smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Small business owners in the UK have made fundamental shifts in the way they use computers, yet many are still missing out on the full potential of IT, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Microsoft.

The results were announced at the UK launch of Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 at the British Library.

Communication was cited as the main use for IT by 85 per cent of the 785 respondents. Britain is fast becoming a nation of ‘web keepers’, with 82 per cent of small businesses surveyed embracing the internet and having a web presence. ‘Whereas IT was once used mainly for accounting and book-keeping’, commented BCC director general David Frost, ‘communication with customers and suppliers now comes in a very close second.’

‘However,’ says Frost, ‘small firms are still spending too much time on tasks they consider low priorities’, such as searching for information. Instead of devoting time to client management and customer service, they are getting bogged down by looking for files and records, dealing with Government red tape and fixing IT problems associated with IT security and data storage.

Loss of data is considered to be one of the key reasons for business inefficiency, yet half of small businesses are not backing up their data on a daily basis. With the DTI estimating that seven out of ten companies go out of business after major data loss, this is not an issue to be taken lightly.

Moreover, the estimated cost of outsourcing the production of marketing materials is also significant, at just over £6,000 a year for a small firm.

With the new Windows Vista operating system set to replace Windows XP and the release of Office 2007, Microsoft is claiming that its integrated search features will allow businesses to find documents and programmes faster, improved firewalls will protect against security threats and easier management of images in documents will be possible, allowing for in-house production of marketing materials.

For information on Windows Vista click here.

For information on Office 2007 click here.

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