BWI: Symantec Survey Reveals that Indian SMBs are Getting Serious about Information Protection

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Symantec Corp.
Thursday, August 05, 2010 01:30 PM IST (08:00 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest; Business: Accounting & management consultancy services, Business services, Information technology; Technology
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Symantec Survey Reveals that Indian SMBs are Getting Serious about Information Protection
The Symantec 2010 Global SMB Information Protection Survey Reveals that 67 Percent of Indian SMBs are Most Concerned about Data Loss, with 80 percent Focusing on Enhancing Backup, Recovery and Archiving Initiatives

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, August 05, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), today released the India findings of its 2010 Global SMB Information Protection Survey. The survey reveals that small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs with 10 to 499 employees) are aware of the need to adopt a complete information protection strategy that goes beyond a basic antivirus solution. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents cited data loss as a key concern area and 60 percent consider cyber attacks as a potential business risk.

The Symantec 2009 Security & Storage survey revealed the lack of a basic security solution like antivirus; in contrast, the 2010 findings indicate that information protection initiatives, such as backup, recovery and archiving are finding acceptance. The current annual average spend on IT is approximately Rs 148,000/ (Approx. US$3,000). A noteworthy trend is a marked increase in the adoption of backup and recovery solutions, (80 percent), as well as a new technology like deduplication, (51 percent), either installed, or in the process of installation.

"The impact of losing critical business information is detrimental for SMBs and can result in damaged reputation and revenue losses," said Vineet Sood, head, Channel and Alliances, Symantec. "Last year, a Symantec survey found that security awareness levels were lower and many SMBs did not have even a basic antivirus solution in place. The 2010 survey findings highlight a progressive trend towards SMBs adopting a more comprehensive information protection strategy."

Survey Highlights

. Data Loss and its Impact
According to the survey, 50 percent consider loss of critical business information a top business risk. Seventy percent of the respondents lost confidential data in the last one year, with 66 percent suffering revenue losses. A high number (61 percent) reported negative impact on their image and 46 percent saw a dip in customer trust.

. Braving Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks continue to plague Indian SMBs, but there was an overall decline. Sixty-eight percent of SMBs were prone to few cyber attacks this year, while 22 percent of SMBs faced them on a regular basis.

. Information Protection Initiatives on the Rise
Backup and recovery has emerged as one of the key areas of improvement in the survey this year. Eighty percent of SMBs consider installing backup, recovery infrastructure as "somewhat important" and "absolutely important." Thirty-two percent have an archiving solution running in their environment.

Fifty-eight percent of SMBs back up their data on a daily basis while others cite a lack of resources as the principal reason for not backing up data regularly. SMBs have realized the importance of data deduplication, with 68 percent having initiated the discussions and the implementation process.

. Budget Woes
The annual average spend on IT by an Indian SMB is Rs 148,000/ (Approx.US$3,000).

This is significantly lower than the average spend of US$ 12,500 in the Asia Pacific Japan region.

. Disaster Recovery (DR)
A well-documented DR plan is yet to find a place in the list of priorities as it was last year. Fifty-nine percent have either a plan that is not well-documented or needs work. Twenty-four percent have no plan at all.

Symantec's Recommendations for Indian SMBs:

Educate employees: Develop Internet security guidelines and educate employees about Internet safety, security, and the latest threats. Part of the training should focus on the importance of regularly changing passwords and protecting mobile devices.

Safeguard important business information: SMBs are facing increased risks to their confidential information so safeguarding this data is critical. One data breach could mean financial ruin for an SMB. Implement a complete protection solution to ensure proprietary information-whether its credit card information, customer data or employee records-is safe.

Implement an effective backup and recovery plan: Protecting information is more than implementing an antivirus solution. Backup and recovery is a critical component of complete information protection to keep SMBs' desktops, servers and applications running smoothly in case of disruption-whether from a flood, an earthquake, a virus or a system failure. One outage could mean customer dissatisfaction and costly downtime, which could be catastrophic to the business.

Secure email and web assets: Select a mail and Web security solution that can help mitigate spam and email threats so SMBs can protect sensitive information and spend more time on day-to-day activities. Spammers and phishers will use current events and social engineering tactics to get users to give up personal information such as credit card and banking information.

Resources

. APJ Report: 2010 Symantec SMB Information Protection Survey (PDF)
. APJ Presentation: 2010 Symantec SMB Information Protection Survey on Slideshare.net
. Global Video: 2010 Symantec SMB Information Protection Survey on YouTube
. Global Report: 2010 Symantec SMB Information Protection Survey (PDF)
. Global Presentation: 2010 Symantec SMB Information Protection Survey on Slideshare.net

About Symantec

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. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.


CONTACT DETAILS
Aradhana Prabhu, Symantec Corporation, +91 9765999749, aradhana_prabhu@symantec.com
Ankita Upadhyay, 20:20 MEDIA, +91 9711101860, ankita@2020india.com
Rinu Jha, 20:20 MEDIA, +91 9999687155, rinu@2020india.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, CONSULTANCY SERVICES, BUSINESS SERVICES, IT, TECHNOLOGY

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