Abstract
A number of major technology companies as well as specialists have services
designed to help growing firms take advantage of the Internet. Beyond
establishing a Web presence, the latest generation of Internet services can
improve internal efficiency and external reach. This study investigates which
companies small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have made the greatest use
of as providers of Internet resources in the past, by both company size and
vertical industry, and which companies they are most likely to use or continue
to use in the next 12 months. Small businesses that use Google, Microsoft,
Yahoo!, and AOL as providers of Internet resources are then compared across a
number of dimensions.
"Small firms in particular will be making more and more use of the Internet as
a resource, driven by the fact that more than 80% of online small firms now
have high-speed Internet access, and also because they are increasingly
comfortable in going online to get information," says Merle Sandler, research
manager in the SMB Program at IDC. "Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! are the
leading companies that small businesses turn to as providers of Internet
resources. While some of their capabilities are similar, the profiles of the
small businesses that use these three firms are very different regarding
company size, IT spending, and online sales and promotion."
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- IDC Opinion
- In This Study
- Situation Overview
- Current and Planned Use of Companies as Providers of Internet Resources, by Size and Industry
- Table: Companies Used by U.S. Small Businesses as Providers of Internet Resources by Company Size, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Table: Companies Used by U.S. Medium-Sized Businesses as Providers of Internet Resources by Company Size, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Table: Companies Planned to be Used by U.S. Small Businesses as Providers of Internet Resources by Company Size, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Table: Companies Planned to be Used by U.S. Medium-Sized Businesses as Providers of Internet Resources by Company Size, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Table: Companies Used by U.S. SMBs as Providers of Internet Resources by Vertical Industry, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Table: Companies Planned to be Used by U.S. SMBs as Providers of Internet Resources by Vertical Industry, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Use of Different Providers of Internet Resources by SMBs in Different Attitude Clusters
- Table: Cluster Allocation of U.S. SMBs by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Comparisons Between Small Businesses that Use Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and AOL
- Average Number of Employees
- Figure: Number of Employees in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007
- Annual Revenue Growth
- Table: Sales Performance in Past 12 Months in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- IT Spending
- Figure: Amount Spent on IT in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007
- Figure: Allocation of IT Spending in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007
- Table: Expected Increase in IT Spending in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- High-Speed Internet Access
- Figure: High-Speed Internet Access in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007
- Figure: Amount Spent Per Month on High-Speed Internet Access in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007
- IP Telephony
- Table: Use of IP Telephony in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Online Sales and Promotion
- Table: Online Sales and Promotion in U.S. Small Businesses by Internet Resource Provider Used, 2007 (% of Respondents)
- Future Outlook
- Figure: Small Business Agreement with Key Attitude Statements by Internet Resource Provider Used
- Essential Guidance
- Learn More
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