Research shows mobile technology can boost SMEs` bottom line NEW RESEARCH conducted in Europe by Ipsos MORI and Research In Motion (RIM), the developer and manufacturer of BlackBerry smartphones, shows there is a strong link between mobile technology and business success in the world of the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). The research, conducted in Europe, shows how integral mobile technologies have already become to the day-to-day running of the average SME, and how mobile technologies such as smartphones have improved the way that they work.

The study, which canvassed 900 SME owners in Western Europe, shows that SMEs are adopting mobile technologies because they underpin a flexible approach to working and communicating that enables small businesses to work when they want to.

"Mobile technology demands a relatively low upfront investment, yet allows a business with limited resources to vastly improve its efficiency, productivity, flexibility and responsiveness by freeing people from the constraints of offices and traditional nine-to-five working hours," says Deon Liebenberg, regional director for sub-Saharan Africa at RIM. "Responsiveness, particularly to customers, is one of the main reasons that European SMEs cite for their investments into mobile technologies."

We`re seeing similar trends emerge in the South African market. A "Market Opportunity for Mobile Solutions" study conducted in SA by IDC on behalf of RIM shows over half of South African companies of all sizes have rolled out mobile business solutions to up to 25% of their workforces. This research, which canvassed representatives from 350 SA companies of all sizes, shows that 80% of local small businesses already have a mobile solution in place.

STAYING COMPETITIVE

These findings are also backed up by World Wide Worx`s research findings. World Wide Worx, which conducts the largest annual study of SMEs in SA, surveyed 5 000 SME decision-makers and found that almost two-thirds of SMEs that use information technology had invested in laptop computers. Of the total sample, 16% were also using PDAs, and 14% were using smartphones.

"The significant aspect of this finding is not the extent of usage, but the impact of that usage on competitiveness," says Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx. "We found that there is a higher correlation with being highly competitive among PDA and smartphone users than with almost all other hardware options."

Steven Ambrose, MD of strategy at World Wide Worx, adds that the simplification of mobile solutions have helped to increase the uptake of the devices. "Seamlessness and ease of use are driving growth in the mobile market and the bar`s been raised with the introduction of the iPhone which is driving awareness about what mobility and specifically smartphones can do."