The second quarterly Broadband Barometer report -- commissioned by Pacific Internet and conducted by A.C. Nielsen -- reveals that SMBs use of Internet technologies remain focussed on the basic applications of the Internet, and the protection of their networks. An SMB was defined as a business employing less that 50 people.
The report found that 77 percent of broadband-enabled SMBs used a firewall, with another 11 percent intending to use one within the next 12 months. Network security products were also heavily used, with 75 percent of SMBs currently using a product and a further six percent indicating they intended to use a product within 12 months.
Although 64 percent of broadband-enabled small businesses flagged spam and intrusive marketing as issues of concern, only 43 percent of those businesses currently use a spam filter, although a further 29 percent indicated they intend to deploy one in the next 12 months.
SMBs remain unimpressed by much-hyped technologies such as Voice over IP (VoIP) and videoconferencing. Only six percent of SMBs currently use VoIP according to the Broadband Barometer, and 53 percent replied they have no intention to use the technology. Twelve percent of SMBs use videoconferencing but 58 percent indicated they had no intention to use the technology.
The use of broadband among SMBs increased by four percent over the July-October quarter, to 236,000 SMBs (45 percent) using broadband. Of these, 42 percent use a product that is aimed at the residential market, which goes hand-in-hand with the perception that most SMBs use broadband for faster e-mail and Web site access and an 'always-on' connection.
Of those SMBs who only connect to the Internet through narrowband connections, 32 percent said they were not currently interested in broadband because it was too expensive. A further 27 percent indicated broadband was not enabled in their area, and 16 percent said they needed more information to make an informed decision.
