Use of wireless technology has become almost ubiquitous among small and medium-sized firms, according to a survey by the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Some 77 per cent of the 500 firms polled use wireless equipment, compared with 57 per cent two years ago. Wireless access to email has grown from six per cent to 94 per cent since 2004, use of WiFi hotspots is up from five per cent to 68 per cent, and use of Bluetooth connections has risen from five per cent to 62 per cent.
Such dramatic rises are part of the increasingly central role of technology: 87 per cent of respondents want to grow their business and, of those, 85 per cent see technology as crucial to achieving this.
But security arrangements remain patchy, and although 71 per cent of respondents cite business continuity as a primary concern, 11 per cent back up data less than once a week.
The figures suggest a triumph of hope over experience, says report author and IoD senior policy adviser Jim Norton.
‘Technology is seen as key to continued business growth and there is increasing maturity in the way it is used, but there is still some way to go,’ said Norton.
‘Firms recognise their data is critically important but are still not quite taking the actions required.
‘The point also applies to the use of wireless – companies are aware of the security issues but are not taking the necessary steps,’ he said.
End-to-end security systems and IP tunnels for use in public WiFi networks would help protect vulnerable business data, says Norton.
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