ELECTRONIC data stored by almost three-quarters of small businesses is unsafe and insecure, a survey found. Results from the Dell and Federation of Small Businesses Computer and Data Security Survey 2006 show they store company data on PCs, as opposed to

ELECTRONIC data stored by almost three-quarters of small businesses is unsafe and insecure, a survey found.

Results from the Dell and Federation of Small Businesses Computer and Data Security Survey 2006 show they store company data on PCs, as opposed to servers or storage devices.

Two-thirds of respondents do not have a policy in place to prevent the unauthorised use of removable storage devices, such as USB keys or MP3 players.

Dell said the findings suggested firms were not fully aware of the importance of securing and backing up data correctly.

FSB Huntingdonshire chairman Malcolm Lyons said: "You wouldn't leave your door or your confidential files unlocked.

"But, all too often, people fail to back up their data somewhere secure and separate.