Over the past decade, the internet has evolved from a technical environment into a commercial marketplace. The impact on consumers and large enterprises has been significant, but what about the small and medium sized business? With few of the skills and resources of their larger counterparts, these organizations need to get the best value from the internet and the network based services it enables, without risking day-to-day operations.
QUOCIRCA INSIGHT REPORT May 2008
Soaring not SurfingSmall and medium sized businesses make the connectionOver the past decade the internet has evolved from a technical environment into a commercial market-Contacts: place. The impact on consumers and large enterprises has been significant, but what about the small and medium sized business? With few of the skills and resources of their larger counterparts, these organisa-Rob Bamforth tions need to get the best value from the internet and the network-based services it enables, without risking Quocirca Ltd day-to-day operations. Although employees will be increasingly aware of the options for connecting to the Tel +44 1962 849746 internet as consumers, this does not readily translate into the right knowledge for how to select the most rob.bamforth@quocirca.com appropriate alternatives from internet service providers for the business they work for.
Bob Tarzey . UK-based small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) have embraced the internet Quocirca Ltd Widely accepted as a fundamental part of business IT, the internet has moved far from its academic Tel +44 1753 855794 routes. Around two thirds of SMBs have been online for over 5 years, and for more than half of these companies, this commercial use of the internet is part of a formal business strategy.bob.tarzey@quocirca.comLinda Harris . New services and applications are playing a significant partEasynet Connect At one time many SMBs' use of the internet was simply a web presence-an advertisement or com-pany brochure-and a route to email. Now, over a third of SMBs are already selling online, over a Tel 020 7032 4031 quarter are using IP telephony, one in six have some form of network video and almost 40% use the linda.harris@uk.easynet.net network for remote backup/disaster recovery.. Connection has become vital for many, with continuity levels an important issueWhile a quarter of companies could work for days with no internet connection, most companies require failures to be fixed inside a day. For one in four, time to fix is even tighter at less than an hour, and for some no break in service is acceptable. In such critical situations, a second redundant connection has to be worth considering.. Quality of service is also an issueMost companies expect good service levels and look to providers with reliable reputations, but around one in four have noted connection performance dropping frequently or occasionally. This is more prevalent among those companies whose internet connection has often failed, indicating that a drop off in service level and connection failures go hand in hand.. There is a simplistic view of the internet connectivity options availableResearch Note: While most believe they understand the range of options from internet service providers (ISPs), only around a third understand the equivalent upload to download bandwidth advantage offered by sym-The information presented in metric (SDSL) over asymmetric (ADSL). A similar minority correctly identified the benefits of a low this report is based on a sur-contention ratio. These will become important aspects in assuring service levels in the broad deploy-vey of 345 organisations in ment of applications such as VoIP, remote backup and video conferencing.the UK. It was completed in April of 2008. . Despite these challenges, companies are not rapidly switching between providersOnly around 10% are looking to change anytime soon, and of those who have most recently changed, Those surveyed were from they based their decision mainly on quality of service and price. What most look for in their ISP is not small and medium UK-based simply the best commercial terms, but solid reliability and technical skills. Most would also look first businesses and organisations to their ISP for information and guidance on making choices about internet connections.with between 10 and 250 employees. CONCLUSION: SMBs have greater expectations of their suppliers, as they will often lack either the knowledge or time and resources internally to deal with the complexities of products and services they Quocirca would like to thank increasingly depend upon. As they embrace the internet and rely upon it for increasingly sophisticated all the respondents to the services, it will become more important to understand the different offers from providers, and look survey and thank Easynet beyond price to added value and support. This also places an onus on the ISPs the... [download for more]
