SMB IT Spending Report Predicts High Growth in Mobility for the Market

Five Ways to Avoid Connectivity Perils and Improve Employee Productivity

Research and Markets released the findings of its Global SMB IT Spending Market to 2016 report. Analysts predict that the global SMB IT spending to increase at a CAGR of 5.5 percent from 2012 through 2016.

The report goes on to say that the reason for the increase is high adoption of personal tech devices by employees of SMB companies, as well as the increased sign-on by SMBs to use cloud technologies.

Analysts do warn, however, that SMBs should seriously create and police BYOD policies due to the increased threat caused when employees use personal devices outside of the office, but also use them to connect to company networks. Also, the report indicates that high costs of deploying cloud infrastructure in coming months could create an obstacle for some SMBs who plan on adopting cloud technologies.

One team analyst commented on the report with the following:

‘Mobility is one area where we expect to see a lot of traction. Mobile devices, applications, and services are dramatically reshaping SMBs’ business strategies, revenue models, and how employees interact with partners, customers, and other employees. More SMB owners and decision makers are now adopting telecommuting policies to help their employees remain connected even on the go. The explosion of smartphones and tablets is fuelling this adoption. These mobile devices provide great operational and productivity benefits to organizations by allowing them to empower their employees and spread out beyond traditional work environment. Applications on these devices benefit organizations to rapidly address customer demands and hence differentiate from their competitors. Many of these applications are targeted toward specific markets and a strong growth of apps is expected to be seen in the areas of mobile payments, time management, and customer service. Therefore, SMBs are gradually embracing mobility solutions to enhance customer service, reduce costs through BYOD initiatives, and reduce rigidity with regard to work styles through the effective application of mobile solutions.’

The key vendors that prevail in this market are Cisco, HP, Dell and IBM, but other notable vendors include Lenovo, Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle.  

The report covers 17 sections and lists 13 exhibits. Topics covered, according to the table of contents, include market challenges, key vendor analysis, buying criteria, and impact of drivers and challenges.