Small and medium-sized businesses need
to take more action to ensure the security of their IT systems,
experts have warned.
Former White House and Microsoft chief
security officer Howard Schmidt told a seminar organised by
internet service provider Claranet, “SMEs have to realise that just
because they are small, it doesn't mean they won't be targeted. Bad
guys target wherever they can get money.”
But SMEs were struggling to cope with internet
threats, Schmidt said.
“Large enterprises have been doing a good job
in preventing security breaches. But small businesses normally
don't have full-time IT staff.”
Even SMEs with workforces of around 30 people
often did not have their own IT and security professionals, leaving
them unable to properly address security threats, Schmidt
added.
He warned that human error – and the ignorance
of staff – was often to blame for important or sensitive data being
compromised. He highlighted the danger of staff using file-sharing
software or networks inadvertently making company data available to
others. “Individuals working on peer-to-peer networks often don't
realise they're sharing the whole contents of their drive,” he
said.
Comment on this article:
computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk