Lenovo claims that cash-strapped small businesses are leaving simple cost savings options on the table and putting data at risk.

According to the Lenovo-AMD Small Business Tech Survey, small businesses are doing peculiar and alarming technology practices including relying on "piggybacking" on nearby WiFi networks and saving critical business files on USB thumb drives. The survey of more than 700 small business professionals shows that four out of five small business professionals agree they conduct work outside of the office.

Many respondents agreed they rely on a mobile device such as a laptop or smart phone. The most preferred devices are laptops (38 percent) and smart phones (31 percent). While 40 percent of small businesses back up files to external hard drives, half of them said they use USB thumb drives and CDs/DVDs to backup important information.

Other secure and cost-effective means of data storage, such as web-based cloud storage, were seldom used by the small businesses. A quarter of respondents reported they or someone in their company piggyback other available WiFi networks to conduct business. Almost one in five senior-level executives and proprietor/owners surveyed say they piggyback on wireless networks.

More than 70 percent of small businesses are not using VoIP for business calls. Almost nine in 10 small business professionals are somewhat or not at all familiar with the term "unified communications."