SMEs slow to network: IDC

By

Small to medium enterprises' uptake of local area networks (LANs) has risen only slightly compared to this time last year, according to a report.


The IDC Australia report, titled 'Trends in Australian SMEs, Demand for Networking 2004', indicated that 75 percent of businesses surveyed had implemented a LAN this year, with 5 percent intending to install one. The remaining 20 percent had no intention of moving to a networked environment.

According to IDC Australia's press release, this was only “marginally higher” than last year's results where 74 percent of respondents were currently LAN-based and 2 percent were intending to become so.

IDC Australia's SME market analyst, Brad Hill, pointed to a general lack of understanding in small businesses about networked environments.

“It is the smaller businesses that really do not understand the benefits of deploying a LAN -- shared resources and cost savings need to be clearly explained and demonstrated to these businesses.”

Additionally, Hill said that part of the responsibility lay with the industry: “It is crucial for vendors to demonstrate how implementing a LAN will be of benefit to the business,” he said.

Security fears, said Hill, were also affecting the uptake of LAN-based services like remote access. According to the report, 62 percent of surveyed businesses were offering the service to staff -- a 4 percent increase over last year's result.

Of those businesses that were currently running a LAN, 85 percent were server-based with 30 percent running HP products, 23 percent IBM and 14 percent Dell.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Tags:

Most Read Articles

Service NSW centralises security, networking in mammoth CloudOps overhaul

Service NSW centralises security, networking in mammoth CloudOps overhaul

Sydney Zoo uses Microsoft Fabric to underpin data modernisation

Sydney Zoo uses Microsoft Fabric to underpin data modernisation

TfNSW's network services deal with Datacom hits $190m

TfNSW's network services deal with Datacom hits $190m

The Asus ZenWiFi Pro XT12 delivers fast, reliable wireless networking for SMBs

The Asus ZenWiFi Pro XT12 delivers fast, reliable wireless networking for SMBs

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?