SmallBusinessNewz

Nearly half (46%) of U.S. small-and-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have fallen victim to cybercrime, up two percent from last year, according to a new report from Panda Security.

Thirty-one percent of businesses are operating without anti-spam, 23 percent have no anti-spyware and 15 percent have no firewall.

"Many SMBs simply don't have the resources in terms of budget, time and human capital to devote to protecting their computers and sensitive data," said Sean-Paul Correll, threat researcher at PandaLabs.

"The study results are proof that IT service providers and vendors have an important role to play in educating small businesses on threats, and helping them determine the best way to protect themselves."
 
Other highlights from the report include:

*Thirteen percent of U.S. SMBs are operating without security systems in place at all. Fifty-seven percent of this group reported the reason for lacking security was that it is viewed as not important or necessary;

*Of the companies that do have protection in place, 36 percent of U.S. SMBs said they were using free solutions that are designed for home users. Ninety-seven percent said they have installed an anti-virus solution on their computers. However, 12 percent admitted these systems were out of date;

*The most widely used security solutions are anti-virus and firewall products, while anti-spam solutions are not extensively implemented.

"The free software available on the market is not sufficient to secure even smaller corporate networks from all sides," said Correll.

"SMBs should invest in security solutions that protect their servers and network communications, and include advanced security features such as centralized and policy-based management."