Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of small businesses surveyed by Newtek Business Services said they have never heard of cloud computing, underlining a fundamental lack of knowledge about the technology. Based on a poll of approximately 1,800 respondents, the survey found only 26 percent of those who had heard of cloud computing could describe what it was. Seventy-one percent of respondents acknowledged they do not keep their critical business files and data backed up offsite—only 29 […]
SMB
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“You don’t know what you don’t know” might be the expression most appropriate for small to medium-size businesses (SMB) when it comes to the benefits of technology and their business, according to an independent survey of more than 500 SMB decision makers released at National Small Business Week. The study, commissioned by Verio Inc., a provider of online business solutions to SMBs worldwide, showed that more than two-thirds of respondents are uncertain if they will […]
Here are the results from a recent Virtual PBX survey that asked more than 600 SMBs about virtual office use — along with the perceived effectiveness, costs, and technology needed to support a virtual business. The most popular drivers for using a virtual office included: employees’ flexibility (61%), business cost savings (54%), geographic distance of staff (42%) and the desire to reduce commute time, cost and pollution (41%). More 60% of respondents work from a […]
Many small businesses are still uncertain about cloud computing and wonder if it can help boost profitability without being extremely risky. To figure it out, it’s best to start by defining cloud computing in small business terms. There are two commonly agreed upon types of cloud computing: 1) software-as-a-service and 2) infrastructure-as-a-service. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) refers to cloud computing where the software you would normally install on your office computers is instead delivered over the Internet. […]
Small businesses looking to ditch old PBX landline phones can save big and increase staff productivity by migrating to Internet-based phone systems. The telephone switchboard and landline desk phone may not be dead, but they are becoming relics of the past along with office ashtrays and typewriters. Businesses are increasingly turning away from PBX (private branch exchange) phone systems and toward VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony, which enables conversations to travel as data across […]
Cloud computing can offer small and midsize companies wonderful potential benefits — in cost savings, time efficiency and simplifying business processes. However, solution providers must be able to distill the hype from the benefits of cloud computing to provide a solid foundation for any solution. Following are eight typical customer concerns you’ll need to address when selling a cloud solution. 1. Will I save money by going to the cloud? SMB customers are acutely aware […]
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are beginning to use hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions as an inexpensive substitute to in-house applications, a technical services provider believes. This is because hosted VoIP solutions remove hardware and in-house maintenance costs, a representative from PlanetMagpie has said. As a result, businesses are able to instead spend their money on other areas of their operations, which could be particularly important in the current economic climate. VoIP can enable […]
Internet Protocol Telephony (IPT), also known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is revolutionizing the way we do business. It offers a flexible, cost effective alternative to a traditional PSTN system (Public Switched Telephone Network), and is taking the business world by storm. So how does it work? Well, in a nutshell IPT allows you to place the telephone calls you would normally make on a phone line, over the internet using broadband or leased […]
The SMB market for VoIP services is about to explode and service providers unprepared to meet that demand risk losing a hefty chunk of that key customer base, a new survey commissioned by Metaswitch Networks reports. The 2011 version of a regular survey of U.S. SMBs conducted by market research firm Inzenka showed that 27 percent of the 700 companies surveyed are already using VoIP and another 50 percent are planning to deploy it in […]
By using VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), companies immediately save money on toll charges. Also, you don’t pay any additional per-line feature charges because VoIP runs on your computer network. Regulatory fees, surcharges, and taxes are applied on a per-line basis. As you reduce the number of lines, the line-cost and recurring charges go with them. Reducing or eliminating phone lines If you can eliminate one or more of the lines that you lease from […]