SMBs optimistic about IT, struggle with decisions

Contributed by Charles Nguyen (Monday, August 16, 2010) | Category : Email messaging trends

A study recently conducted by the SMB Group, a newly formed analyst firm, and marketing company Hubspot found the majority of IT decision makers for small- and medium-sized businesses are optimistic about SMB IT in the future. However, a substantial portion of respondents believe their organization is lacking sufficient insight into SMB IT trends. The survey polled 475 people from companies of varying sizes to tabulate its results.

The issue, according to the survey, isn't a lack of insight related to IT trends. The primary problem, according to respondents, is having too much information to read through, and not enough guidance in terms of which data to trust. A majority of the respondents report being "confused" when making decisions relating to the integration of new solutions or hardware.

Despite the issues, 75 percent of respondents report they are optimistic about the future of their business and roughly half believe revenue will increase in the next year. Part of the reason organizations expect their earnings to rise is their planned expansion of IT infrastructure. While the survey did not mention any specific solutions, 35 percent of respondents reported their company must make better use of available data. Additionally, 32 percent said learning new technology that can benefit their company is their primary IT goal, and the same amount cited implementing new solutions as their top IT plan.

Business analytics and email archiving solutions are likely candidates for SMB adoption based on the survey's results. As regulations spread to cover more industries, archiving solutions help SMBs manage communication better and avoid mishaps - especially for organizations with limited IT personnel.

"These challenges were just as significant in medium businesses as in small ones, despite the fact that most medium businesses have IT staff, larger IT budgets and better access to external technology advisers," small business analyst Laurie McCabe said. "As a result, newer channels, such as application marketplaces and social media are taking off as key sources for information and guidance as SMBs try to get better insights before they purchase."

The study also pointed out the role social media now plays in various SMB operations. From marketing to employee communication, social media has carved a niche in enterprise operations.

Like email archiving, many IT experts believe organizations must consider social media archiving in the near future as well. As more organizations begin relying upon websites such as Facebook and Twitter for communication, regulatory authorities are likely to demand any correspondence posted on these websites.