The majority of small and medium-sized companies cannot do business without their PCs and internet connections, according to a survey.

A report by security company McAfee and IT outsourcer WireworX found that 84 per cent of those questioned rated PCs and the internet as " indispensable" to their everyday working life. 

But despite this level of dependency, four out of five companies are unhappy with the levels of support provided by IT vendors, and only 14.5 per cent are completely satisfied with all aspects of the purchase and support process.

The study of 165 UK micro-companies employing between one and 10 people also found that just under two-thirds would like access to a PC helpdesk to solve IT problems.

Thankfully, 87 per cent of respondents recognised the importance of backing up their data.

However, McAfee was worried to find that one third of UK SMEs either do nothing to protect themselves or have little or no understanding of IT security threats to their business.

This is despite a recent survey by small-business agency Business Link, which found that over half of small firms expect a security breach in 2006. 

Will Cappelli, research vice president at analyst firm Gartner, suggested that the security industry had missed out on a potentially large market. 

"Micro-businesses and independent professionals represent a significant growth market virtually unnoticed by vendors and traditional service providers, " he said.

The report was commissioned as part of WireworX's addition of McAfee's security service to its range of products for small businesses.