{"id":740,"date":"2013-06-21T16:31:30","date_gmt":"2013-06-21T16:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=740"},"modified":"2013-06-21T16:31:30","modified_gmt":"2013-06-21T16:31:30","slug":"higher-it-confidence-tied-to-more-strategic-use-of-technology-among-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/higher-it-confidence-tied-to-more-strategic-use-of-technology-among-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Higher IT confidence tied to more strategic use of technology among small businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"smb-tech-trends\"<\/a>When it comes to IT, confidence affects its strategic use by small and mid-sized businesses to drive business and achieve goals, a new study says.<\/p>\n

Symantec Corp. surveyed nearly 2500 small and mid-sized businesses across the globe to determine how confident they were in their use of IT as a strategic business tool. \u00a0Based on responses, the global security solutions provider developed its \u201c2013 Global SMB IT Confidence Index.”<\/a> Symantec used the ratings to identify three tiers of companies,\u00a0 contrasting the top tier with the bottom tier to assess significant differences.<\/p>\n

Confidence comes from the top<\/strong><\/p>\n

Small and mid-sized businesses with a high IT confidence score traced that attitude back to their founder. Among top tiers, 74 percent said that the founder\u2019s previous business experience influenced the company\u2019s view on IT compared to 61 percent of businesses with low-ranking index scores. In addition, Symantec found that 83 percent of top-tier small and mid-sized businesses use IT as a strategic business enabler, compared to just 44 percent of bottom-tier SMBs.<\/p>\n

Top tiers are also more likely to invest in a high quality IT infrastructure and deploy advanced computing platforms, such \"Cloud\"<\/a>as cloud computing <\/a>and mobility<\/a>. Top-tier companies see these trends as being worth the risk far more than the bottom-tier companies.<\/p>\n

Better business results tied to IT confidence<\/strong><\/p>\n

The survey also found that 81 percent of small and mid-sized businesses believe that by using IT strategically, they can increase market share. By comparison, only 35 percent of the lower-confidence tier companies express this sentiment. Also top-tier small and mid-sized businesses have made information security a business priority, with 78 percent stating that they are somewhat\/extremely secure versus 39 percent of the bottom tier.\u00a0 Specifically, the higher-ranking tier says they experience fewer cyber-attacks and monetary losses (51 percent lower annual loss from cyber-attacks) than bottom-tier counterparts.<\/p>\n

Embrace IT for success<\/strong><\/p>\n

To follow in the footsteps of small and mid-sized businesses successfully leveraging IT to achieve their goals, Symantec recommends:<\/p>\n