In February, Avast launched the world’s first free, easy to use, cloud-managed security offering, Avast for Business, protecting SMBs from viruses and cyberattacks. We conducted a survey amongst our Avast for Business users in the UK to gain further insight into how local SMBs handle their security.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents said that 100% of their company’s employees use the Internet. Businesses, whether small or large, retail or non-profit, often have a database of valuable customer data, making them an attractive target for cybercriminals.

Cybercrooks use social engineering to attack businesses, tricking employees via phishing scam to, for example, gain access to a company’s network. Despite the high number of data breaches, 57% of SMBs in the UK invest only 0-2% – little to nothing – of their IT budget on security.

Who handles IT support services for SMBs in the UK?

• 1 out of 10 said an employee (not a designated IT admin) handles the company’s IT support services
• Nearly 50% have an in-house technician
• 1 out of 10 have an external supplier/technician handles the company’s IT support services
• 28% of SMB business owners handle their company’s IT

BYOD

More than half of SMBs in the UK allow their employees to access company data from their personal devices. Bring your own device (BYOD) is a convenient practice SMBs have embraced, as it saves costs and encourages productivity.

However, BYOD can be risky, if not handled properly. Not only can hackers target the device to gain access to sensitive corporate information, but if the device is lost or stolen, the company data stored on it goes with the device. More than half (52%) of SMBs authorize employees to access corporate data on personal devices, yet the majority (54%) doesn’t run a BYOD scheme.

Threats

Losing valuable and confidential data (31%) is the greatest security risk to UK SMBs along with productivity (23%) and losing customers (16%). We asked our business users if a virus or threat had infected them before switching to Avast for Business. When it came down to it, threats and hacks cost six out of 10 businesses productivity, followed by data loss (19%).

Types of security solutions SMBs used prior to switching to Avast for Business:

• More than half (55%) used free consumer security solutions
• 23% used premium business security solutions
• Nearly one out of ten used premium consumer security solutions
• Nearly one out of ten either do not know what kind of security solution they used before switching to Avast for Business or did not use any security solution (3%)

If your SMB has a low IT budget or if your business is currently using a consumer security solution, make sure you check out Avast for Business. Avast for Business is FREE and can be downloaded here.