One of the great developments in access to the internet over recent years is its newfound mobility. A plethora of devices available on the high street, such as BlackBerrys and other PDAs, cell phones, and Apple's iPhone, offer users the capacity to get reliable web access from almost anywhere they also get telephone connectivity.

Many people view this sea change as the future of the internet, setting users free rather than keeping them chained to their computers or offices. This is not only the case in the developed world, with major telecommunications firms already expressing the view that the mobile internet access can provide people in developing countries with the opportunities previously denied to them. Access to computers or wireline internet is scarce in a large number of countries across Asia, South America and Africa, with a number of firms keen to improve their mobile penetration in these continents.

Just one spyware infection on a workstation could massively reduce the productivity of an average small business worker for up to 2.5 days, new research suggests.

According to a survey of employees working at companies with 10 to 200 computers, the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) found that more than a quarter of users had reported spyware infections in the last six months, and subsequently limited productivity.