Carbonite Research: U.S. Small Business Owners Are Under Attack And Want Government To Do More To Protect Them
September 21 2016 - 9:00AM
In a new survey out today from Carbonite (NASDAQ:CARB) 81% of Small
Business Owners (SBOs) say the U.S federal government should be
working harder to stop cyber attacks against small businesses, and
86% say a presidential candidate’s position on preventing cyber
threats is an important factor in deciding who gets their vote this
November. With more than 28 million small businesses in the U.S.,
SBOs are becoming increasingly vocal and influential this election
season, and candidates, especially at the presidential level,
should take note.
The Carbonite survey shows a growing disconnect between the
needs of small business owners and the priorities of elected
officials. Over two-thirds of SBOs say that they do not think
either of the presidential candidates understands the concerns of a
small business owner, with four-in-five saying that regardless of
who wins in November, they do not expect Washington to do anything
to help their business.
Carbonite’s survey also reveals:
- Small Business Owners believe D.C. is leaving them
vulnerable to cyber threats: 75% of SBOs say they can’t
trust the government to help combat threats against their business
and 81% say elected officials should be working harder to stop
cyber threats against small businesses. Therefore, preventing
foreign cyber threats is a key issue for 86% of SBOs when they cast
their vote in November. What’s more, 65% say the candidates’
position on encryption is important in deciding for whom to vote,
demonstrating that the Apple-FBI encryption debate remains top of
mind.
- SBOs say the federal government is hurting, not
helping, their business: 68% of SBOs do not think either
of the presidential candidates understand their concerns, and 74%
say politicians in Washington are actually hurting small
businesses, not helping them. The result? 78% say that regardless
of who wins the election, they don’t expect Washington to do
anything to help their business.
- Younger Small Business Owners are more
cyber-aware: Small Business Owners, ages 18 – 40, are
nearly twice as likely as those 41 and older to recognize the
probability of a ransomware attack, the malicious virus that locks
users out of computer systems. Businesses that have been in
operation for less than 10 years are also more likely to
acknowledge ransomware risk, the survey finds. Younger
entrepreneurs are three times more likely to admit that they’ll
lose customers as the result of a cyber attack, verses their elder
peers who believe it is far less likely (19%).
- SBOs recognize the value of data but lack the ability
to secure it: 68% of SBOs report data is their new
business currency. However, the majority (54%) say that they have
no idea what they’d do if their organization fell victim to an
external attack. Further, 58% say protecting mobile content adds
complexity to data security. More than one third of respondents say
it’s likely there will be a hack against their data in the coming
year. That’s why a growing number of small businesses (44%) believe
the federal government should play a more active role in making
sure small businesses protect their data. In fact, more than
one-third (36%) believes the government should mandate data backup
procedures to avoid unnecessary data loss.
“This November, the country is facing the first open election in
eight years. With more than 28 million small businesses in the U.S.
generating seven out of ten new jobs per year, that voting bloc is
too important to ignore,” said Norman Guadagno, chief evangelist at
Carbonite. “Small businesses are on the vanguard of creation and
change in this country and they’re creating an entirely new
data-based economy. Unfortunately, elected officials aren’t
recognizing their needs, especially when it comes to helping them
protect the lifeblood of their business: their data.”
Resources
To learn more about how to protect individuals or small
businesses from cybersecurity threats, like ransomware, visit
FightRansomware.com or follow @FightRansomware on Twitter.
Learn why backup software is essential for business. Learn more
best practices to manage and protect small business data by
visiting Carbonite’s suite of resources:
- Subscribe to the Carbonite blog
- Follow Carbonite on Twitter
- Follow Carbonite on LinkedIn
Survey Methodology
This online survey was conducted by Regina Corso Consulting on
behalf of Carbonite between August 16 and 22, 2016 among 250 small
business owners, who are also IT purchasing decision makers for
their companies with between 1 and 250 employees. Figures for size
of company were weighted to bring them into line with their actual
proportions in the population. Because the sample is based on those
who agreed to participate in an online survey, no estimates of
sampling error can be calculated.
About Carbonite
Carbonite (Nasdaq:CARB) is a leading provider of cloud backup
and restore solutions for small and midsize businesses. Together
with our partners we protect millions of devices and their valuable
data for businesses and individuals around the world who rely on us
to ensure their important data is secure, available and useful.
Media Contacts:
Sarah King, Carbonite
617-421-5601
media@carbonite.com
Jonathan Gregalis, PAN Communications (for Carbonite)
617-502-4300
carbonite@pancomm.com
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