Smaller European Businesses are Starting to exploit Web

European Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have made significant progress in adopting internet technology this year, suggest results from the Yankee Group's second annual European SME Survey.

Data gathered in the survey shows that SMEs are demonstrating increased understanding of the internet, and a willingness to spend on it. "Most significantly, we have found that SMEs now allocate 10% of their total IT and communications budget for internet access," said Andy Greenman, senior analyst for the Yankee Group's Networked Business Strategies Europe research and consulting practice. He added that one third of the surveyed SMEs expect to increase the speed of their connections within 2002.

The key findings include the following:
* 26% of SMEs are using either cable modem or ADSL broadband Internet connections.
* The ability to sell products and services via the company website is the top priority for SMEs.
* 37% of SMEs expect to add customer support and supplier management tools during 2002.

The Yankee Group's SME Survey was completed by 800 companies with between 2 and 499 employees across 13 countries in Europe. The respondents were IT/communications decision-makers.

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