Starting point

IT and the Internet have transformed day-to-day business in medium-sized enterprises. And, a large majority of mid-size companies are making the most of the opportunities the Internet has opened up. However, in March 2004 alone, almost one quarter of these companies were forced to put operations temporarily on hold in order to eliminate virus threats from their computer systems. According to a study conducted in the same year, 27 percent of medium-sized enterprises had not appointed any IT security personnel. Meanwhile, 11 percent of all companies had never used anti-virus software.

It was against this backdrop that the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Technology launched its initiative to promote Internet security among medium-sized companies at the end of 2003. The goal of this initiative is to provide company owners with reliable and easy-to-grasp information about how best to minimize risks. Expert support for the initiative is supplied by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Industry partners and associations are intimately involved in the campaign.