Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The IT Skills Report, commissioned by BT Business, shows that only three per cent of SMEs in the East of England host pure online operations and derive all their sales through the internet.

This is despite 96 per cent of businesses in the area using their IT technology and communications systems every day. In addition, 70 per cent of those surveyed in the East of England say they could not function in the office without their technology.

Terry Hughes, regional director, BT Local Business, East of England, said: “Customer demand is driving the use and adoption of e-business, and technology is now a ‘must-have’ rather than a ‘nice-to-have’ in business in the East of England.

“With an estimated 455,000 SMEs in the East of England, smaller businesses represent a key component of the area’s economy and it is critical they stay competitive. There are easy to use IT and Communications systems out there for them, many with excellent IT support services in place that allow businesses to concentrate on their business rather than their day to day IT issues.”

Significantly, of those who have started to do business online, 61 per cent of SMEs in the East of England have attracted new customers in the UK through the internet, and in most cases these online sales are additional to, rather than a substitute for, conventional sales.

Hughes said: “Our report shows that many SMEs in the area, because of their size and resources, are unable to employ a dedicated IT&C professional and instead are reliant on family and friends to provide IT advice. The Report highlights that often a lack of training and investment in IT results in a lack of basic IT knowledge and this can hold an SME back from truly e-volving.”