One in Seven Small Businesses Have No Internet Security

There may be an ocean between the U.S. and the U.K., but some of their small businesses seem to share in the same foolishness. According to the AVG Small Business Landscape Report (PDF), one in seven small businesses polled in the U.S. and the U.K. have no Internet security software or system in place at all. Nothing, zip, nada!

Internet security can easily become one of those things that you meant to get around to, but every thing else was more important. Client on the line and you need to make the sale. Presentation in the morning and you need to get prepared. Staff meeting in 30 minutes, no time for lunch. You feel like you are handling it all as best you can, but something slips through the cracks.

So what if Internet security issues are at the back of your mind and come last in the budget? You can survive any security breach, if it comes to that. But why should it come to that? Why leave it to chance like that? In this day and age, every business should have some type of Internet security plan.

Believe me, I understand the small business shuffle firsthand. It’s easy to slip into it. But the cost is too high. Small businesses cannot afford days of downtime because our computer system is compromised or our files are victimized. An Internet security breach can happen too easily to leave safety to chance.

If you need help, check out AVG’s Business Resource Centre. They have multiple free downloads including:

1. Securing your startup or small business
2. Five steps to securing your business website and its content
3. Guide for businesses on cyber criminals and who to protect against

And yes, you can get hacked even with an Internet security plan in place (it’s happened to me), but planning greatly decreases the chances of an attack and the amount of downtime should one occur. Having your site down for one hour versus two days is a totally different game, and having a team in place to restore your data positively impacts your downtime.

In the end, the Internet security issue is solvable by planning in the beginning, partnering with the right people and using the right products.  Online, security is required.