Wednesday 31st January 2007
Businesses need to up IT awareness
Loss of data and IT security failures are hindering the growth of UK small businesses, according to research by YouGov. Of the 785 businesses surveyed, half admitted to not backing up IT at the end of the working day.
In addiition to this, 40 per cent failed to have any firewall protection in place. When it comes to IT breakdowns, two-thirds of respondents estimated the cost of repairs to be £1,259 per annum. The estimated cost for outsourcing the production of marketing materials was found to be over £6,000 a year. Interestingly, while 82 per cent of respondents have a web presence, less than a third use it as a trading platform. David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, speaking at Microsoft’s Vista launch at the British Library, noted that small businesses are spending ‘too much time fixing problems that could have been avoided'. He said: ‘This is time they can ill afford to waste because it takes them away from those activities that really impact on their success, like dealing with customers. Regularly performing some simple tasks like data back-up or scanning for viruses can make all the difference and now this couldn’t be easier to do.’ The findings, which sought responses from companies with two to 50 employees, were released during the launch of Microsoft’s new Vista software package. Microsoft is actively targeting small businesses, claiming its new Vista and Office 2007 packages, in conjunction with its Office Live webdesign offering, can help small businesses achieve greater efficiency. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, compared Vista’s arrival in the UK to the initial launch of the Office software suite in 1995: ‘Back then people weren’t thinking about music and video games. They were concerned with printing, documentation and basic communication.’ According to Gates, Vista will move personal and business computing to ‘the next level’ as it addresses the ‘digital lifestyle and the digital workstyle.’ He added: ‘Vista will change the way people buy and sell products. It will alter how we think about mediums like television, so it won’t just be about broadcast channels. Even advertising will be targeted differently. We are just at the very beginning and we are excited to see what people can do with this software.’
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