Small businesses have no excuse not to put in place the bare minimum of IT security cover, since there is free anti-virus and firewall software available on the web.

That's according to Andrea Simmons of the British Computer Society (BCS), who said: "At the end of the day, there are free firewalls on the net and there's free anti-virus, so there's no excuse for the bare minimum not being covered."

A recent DTI Information Security Breaches survey indicated that IT security threats were on the increase, with malicious software, data corruption and staff misuse of information systems high up on the list.

In light of this it is very important for companies to ensure that firms have internet security measures in place and to ensure that staff follow the correct procedures.

"You're only as strong as the weakest link," Ms Simmons continued. "If you don't know, you don't know, so it's about how you address the knowledge gap."

Firms should ensure that they don't share other people's information online.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)