Despite the almost daily barrage of news detailing the latest devastating virus or Microsoft security vulnerability, analyst IDC recently reported that fewer than 10 per cent of European companies have a security policy in place.

This failure to implement effective security policies is leaving the majority of companies open to what experts describe as "surprisingly common" flaws. Although the task of developing a security risk assessment strategy and, from this, a viable and effective security policy, may seem daunting. But it's not something that can be swept under the carpet.

The first place to start is with a detailed network audit which should identify the points at which outsiders can access your systems.

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