A survey of
how the
small business community uses the Internet by SME broadband
provider UK Online has found that security and email management are
the key concerns in a practice that SMEs' businesses depend
on.
In broad terms, greater flexibility and less commuting were
driving factors among the
small business community’s adoption of home working.
However, in attempting to take advantage of home working, almost
half (48%) cited receiving too many irrelevant emails as the
biggest frustration with the Internet and how to manage them as one
of the key challenges.
Two-thirds (65.70%) of those surveyed by UK Online expressed
concerns about Internet security. The third (34.30%) who said they
are not worried about Internet security seems a surprisingly high
figure given the fact that security incidents occur proportionately
more frequently at SMEs than at large enterprises and the effects
of such incidents have greater potential ramifications also.
Somewhat alarmingly, half (50.40%) of the SMEs surveyed did not
have telephone and/or remote IT support from broadband suppliers a
key issue when gaining the benefits of home working depends on a
highly available Internet service. Of the 49.60% of respondents
that did have telephone and/or remote IT support, most people said
they hardly ever, seldom or rarely use it.
“Email remains one of the key uses for the Internet, and the
management and hosting of email has never been [as] critical as it
is for the growing numbers of remote workers,” warned Chris
Stening, managing director of UK Online.