Research by IT support firm Connect found 37% of smaller firms it questioned considered regular issues to be their biggest IT problems.

Security was considered the biggest issue by 32% of respondents.

Connect said in reality the problems facing smaller businesses were not the issues that made IT headlines, such as mobile working, Web 2.0 and open source software.

A spokesman said:

"While we’re certainly not dismissing those concepts, the reality is that for the entrepreneurs and owner-managers that drive much of the innovation and growth in our economy, the issues are really much simpler.

"They just want robust, cost-effective IT systems that actually work. One of the challenges we need to address as an industry is how we can deliver more of that type of IT to this vital part of UK plc."