Behind the scenes technologies are all the rage20 April 2006
Small businesses in the UK have realigned their priorities when it comes to investment, according to a new survey. So if you are looking to show off the signs of your business' success, wave goodbye to swanky office furnishings and sleek company cars. According to Cisco Systems , real company kudos now comes from the practical and advanced technological investments that have been made - rather than displayed.
A poll of 400 small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) conducted by Cisco revealed that most would look to invest in information technology before anything else - indicating its importance in the pursuit of success. Asked how they would spend £20,000, 37 per cent said they would buy new servers and 34 per cent opted for new staff PCs, while just two per cent said company cars.
Bernadette Wightman from Cisco said: "The results show that a surprising number of small businesses are investing in high-performance, advanced technologies - technologies that have a major impact on business productivity and competitiveness."
There are a number of ways in which small business can improve their productivity and performance through relatively low-cost investment in technology.
Investment
Broadband
One technology which is undoubtedly essential for the success of any small business in the UK is a high speed broadband internet connection. The survey found that 92 per cent of companies had subscribed to broadband, as this is the basis for all advanced communications services.
VoIP
According to the poll, 29 per cent of UK businesses have begun utilising broadband telephony services such as BT Broadband Voice. This technology allows calls to be made over a broadband connection at the same quality and convenience as traditional phone lines, at a significantly lower cost. Developments are continually being made in this field so call management and sound quality features are likely to become even more advance in the near future - Frost & Sullivan predicts that there will be some 18 million VoIP lines up and running by 2010.
Mobile devices
One key element of being able to compete effectively with other businesses of all sizes is mobility and flexibility. As a result, 38 per cent of SMEs in the Cisco poll have ploughed money into remote workforce technologies, such as laptops and wireless communications access. Ensuring your business is equipped for practices such as video and tele-conferencing, homeworking and remote email and messaging means you can cater to clients' requirements quickly and more efficiently, while saving costs such as travel between sites.
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