A study sponsored by Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance revealed that even though most small businesses rely on the Internet for a portion of their business, 86 percent of those surveyed do not have dedicated IT staff to focus on cyber security, reports eWEEK.

The survey questioned nearly 1,500 U.S. small businesses on their cyber-security policies and practices. The report also showed that only 28 percent of the respondents have a formal Internet security policy and only 35 percent provide Internet safety and security training for employees. NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser said to those businesses:

Being smart about the online safety of your employees, business and customers is a critical part of doing business. Cyber security is not a nice-to-have for American business; it is critical to their survival.