Symantec Corp has announced the findings of its 2011 Small Business Virtualisation Poll  which examined the adoption of virtualisation within small businesses and its impact on their organisations.  According to the survey, small businesses have a strong interest in virtualisation, but are still learning how to adopt it in their organisations.  As they implement server virtualisation, small businesses are putting their data at risk.  The survey found that most small businesses aren’t taking the most basic steps to secure and protect their virtual environments.  The survey is based on 658 respondents in 28 countries worldwide, of which 306 were from the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region.

Survey Highlights 

Financial Benefits Driving Decision to Virtualise.  Seventy-two percent of respondents from APJ said their organisations are considering virtualisation.  Not surprisingly, financial benefits rank highest among reasons to adopt server virtualisation.   

Limited IT Skills Holding Some Small Businesses Back. Despite their interest, small businesses are finding it difficult to move from discussions to execution.  Only eight percent of APJ-based respondents have deployed virtualised servers and they are focusing their early-stage efforts on simpler, less critical application areas.   

 Data on Virtualised Servers Lacking Basic Security Protection. As small businesses move to virtual environments, they do not protect and secure their data.  Only 13 percent always back up their virtualised servers and 24 percent backup infrequently or not at all.  They are not doing any better in securing their data – only 40 percent are completely secured.