Only 60% of firms regularly update software

A new F-Secure report has revealed that most businesses don’t have the necessary resources in place to apply legacy application updates – a potentially serious risk to  security.

Using data found in its report from last year, the security firm said that although 94% of small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) understand the importance of updating software, only 59% report that it is constantly updated.

Just 63% said that they have sufficient resources to enable them to update their software on a regular basis.

The report suggests the reason that these resources are not in place is revealed by the fact that these companies are spending an average of 11 hours, every week, on updating software.

Pekka Usva, Corporate Security VP for F-Secure, said that even when businesses are updating, it only scratches the surface of what they need. He explained:

“A common misconception is that the problem is the operating system.”

Usva said that operating systems remain well-updated and maintained, adding:

“The real problems are third party applications for both business and personal use – Skype, Adobe Reader, browsers with various plug-ins and Java, to name a few.”

For businesses, expending 11 hours a week or more on updating software is an investment that could be avoided by posting cyber security jobs, and employing a professional who can regularly update software and allow other people to be getting on with their own jobs. They would be more much more likely to know what needs to be updated, and where any potential threats may exist.