Mobile technology is high on the agenda for small businesses in 2007, according to a new survey.
Investment in laptops and handheld computers is top of the list of spending priorities for next year with just under 70% of firms planning to invest in getting their staff more mobile.
Over half of those surveyed were also planning to invest in virtual private networks (VPN), private data networks that make use of the public telecommunication infrastructure.
According to the report, authored by the Bathwick Group, the interest in VPN, mobile devices and WiFi is a sign that enabling staff to work outside of the office has become a serious priority for many small firms.
However, newer forms of communication which make use of the internet are starting to break into the small and medium business sector.
“By far and away the hottest issue is Voice over Internet Protocle (VoIP),” said Jonathan Steel, chief executive officer at the Bathwick Group.
Steel said there was already a ‘fairly high penetration’ of VoIP technology, but an even higher proportion of businesses were planning to invest in it over the next year.
According to the survey, two thirds of firms were looking at single suppliers for all their communications technology as a way of either cutting costs or providing more efficiency.
“The data shows there’s very clearly an opportunity for unified communications solutions,” continued Steel.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2006
