Report highlights:

• Low awareness and misperception of real problem.
• High virus infection rates despite protection. Approximately 96 percent of respondents reported that they have an antivirus solution installed, but more than 60 percent of respondents in Canada, France and the U.S. still reported a virus infection in the past year, which reflects the need for broader protection due to the increasingly complex nature of malware threats, and the need for someone to help manage the solution.
• Lack of policies for perceived threats. To the extent that SMBs view employee errors and data theft as serious threats, 40 to 60 percent lack a policy to restrict or monitor employees’ personal use of work computers.
• Limited or no IT staff. Approximately 40 percent of SMBs in Japan reported having no IT department at all, while three-fourths of SMBs surveyed have fewer than ten people in IT. The lack of in-house security expertise helps explain why 61 percent of SMBs have never sought information about how to properly protect customer and employee data.

The State of Internet Security report is issued quarterly as an in-depth review and analysis of the most pressing computer and data security-related concerns. Each report focuses on a specific aspect of information security, and provides industry data, trends and best practices in light of the threat landscape. The State of Internet Security: Protecting Small and Medium Businesses report includes survey results of companies with five to 999 computers in six countries: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Webroot is also offering a companion guide called, “A Guide to Security for Small & Medium Business” to help SMBs protect themselves.