E-crime fear is holding back UK ecommerce

NEWS More than a third of UK businesses are failing to take precautions to protect mission-critical operations from Internet crime, according to research commissioned by Novell. This is hampering ecommerce because it seems the same sector of IT professionals is using the fear of Internet crime as an excuse to delay getting their businesses online. Forty two per cent of the 150 IT managers and directors questioned in the research believed widespread concerns over online crime is restricting the adoption of ecommerce. Eugene Forrester, product marketing manager at Novell, claims the dangers associated with falling behind competitors are now far greater than those risked through Internet crime, urging businesses to adopt a security strategy and get online.