Allianz Worldwide Partners (AWP) has introduced a cyber-protection assistance service for small business owners in Australia.

An AWP survey found more than half of small businesses either do not have cyber-crime protection or assume business insurance plans extend to digital risks.

“We saw this gap in the market and wanted to create a product that would give small business owners the peace of mind in knowing exactly where to turn in the event of a cyber attack,” CEO Craig Dalzell said.

“Our product helps put the power back in the small business owner’s hands by knowing they have a quick response recovery.”

The service provides support and system recovery for cyber-attack victims, and a single point of contact to arrange these.

It aims to serve as a second line of defence when commonly used anti-virus software fails.