Beware of the "accidental IT manager". That's the warning from Microsoft Ireland, which has published a report showing that 66 per cent of Irish small businesses surveyed do not have IT support, giving rise to the "accidental IT manager".

It claims that these are generally men over 35 years of age in senior roles in the SME, many of whom will spend up to 156 hours a year doing makeshift repairs and IT support.

According to Martin Cullen, director, Small & Medium Sized & Partner Business, Microsoft Ireland: "The accidental IT manager is a thankless task. There is a big difference between helping out on small IT issues versus having to manage an IT infrastructure which they are not equipped for.

“Time spent fire-fighting means loss of productivity by not being able to get on with what they do best, innovating and growing their business.”