Insufficient Budget And Staff

EiQ revealed that 86 percent of respondents have underfunded IT security budgets, which EiQ defines as having less than 10 percent of IT budgets allocated to security. And, the survey revealed that for 75 percent of SMBs represented in the survey, the IT security staff – if there is one – has only one or two people.

Indeed, cash-strapped businesses may not have the financial resources to pay for adequate help on the security front. A separate study by Global Knowledge, a Cary, N.C.-based business training and certification provider, found that positions in cybersecurity command the highest average annual global salary, at $87,580. That represents a 6 percent differential over project management, the second highest-paying functional area in that study.

"Our SMB clients don't want to pay for adequate security and are very exposed," said Stelios Valavanis, president of onShore Security, a Chicago-based service provider. Their general attitude when onShore approaches them about risks is "That's a lot of money," so they take their chances and "roll the dice."