Though small and medium businesses are set to contribute significantly to IT spending in the Middle East this year, according to a recent survey by research group International Data Corporation (IDC), viruses and spam (unwanted commercial e-mail) are reducing their efficiency and creating security risks.
These problems are exacerbated because up to two-thirds of small businesses do not employ dedicated technology staff and so have to bring in specialist help when they are hit by viruses, raising costs and forcing systems offline. Reinforcing its commitment to help small businesses develop, Trend Micro is highlighting the security measures small and medium businesses need to put in place to protect their businesses from IT threats at the road show held in Dubai this week.
“Small businesses embody the spirit of opportunism, innovation, and passion, and at Trend Micro, we are committed to providing them access to world-class information technology solutions perfectly suited to meet their unique needs,” said Nisar Khan, channel account manager, Trend Micro Middle East and North Africa. “In October 2005, our research showed that that almost 50 percent of computer users in small and medium businesses said they had noticed growing incidents of spam in the past three months, while 57 percent of respondents believed that ‘phishing’ (data theft) attacks - often launched via spam - had increased within the same timeframe. To counter this threat, we have launched a campaign to help reduce businesses’ dependence on third party IT support.
“We want our ‘worry-free’ campaign to reduce the burden on small business, providing them with technology which can protect them from viruses and reduce the human resources needed to keep systems safe,” he added. “We’re delighted to work with IDC, which is one of the world’s leading research groups, to help small businesses across the Middle East region.”
Trend Micro will work with a range of partners to ensure that the maximum number of businesses have access to the technology. The company has developed a range of software that is designed for easy installation and continuous protection against malicious code and viruses – automatically maintained by regular scanning and reports issued to a designated administrator. The solution’s Zero Administration function also allows an administrator to quickly understand the level of threat activities and the status of the protection is perhaps the most important for companies with limited IT staff.
Trend Micro serves the Middle East’s SMB market with a portfolio of products specifically-designed for businesses that typically operate with deliberately limited IT support. These solutions are designed for easy installation and configuration, seek to provide the SMB with a robust functionality with a single interface and reduce the costs of installing, learning, and maintaining a secure business.
Trend Micro, Inc. is a leader in network antivirus and Internet content security software and services. The Tokyo-based corporation has business units worldwide. Trend Micro products are sold through corporate and value-added resellers and managed service providers. For additional information and evaluation copies of all Trend Micro products, visit our Web site, www.trendmicro-middleeast.com
