“We know the threats are real in this part of the world,” said Johnny Karam, Symantec’s regional director for Middle East and North Africa.
“Global trends also show that cyber criminals are more likely to target small businesses as they have more money than individual targets and far less secure than large enterprises,” Karam added.
He was commenting on the latest findings of its small and medium business (SMB) information management and security study in the Middle East.
Symantec announced the findings of its small and medium business (SMB) information management and security study in the Middle East in partnership with research company, YouGov.
The survey also shows that less than half of the respondents are archiving data in Saudi and Egypt — 49 percent in the Kingdom and 44 percent in Egypt.
Only 52 percent are archiving their data in the UAE, according to poll that was conducted in partnership with research company YouGov.
“A majority of small and medium sized businesses in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE are not taking effective measures to safeguard their important information, nor are they setting aside a dedicated budget for IT, ” said the Symantec statement.
The survey found that SMBs in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE are spending up to $10,000 per annum on IT — with the 17 percent of the respondents spending in the range of $1,000 to $5,000.
According to the poll, 45 percent of respondents in Egypt do not have a fixed annual budget for IT and are making purchase decisions as and when needed, the same is true for 45 percent in UAE and 39 percent in Saudi Arabia.
“The survey results tell us that a high percentage of SMBs are making purchase decisions for IT on a need basis, without threat assessment of their critical information, and without long-term planning,” Karam said.
“It is likely these ad hoc purchase decisions are being made to rectify issues only after they happen,” Karam added.
The director said SMBs would benefit greatly from a more strategic approach to IT. They could actually save money, given that the costs associated with a security breach or loss of data, loss of business and most importantly damage brand reputation.
In Egypt, data loss due to power failure was noted as the issue faced most frequently, while UAE and Saudi Arabia highlighted the inability to recover data from back-ups as the biggest problem.
In addition, the research found that the frequency of back-ups was not optimum, with only one third of respondents backing up on a daily basis.
Only a quarter (26 percent) of respondents claim they have never experienced an issue recovering data from their back-up, or faced loss of data due to power failure.
“The issues recovering data could be a result of a lack of understanding relating to backing-up of data,” said Karam.
“The vast majority of SMBs we surveyed truly believe that by copying data to a CD, DVD or hard drive, they were backing-up that data. Considering the rate at which data is expected to grow this coming year, small business owners need to consider back-up and recovery solutions that ensures invaluable information — such as financial records, customer databases, employee data — is available and better protected.”
It said that between 57 and 72 percent of the respondents identified virus attacks as a key concern and between 44 and 63 percent expressed concerns around external hacks.
On average across the region, only 29 percent claim they had never faced a known attack on their systems by a virus or malicious code.
Despite these concerns and the high incidence of issues being faced by SMBs, when asked what security measures were being taken against these attacks, only the very basic security protection is implemented.
Internet antivirus, automated antivirus checks, password protection for network access, firewalls and user authentication where the five most common IT security measures implemented across all three markets.
More advanced security measures like authorization for downloads, encryption of sensitive data and archiving of information were not as commonly implemented by SMBs across the Middle East.
For example, fewer than 60 percent of respondents encrypt sensitive documents.
Symantec has made the following recommendations for small and medium businesses in the region:
• Develop an IT strategy and budget: Consider the financial implications around a breach of information, data loss, virus or malware attack. Now consider the other implications, like loss of time or worse - loss of brand reputation. SMB’s should regularly evaluate their security and data protection strategies in order to make more planned decisions. Handling IT on an "as needed" basis could mean you end up spending far more than anticipated particularly when issues arise.
• Select trusted solutions that fit your needs: There are several backup options for SMBs, whether it’s software, hardware or moving to the cloud. Small and medium businesses should start by finding a solution that best fits their needs and then consider, categorize and prioritize the data they need to backup and protect. It is important to know where data is, who needs to access it, who is accessing it and then consider a backup solution that can help protect that information.
• Take action and protect business: Cyber attacks are evolving and becoming more toxic and targeted; the threats are very real in the Middle East region. SMBs need to assess their security situation, put a security strategy in place and implement security solutions that will offer them all-round intelligent security that goes beyond antivirus but also looks at anti-malware.
Symantec conducted this survey to gain a deeper understanding of the unique needs, challenges and concerns that small to medium-sized businesses in this region are facing when it comes to protecting, securing and managing their information.
The online survey targeted senior level employees or owners of small to medium sized businesses in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE with 5-100 employees, and a minimum of five units.
The survey gathered insight from 628 respondents, 200 in Egypt, 205 in Saudi Arabia and 224 in the UAE.
Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world.
YouGov is an international, full service market research agency offering added value consultancy, qualitative research, field and tab services, syndicated products such as the daily brand perception tracker BrandIndex, fast turnaround omnibus studies and comprehensive market intelligence reports.
YouGov’s sector specialist teams serve financial, media, technology and telecoms, FMCG and public sector markets.
YouGov is considered a pioneer of online market research and has a panel of 3.5 million people worldwide and aims to represent all ages, socio-economic groups and demographic types.
