The internet is becoming an increasingly more important part of business. Despite this fact, 1 in 4 women entrepreneurs are uncertain of their level of protection against cyber attacks and other internet risks, this according to a National Cyber Security Awareness Month survey recently released by The Travelers Companies, Inc.
The findings are a result of questionnaires conducted on-site at the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) annual conference, the nation’s largest annual gathering of female business owners, in Louisville from October 4-6, 2012. It is intended to represent the sentiments of approximately 254 small business owner attendees who participated in an in-person interview over three days.
“Considering 40 percent of cyber attacks are against organizations with fewer than 500 employees, it is imperative that we help small business owners understand cyber risks,” Marc Schmittlein, President and CEO of Small Commercial at Travelers, said in a statement. “As one of the nation’s largest insurers, we feel an obligation to help entrepreneurs prepare for and prevent cyber and other insurable risks as well as to recommend solutions to this important group of job creators and economic contributors.”
According to the results, 42 percent of the female business owners polled are not very confident that they have adequate insurance coverage to protect against other insurable risks, and more than 50 percent don’t have or don’t know if they have a written business continuity plan or disaster recovery document.
The full report can be found here.