Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK are wasting £18 billion a year on outdated computing practices, according to a new survey.

The Server Solutions Study by Fasthosts, a web hosting company, reveals that many SMEs host their server in-house because they believe it offers the most security protection.

Fasthosts shows that many of the necessary requirements needed to set up a server within the company premises, such as a power failure system which ensure the server can be shut down safely in an emergency, require lots of preparation.

Other features that might be required include air conditioning, physical security and remote back-up, a service which provides users with an online system for securing and storing computer files.

Andrew Michael, chief executive of Fasthosts, says: "In our experience many businesses are still stuck in 1980s computing mentality."

Mr Michael says that SMEs need to "move and embrace new computing practices" to secure data on its computer security systems, because "data is the lifeblood of any business".

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