Survey: Money Being Wasted on Spyware

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has shared the results of a couple of recent surveys outlining the damage spyware is having on productivity in small businesses.

Both surveys were conducted late last year, with one targeting workers in non-IT roles and one aimed at IT professionals, all in small and midsized businesses.

From surveying the IT pros, it was found that an average of 2.8 hours is spent repairing each PC that is infected with spyware. That doesn’t count the time it takes the employee to report the problem, and the time they have wasted before they even do so.

The survey aimed at workers found that on average, they are living with the problem for about 18 work hours before even getting around to letting the IT guys know. And their productivity while living with the spyware is significantly reduced as well.

As you know, time is money and you probably can’t afford to be wasting this much time on things like spyware issues. Take precautions to make sure your business’ computers are protected. Send memos to your employees informing them of steps to take to keep their machines from being infected, and what to do in the event that they are.