Earlier this year, The Federation of small Businesses (FSB) and Intellect created a joint report, based on an internet survey completed by 2,200 members, to grasp how small companies are utilising technology to grow and create jobs. We will discuss the key findings of this report below and what opportunities these offer you and your business.
With around 4.8 million different SMEs in the United Kingdom and a difficult economic climate to battle with, small businesses have to be innovative and economical in order to survive and grow. Creating the best possible use of the latest technology for instance cloud hosted desktops opens up a lot of opportunities to boost the performance of your organisation while keeping up with the competition.
In a report created by the Federation of small Businesses (FSB) and Intellect, some key trends stand out concerning how and why small businesses are investing in technology and outsourced IT solutions.
59% of small businesses see technology as being beneficial for innovation
Innovation and growth go hand in hand. The rise in user friendly technology has allowed us all to embrace our inner geek. We're slowly morphing into a world of budding app creators, infographic designers and web site builders. Every month holds a brand new invention that might provide your business the edge over the competition like the rise of cloud hosted desktops, so stay informed and keep creating.
95% of small businesses use email and 62% see the benefit that technology has for communicating with existing customers.
The fast pace of innovation means there are currently a great number of ways to speak with existing clients and targeting potential prospects. Nowadays, devices integrate so seamlessly, which makes communicating with your customers a great deal easier and more unified. Our email syncs with our smartphones, hosted telephony solutions, instant messaging and video.
While email is still the most efficient type of communication you must ensure that your platform allows you to do so in the most effective method possible, be that sharing your calendar on-line with colleagues, sending out branded email templates or blocking spam. Indeed, plenty of SMEs are using hosted email services and cloud hosted desktops to provide such functionality.
76% of small businesses see cloud services and cloud hosted desktops as having a positive impact on business innovation.
Small businesses are constantly looking at ways to work more flexibly and cost effectively. Cloud services are in high demand because of the way they allow you to:
• Save money - on hardware by using the resources of a cloud provider
• Optimise operations - provide global, 24/7 access to tools
• Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) - provide your staff the flexibility to work from any device
• Improve data management - Increase information sharing, collaboration and thus improve information accuracy
• Attract talented employees - who may not want to work in a traditional work environment
With the internet powering the creation of thousands of new businesses and unleashing a whole new wave of start-ups and competition, there is a new generation of tech savvy small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) coming through. It is important that you continue to invest and prioritise technology in your overall business development plans to keep pace with your competitors. By ensuring that you're aware of and have access to all of the services and support available to you for example utilising cloud hosted desktops or outsourced IT solutions, these are things that can keep you ahead of the game.
