Companies are being urged to train their staff, including IT support workers, in online security in order to protect a company's assets, it has been stated.

Tony Neate, the managing director of Get Safe Online, said that small businesses in particular needed to adhere to this advice, with such organisations at greater risk due to their smaller networks and security systems.

He established that training in security for employees is a big thing and a checklist system could be brought in to see if all employees are aware of what they need to do.

Mr Neate continued: "People shy away from policies and they can wheel out of control in big companies but at this level they are a good thing to have."

Get Safe Online is a joint initiative between the Serious Organised Crime Agency, the government and a number of leading businesses, with the group aiming to improve the quality of security and prosperity of small businesses in the UK.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent).