A recently released survey by 123 Reg, which is the largest website provider in the UK, has found that 10% of websites that accept credit cards as payments haven’t taken any security precautions to keep their customer’s data safe. In the poll, the company asked 13,000 small business owners a series of questions related to their data security.
20% of the respondents reported that they do not know who handles their website security. This is a big concern because it likely means that nobody handles the security other than whatever service they are using to run the transactions themselves. Any data they keep on their customers is then likely just kept on their company webserver or other location.
Another 50% reported that they know that they are not ready for any type of digital attack, and if one took place, they have no recovery plan.
Nearly 10% said that they don’t know whether their data has been hacked in the past, an obvious indication of ignorance regarding their electronic data assets.
The digital director at 123 Reg, Nick Leech, said, “Having an online presence is vital for small businesses, in 2015 e-commerce sales in the UK reached £533 billion, but keeping customers safe requires a team effort. Businesses can easily implement simple, yet crucial, security measures, which can help keep them safe against online attacks. By continuously updating online programmes, regularly changing passwords and installing the latest security products, Britain’s small business owners can stay secure and continue to thrive.”
