Report: Australian Small Business Missing Out on VoIP Benefits

By Wayne Adam, Contributing Writer

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently released the results of its “Australian SMEs in the Digital Economy” survey, which suggests that more SMBs could be taking advantage of outsourcing their communications facilities. Only 17 percent of SMEs reported having any form of outsourcing arrangement to manage their day-to-day communications needs.

The survey was conducted by the ACMA surveying 1,500 businesses with less than 200 employees to produce the report, one of a series of targeted reports designed to provide details on key aspects of Australia’s digital economy.

The report stresses the importance to the economy as a whole of ensuring that small businesses operate at maximum efficiency. “Collectively SMEs are big players in the Australian economy,” it says. “[They are] estimated to account for 69 percent of the total Australian workforce and 57 percent of total business income earned during 2011–12.”

The survey goes on to suggest that more SMBs could be taking advantage of outsourcing their communications facilities. Only 17 percent of SMEs reported having any form of outsourcing arrangement to manage their day-to-day communications needs, yet businesses are “primed” to do so. Further, the use of cloud computing services is quite high, as 47 percent of respondents reported using some type of cloud computing service such as Web-based email and data storage services, with no significant difference between medium and small enterprises.

According to the ACMA, “A confident SME is using communications services intensively and is changing business practices to realize increased productivity through such practices as offering staff the opportunity to telework; gain efficiencies through the use of new services such as cloud computing; respond to the demand for mobile services through developing mobile applications and mobile-optimized websites; and use online marketing tools and social networks to access an increasingly global marketplace.”


Edited by Rory J. Thompson

(source: http://wholesale-voip.tmcnet.com/articles/372849-report-australian-small-business-missing-out-voip-benefits.htm)

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