With the pressure on small businesses to compete with huge multinational corporations gradually increasing, it has been claimed that having a reliable IT system is key.

According to a spokesman for the Mac Live Expo exhibition, stability and security must be among the most important concerns for IT managers.

"It is increasingly important that small businesses have stable and secure systems," the spokesman said.

"It aids productivity but in a real sense it makes businesses run in a more cost effective way. It allows you to get on with doing the job that your business does."

He added that the best way to boost productivity and stability was to invest in new IT systems as the cost of buying these high-tech products has dropped.

The spokesman warned: "We work with companies everyday that, if they aren’t up to date with the latest technologies, it takes them longer to do a job and it's not as good quality."