New survey reveals the true cost of IT neglect on UK businesses

Two-fifths of SME business owners (42 per cent) say they’ve lost income due to IT issues, according to new survey commissioned by worldwide IT support and technology services specialists A&O IT Group.

It seems a quarter (24 per cent) of owners typically deal with issues every week, with their regular IT supplier being unable to resolve the problem quickly in 24 per cent of cases and nearly a third (30 per cent) admitting they had recently experienced technology blackouts wiping out at least one full working day.

Launching a specialist SME and small business IT support service into the UK market today, the leading Global IT solutions company, A&O IT, asked SME business owners to consider the long-term impact of overlooking their IT support.

Despite the high-cost that computer glitches can have on a company’s bottom line, the research reveals that over half (54 per percent) don’t have annual IT check-ups that could identify and prevent potential system issues. What’s more, a fifth of owners (20 per cent) aren’t aware if an annual audit service is even offered by their current IT supplier.

The new service – A&O IT for Small Business – is designed to give SME’s the opportunity to access the world-class expertise, skill and experience of A&O IT engineers that big businesses have come to rely on around the world. This includes a complete managed IT service through to crisis recovery, cyber security, remote data back-up, annual IT reviews, hardware management and cloud services.

Whilst time-strapped SME owners struggle to balance the challenges of running a company, 38 per cent said their suppliers don’t proactively suggest new technical developments that could optimise operational performance. A further 35 per cent aren’t kept up to date with the latest IT-related regulations that could affect their business, from data and virus protection to cyber security.

Yet, with only 55 per cent of the owners questioned aware that cybercrime cost UK businesses around £124 million last year according to KPMG’s Fraud Barometer – a rise of 1266 per cent – the potential risks of overlooking IT are on the increase, particularly for small businesses who are more likely to be targeted due to their lack of adequate security systems.

Rod Moore, chairman, A&O IT said: “Whilst we take it for granted that technological improvements are making our working lives simpler, it’s all too easy for IT to fall to the bottom of a company’s priority list. This survey demonstrates how, for many SMEs, outdated technology and lack of regular attention can negatively impact productivity as well as profit.

“As the world moves increasingly online, business success will become even more reliant on smooth-running IT services and air-tight cyber security. For small and medium-sized companies, finding the right supplier to outsource these functions to can be a great way to free up internal resources and reduce overheads. In the case of A&OIT for Small Business customers, not only do they have the security of knowing their IT is being managed and maintained around the clock with annual reviews pre-empting problems but they also have the chance to access the same high levels of IT expertise that big businesses rely on.”

The new A&O IT for Small Business service launches in Birmingham and Cardiff today with plans to roll out nationwide by the end of 2017.

To find out more about working with A&OIT for Small Business visit aoitgroup.co.uk.