of leaving their valuable information at risk. It’s time that SBOs reevaluate their security needs and understand why they need to…or what could happen if they don’t.
