Warning as one third of businesses cut back on IT

● Global survey points to cutbacks on IT expenditure ● Experts warn of lack of protection during coronavirus

More than a third of businesses have axed or furloughed IT staff due to Covid-19 cost concerns, a new survey suggests.

Out of 1,116 “business decision makers” from the UK, the US, France and Germany surveyed, 418 admitted to removing IT staff since the coronavirus pandemic started.

Almost half (47 per cent) of companies have frozen their IT budgets for the foreseeable future in order to save money during the crisis.

The research was commissioned by Leonne International and conducted by polling agency Censuswide.

Amid tightening IT budgets, 41 per cent of decision makers admitted that their remote working system for Covid-19 is not compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Furthermore, 45 per cent expect a company data breach to occur during the crisis, due to staff using computers and personal devices which are not properly protected.

Despite those concerns, 44 per cent of firms are aware that members of staff are using an outdated version of the Zoom video conferencing app – which may cause security issues. Also, almost half (47 per cent) have allowed members of staff to purchase their own laptops and tablets to work from home – many of which will not be properly protected or connected to company IT servers.

In the UK specifically, 34 per cent of companies have made members of their IT staff redundant or placed them on furlough, and 49 per cent have frozen their IT budgets until further notice.

Despite this, 37 per cent of UK businesses are said to be using outdated versions of Zoom, a similar percentage have allowed members of staff to purchase their own devices to work from home, and 38 per cent expect a data breach to occur during the current crisis.

Andy Harcup of Absolute Software said: “It beggars belief that businesses are slashing IT staff at a time when digital skills are so critical for delivering effective remote working systems.

“It’s also worrying that such a high proportion of companies are allowing employees to share confidential company data on personal devices, using outdated apps as well as knowingly operating in breach of GDPR rules.

“With thousands of companies ordering brand new laptops and tablet computers to support remote working, it’s also crucial that companies have the necessary cyber security systems in place to ensure every device using the company network is patched, encrypted and protected from outsider threats.”

Sridhar Iyengar of Zoho Europe added: “Businesses should think twice before scaling down on IT, particularly with lockdown measures scheduled to remain in place for the foreseeable future.”