23 Jul 2009

Firms 'should improve IT security'

Businesses across the UK are not taking the problem of a lack of investment in data security seriously, it has been argued.

Data from the IT Effectiveness Index has revealed that 43.5 per cent of firms are currently postponing, downsizing or cancelling IT projects as a result of the economic downturn, with 23 per cent of small to medium-sized companies surveyed as having data security of grade D or lower.

"The results to date indicate that many small businesses are falling behind when it comes to implementing accepted best practices for IT operations and management," Steven Kahan, vice-president at the Planet, said in a statement.

Edward Minyard, certified continuity manager at Accenture, recently commented that businesses should look to constantly test their firewalls and defences by employing IT professionals to attempt to hack their systems.

In this way, any holes or bugs in security can be highlighted and fixed with minimal outlay and no risk of data loss.