NEARLY three quarters of all businesses in the North-west are at risk from computer viruses and security breaches because they fail to effectively manage email and internet access.

A survey also showed the UK, and in particular the North-west, is behind the rest of the world when it comes to e-commerce, with only two per cent of businesses in the North West being dependent on the internet for ordering online from suppliers and just four per cent relying on it to take orders from their customers. The findings come from the International Business Owners Survey (IBOS) carried out by Manchester based business and financial advisers, Grant Thornton.