Small firms turn to ICT for operational efficiency

Date: 18th November 2008

Operational efficiency is the main reason for business start-ups to increasingly update information and communications technology (ICT), it has been claimed.

Research by the enterprise ICT provider Damovo UK revealed that 76 per cent of business start-ups showed a similar attitude to their larger counterparts, in that they placed most value in efficiency.

According to the group, as business start-ups grow they look to invest in more complex ICT infrastructures, such as wide area networks, customer relationship management tools and converged communications.

The company said: "In the current economic climate, cost reduction is frequently cited as the primary driving factor for businesses to upgrade ICT technologies.

"But the research shows that above all other factors … [small firms] treat operational efficiency as the key motivation."

What's more, the research also revealed that smaller companies saw ease of implementation and convenience as a key factor when choosing to implement ICT.

Recently, an investigation by social networking platform Gumtree showed that 46 per cent of business start-ups hire candidates based on their appearance.