Small businesses see broadband as key survival tool

Nearly half of small businesses believe broadband will be an important tool in helping them survive and prosper during the recession, and one in five believe it will be the most important tool for beating the crunch

The figures come from a recent easynet survey of 255 IT Managers, and shows how small businesses see broadband as key to boosting their profiles and unlocking new revenue opportunities.

74 percent of small businesses will use the web to grow their company profile, and 52 per cent claim that the web would put them on a level playing field with bigger companies. When it comes to creating new opportunities, 46 percent are looking to create new products and services on the web and over 58 percent are looking to use the web to expand into new markets at home and overseas.

SMEs are also keen on using broadband to power modern working practices and cost-cutting technologies. 3 out of 4 of firms are looking to use Broadbandto enable remote working, 33 percent are considering using VoIP to reduce telephone bills and just over half are looking to use video conferencing to reduce business travel. Notably, a growing number of companies (23 percent) are considering adopting SaaS applications to help save on the cost of traditional software licenses.

Chris Stening, Managing Director of Easynet Connect said of the research “The critical difference between now and the recession of the early 90s is the Internet, which could easily be the most important tool in helping small businesses through the current down turn. The Internet has meant that businesses are much better equipped this time around. In the early 90s we were a world away from e-commerce, online marketing, or having a mobile workforce, let alone using cloud computing or holding video conferences with customers on the other side of the world.”

“Our previous research has shown that 71 percent of UK SMEs could not survive for more than a day without the Internet. With SMEs using the technology in more and more innovative ways to help them out of the recession, it will be interesting to see how this figure changes in the coming years,” concludes Stening.

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