SMEs Fall Down on IT Acceptable Use Policies; Gaping Holes Found in IT Use Regulations; Corporate Rules Mostly Not Enforced by a Technology Solution.

SAN DIEGO -- Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are leaving themselves vulnerable to security and compliance risks by not having Internet Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) that address the latest and most dangerous Internet-based threats, according to St. Bernard Software, Inc., a global provider of security solutions.

In a survey of IT administrators at 500 companies, four key IT threat areas were found to be missing in written AUPs: (1) spyware, (2) inappropriate surfing, (3) instant messaging and (4) P2P use. In addition, it was found that the majority of these organizations had no perimeter security solution to defend against these threats or manage and enforce policies.

Every day, these Internet-based threats try to exploit networks and expose SMEs to the risks of security breaches, legal liability, lost productivity and the erosion of network resources.

The details of the survey data are as follows:

Spyware

--70% of organizations have not addressed this in their AUP; 68% have no perimeter solution

Inappropriate surfing

--64% have not addressed this in their AUP; 80% have no perimeter solution

Instant messaging

--72% have not addressed this in their AUP; 79% have no perimeter solution

P2P

--72% have not addressed this in their AUP; 78% have no perimeter solution

"This survey reveals a high percentage of SMEs are leaving themselves open to abuse of corporate AUPs, either because they are ambiguous or incomplete, or that there are no IT solutions in place to make sure employees abide by policies and company rules," said John Jones, CEO of St. Bernard Software. "By understanding what's at risk, SMEs are better equipped to meet threats head-on. The first step should be to develop a Security Policy and an Acceptable Use Policy that support their business goals, and are detailed enough to include all the issues they might encounter."

About St. Bernard Software

St. Bernard Software is a global provider of security solutions, including Internet and email filtering appliances, patch management, and data backup solutions. Deployed across millions of computers worldwide, the company's award-winning products deliver innovative security solutions that offer the best combination of ease-of-use, performance and value. Established in 1995, with headquarters in San Diego and an international office in the United Kingdom, St. Bernard Software sells and supports its products directly and through solution partners worldwide. For more information, please visit www.stbernard.com.

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