SMEs embrace new broadband technology

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ireland are fed up with unreliable internet services and are embracing new technologies, a new report has found.

Commissioned by Vodafone, it was revealed that 16 per cent of businesses in the country still use a dial-up service. Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) use ISDN while 33 per cent are looking to new broadband connections and technologies to connect the company efficiently to the web, Silicon Republic notes.

Head of business marketing at Vodafone Eavann Murphy commented to the publication: "What is most striking about the research is the willingness among small firms to adopt new technology," thus indicating that companies in the emerald isle see a good internet connection as a vital part of their business.

"We expect to see more SMEs moving away from traditional slow or inflexible means of connecting to the internet," he added.

The research also discovered that 77 per cent of SME employees in Ireland can access the internet at work, with the workforce in media, IT, finance and professional positions having above average access (91 per cent).

Small construction firms were the least likely to offer employees access to the web, with only 72 per cent of respondents doing so.

Recent findings by BT Business found that half of the UK SMEs it questioned do not have a dedicated company website.

© Adfero Ltd

31 Jul 2007 15:03:24 (Source: Adfero)