Unsafe Web Surfing Results in Security Breach For 40% of SMBs

Uneducated employees in the arts of the internet are the number one cause why small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) suffer security breaches, this being just one of the conclusions drawn by a study which questioned 200 IT decision makers.

The survey, commissioned by GFI and performed by Opinion Matters was purposed to understand the web monitoring and filtering practices deployed by SMBs.

It turns out that companies who use these services don't necessarily do it to protect their networks, but for things such as keeping employees from visiting inappropriate sites or to conserve bandwidth, while most of them deploy web filters to ensure productivity.

“The survey results indicate a lack of awareness about the full capabilities of web monitoring software and how these solutions are evolving into critical components of effective SMB network security practices,” stated Phil Bousfield, general manager, Infrastructure Business Unit at GFI Software.

While 11% don't utilize these mechanisms at all, most of them do so because the use of internet isn't considered to be a problem in their firm.

55% of respondent reveal that defending against malware is not a priority and a third of SMBs don't have a policy in place to restrict access to social media environments.

Finally, the numbers show 42.5% of subjects do not have a solution that measures the safeness of a given website based on a rating of its reputation, but 27% say they would be interested in such methods.

“Protecting the network from malicious websites and downloads should be a top priority for IT managers in addition to concerns over employee productivity and bandwidth management,” Bousfield added.

"Web monitoring solutions that equip IT administrators with an additional layer of network defence against online threats and provide employees with the tools they need to make better, safer decisions while online go a long way in helping SMBs balance the benefits of Internet access with the risks it creates.”