Small businesses in the UK need to do more to protect themselves against the risks posed by cyber-crime, a new report has said.

Get Safe Online pointed out that 44 per cent of small businesses in the UK have been victims of things like internet scams, identity fraud, phishing and data theft.

More than a third (36 per cent) have had their operations affected by a computer virus and around 18 per cent said they have been taken in by IT scams like phishing, spyware or hacking.

The study sound that IT systems are vital to the operation of many of the UK's small businesses - 60 per cent thought their operations would stop if their IT system failed.

Despite this, just five per cent of small businesses said that they access to dedicated IT support - either within their own organisation or outsourced to another company.

"As cyber crime becomes more sophisticated, basic measures aren't enough on their own," explained Tony Neate, the managing director of Get Safe Online.

"Businesses also must look at access control, data encryption and secure password practices, as well as looking at other measures such as staff training.

"But, it's also important to remember that by taking a few simple precautions, online risks needn’t overshadow the huge benefits that the internet brings to UK businesses."

Indeed, a recent report from Point Topic showed that there are now over 300 million worldwide broadband subscribers, highlighting the size of the market small businesses could tap in to.