(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Reseller hosting provider Verio (www.verio.com) reported last week that the Economist Intelligence Unit, the business information arm of publishing company The Economist Group, issued the results of a small business survey conducted by the group and sponsored by Verio, to coincide with national small business week.
While not a marketing tool per se, the sponsoring of a survey is likely a move by the company to appear expert in the business of its customers by actually becoming expert in the business of its customers, and comes on the heels of similarly-focused studies sponsored or conducted by hosting companies such as Digital Realty Trust, Savvis and Fasthosts.
The study, Understanding Growth Priorities of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, was conducted in April 2009 among 328 executives from small and medium-sized businesses around the world, in an effort to understand their approach to business strategy during a recession.
The results of the study show that SMBs may be the most optimistic group of businesses in America, with one in four expecting economic turnaround to begin in late 2009, but that they would appreciate more support from government.
About 83 percent of SMB executives said they were optimistic about their company’s long-term ability to rebound, but 48 percent said local government was “unsupportive” or “not at all supportive” of their efforts, and 39 percent say the same of national government.
“While it is not clear if small and medium-sized firms believe they would benefit from a greater focus from governments and non-profit agencies, the data suggests a call to action for the public sector to think about programs that may offer greater aid to these companies during this difficult economic period,” says Debra D’Agostino, deputy director in the Americas, industry and management research at the Economist Intelligence Unit, quoted in the press release.
A free copy of the study’s results is available for download from the company’s website.
In a move closely related to the company’s efforts to focus on learning about – and educating – small businesses, Verio announced earlier in the month that it had launched Websites.com, an online resource for small businesses.
