For Subscribers
How Secure Are You? The majority of small businesses are still plagued by cyber attacks, lost devices and poor backup and recovery processes.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Businesses have made headway in recent years addressing security risks that threaten their sensitive data and bottom lines, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. Security software vendor Symantec recently commissioned Applied Research to survey more than 2,100 small businesses. The survey found that the majority were still plagued by cyberattacks, lost devices and poor backup and recovery processes. Here are some highlights:
- 74 percent of small and medium businesses were affected by cyberattacks in the past 12 months.
- The average annual cost of these attacks was $188,242.
- 62 percent of small businesses lost at least one mobile device in the past 12 months.
- 100 percent of these businesses said at least some of their lost devices had no password protection.
- Less than a third of these businesses had the capability to remotely wipe devices in the event of loss.
- 42 percent of small and medium businesses have lost confidential or private data in the past 12 months.
- 40 percent experienced direct financial costs as a result.
- 47 percent of those surveyed said they still do not ever back up their data.
