eHosting DataFort study shows high incidence of security breaches among SMEs

More than 60 % of the surveyed companies experienced at least one security incident that led either to a PC crash or corruption of data.

The survey was conducted among a wide cross section of small and medium enterprises from various sectors across the region. The study defined small and medium enterprises as having less than 50 computers.

Surprisingly, small enterprises, companies with less than five computers, experienced the same or more security incidents than large companies.

Saeed Al Barwani, CEO of eHosting DataFort said:

'The study shows that security threats are felt by all kinds of companies from small to medium to large. Security incidents chip away at the profitability of businesses, especially if they are not aware of the impact they have. It is important for enterprises to safeguard their information and computing resources by implementing a comprehensive security policy backed by regular monitoring and updated security architecture. Businesses are being negligent if they are reducing their security investment and not focusing on mitigating their risk.'

The small and medium companies surveyed had small budgets for network security solutions. Over 50% spend less than US$ 750 annually on network security solutions. The total average monthly security spend of the companies was a paltry $100.

However, there was increasing awareness of the need to deploy network security solutions, which could soon translate into enhanced spending. Close to 70% of respondents reported that they were either in the process of implementing or are planning to implement security solutions within the coming 12 months. A large proportion of the companies, however, lacked essential internal expertise in implementing such solutions.

Currently, over 60% of respondents are outsourcing one or more IT services, with close to 40% outsourcing support and web hosting Outsourcing is mainly driven by the lack of internal resources and the cost-effectiveness of the external services.

eHosting DataFort will be showcasing an entire range of infrastructure and consulting services at GULFCOMMS that can enable organizations not only to secure their information assets but also acquire significant competitive advantage through improved business performance, cost reduction and revenue enhancement.

One such service being launched is the EnterpriseSecure Managed Security Service (EMSS) that includes a powerful hardware firewall, one-year subscription to Gateway Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Intrusion Prevention, Content Filtering Service, firmware updates and 24x7 support for comprehensive network protection. EMSS provides complete network security against threats including viruses, spyware, worms and Trojans.

GULFCOMMS Dubai 2006 is taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre's (DWTC's) Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre from 18th -22nd November 2006 and will be open from 10.00 am until 7.00 pm on each day of the show. eHosting DataFort's stand will be located in Zabeel Hall in Stand Z - B01.