Malware is seen as the greatest threat by executives at small
and medium sized businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, according
to a survey published this week.
Almost 40 per cent of the 5,770 respondents to a survey carried out
by research firm IDC said that they were 'concerned' about
viruses.
The analyst firm defines 'virus' as malicious semi-autonomous
software, including viruses, Trojans, aggressive spyware and other
malware.
Other perceived dangers include hackers attempting to break into
company networks, corruption or copying of data, denial of service
attacks, and employee sabotage of IT assets, researchers from IDC
found.
Company executives are also concerned by the possibility of
accidental data loss.
Only 3.8 per cent rated 'shutdown of e-business' as a concern,
indicating the relatively low penetration of e-commerce in
Asia-Pacific small and medium business operations.
"[The] main challenges faced by Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan)
small and medium businesses in their adoption of wireless
technologies and networking infrastructure include budget
constraints, keeping up with the number and sophistication of virus
attacks, lack of skilled staff, and keeping the technologies and
network environment updated," said Walter Lee, a vice president at
IDC.
"Service providers can address these concerns with cost-effective,
easy-to-manage solutions focusing on low total cost of ownership
and platform integration."
IDC found that 46 per cent of executives at medium sized firms
expect the amount they spent on IT services to rise this
year.
However, small businesses are considerably less likely to raise
spending; fewer than 30 per cent indicated that they plan to raise
their IT service budget.