Is your business prepared for network and information security threats?

That is question being asked by the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) in its report on IT service and business continuity.

Andrea Pirotti, executive director of ENSIA, explained that business continuity is important because of the ever-increasing reliance on IT in critical business processes.

He said: "Disruptive incidents, such as malicious IT attacks or even a simple loss of critical data, call into question an organisation’s ability to continue to provide its key services."

Mr Pirotti added that firms needed processes in place in order to mitigate risk and a business continuity plan is a "step in the right direction".

Firms that put a business continuity plan in place might even attract more investment than they otherwise would, he concluded.

Last week, ITPro.co.uk reported a study conducted by SteelEye Technology which found 61 per cent of respondents think IT course do not prepare graduates for implementing business continuity solutions.

A recent survey for Connect found that one in ten companies has lost important data as a result of a backup failure. The company has now developed a unique online backup service - http://www.totalrecall.co.uk – for SMEs to ensure they can survive any disaster.