A study conducted across four European countries by YouGov for Vanderbilt reveals that more than one in four (28%) of small and medium sized British businesses have suffered loss, disruption or inconvenience as a direct result of physical or cyber security breaches.
Yet while cyber security arguably gets the lion’s share of media and business attention, British businesses report nearly three times as many physical breaches in security at their workplace (23%) than virtual, or cyber, attacks (8%). This is particularly true of small businesses, where 20% have suffered a physical breach, yet only 6% have experienced cyber security attacks. However, medium-sized businesses reported higher number of physical breaches in security (32%) and cyber attacks (13%).
The survey forms part of Vanderbilt’s 2015 European Security Barometer, which tests the climate of the electronic security market in Europe. The research provides valuable insight into consumer and business attitudes towards security, and reveals the efforts they make to keep their homes and businesses safe from harm.
As part of the survey, senior decision makers at small to medium sized businesses with up to 249 employees in Great Britain, France, Germany and Spain were asked about the loss, disruption of inconvenience caused to their businesses by breaches in security.
“The fact that many of the British businesses we surveyed do not have electronic security products like access control, CCTV or remote monitoring is a cause for serious concern,” noted Joe Grillo, Managing Director of Vanderbilt International. “This is especially true given the number of security breaches that businesses report – and the loss, inconvenience and disruption that these cause.”
The survey found that, where businesses do install electronic security equipment, it is to meet practical concerns. Equipment is installed to prevent theft, vandalism and unauthorised access, yet considerations such as duty of care to employees, regulatory compliance, lowering insurance premiums and maintaining business continuity do not seem to factor anywhere near as highly.
For more results from the survey see the July edition of PSI magazine.
