Abstract
A number of major technology companies as well as specialists have services
designed to help growing firms take advantage of the Internet. Beyond
establishing a Web presence, the latest generation of Internet services can
improve internal efficiency and external reach. This study investigates which
companies small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have made the greatest use
of as providers of Internet resources in the past, by both company size and
vertical industry, and which companies they are most likely to use or continue
to use in the next 12 months. Small businesses that use Google, Microsoft,
Yahoo!, and AOL as providers of Internet resources are then compared across a
number of dimensions.
"Small firms in particular will be making more and more use of the Internet as
a resource, driven by the fact that more than 80% of online small firms now
have high-speed Internet access, and also because they are increasingly
comfortable in going online to get information," says Merle Sandler, research
manager in the SMB Program at IDC. "Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! are the
leading companies that small businesses turn to as providers of Internet
resources. While some of their capabilities are similar, the profiles of the
small businesses that use these three firms are very different regarding
company size, IT spending, and online sales and promotion."
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