June 18, 2002 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — A report released on Monday by research organization the Yankee Group (YankeeGroup.com) said that small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia remain relatively unsophisticated in their approach to the Internet and Web usage, despite several years of targeting by operators.
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The report, titled “SME Asia-Pacific 2002: Small Expectations, Medium-Sized Demand,” is based on the Yankee Group?s SME Asia-Pacific survey of network and communications decision makers in more than 450 SMEs in Sydney, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
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Among the report?s findings were the fact that SMEs are rapidly adopting broadband technologies, with 27 percent of the companies surveyed currently using either DSL or cable broadband. The report also says that SMEs acknowledge and accept that a Web presence will benefit their business, predicting that up to 75 percent will have their own Web site by the end of the year. The survey also found that SMEs are looking for outside assistance in maintaining their Web sites, with 65 percent of the SMEs surveyed outsourcing their Web hosting, and exploring additional services, albeit tentatively.
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“Although e-mail, the Internet’s original ?killer app,? is definitely a part of day-to-day business,” says Christopher Slaughter, the Yankee Group?s Asia-Pacific research director, “most Asian SMEs have yet to embrace some of the higher-order Web applications such as e-commerce, Web conferencing, or streaming media. Most SMEs? Web sites are still simple ?brochureware,? just marketing tools.”
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Despite the hesitation, the Yankee Group concludes that the region?s SMEs are in the process of developing their networked business strategies, and present a distinct opportunity for operators and vendors to educate businesses in the segment about the benefits of advanced services.
