Almost a third of small business owners believe that BYOD (bring-your-own-device) carries no risks and they have no intention to invest in mobile device security.
A recent study by Kaspersky Lab found that 32% of SME owners were unconcerned about security risks despite the fact that 62% of business owners and employees now use personal mobile devices for work.
Bring-your-own-device, it said, is now a "widely accepted business practice" affecting companies of all sizes.
But the survey found that many small businesses believe that the basic security tools offered within free solutions are sufficient; with more than 80% saying they were not interested in information about managing the security of mobile devices.
Meanwhile, employees are not taking responsibility for security either. The research found that 92% of those polled say they keep sensitive business data on the smartphones and tablets that they use for both work and personal activities.
And, although 60% are concerned about the threat of surveillance and information theft via mobile devices, they do not actively protect themselves and rely on their employers to do so.
Konstantin Voronkov, head of endpoint product management at Kaspersky, said: "It is increasingly rare to come across a business professional who doesn't use their own mobile device for work. A laptop or smartphone enables you to do a large part of your business tasks remotely, from any global location.
"However, the loss of important corporate data via personal devices is a common occurrence, and a negligent attitude towards the security of mobile devices could pose a serious risk to a company's business."