VANCOUVER – Economic fears aside, a new survey indicates that spending on information communications technology (ICT) will remain strong among small and medium businesses in British Columbia and Alberta.
The study, conducted by Environics on behalf of Bell, found that 47% of respondents expect to increase their ICT budgets in the coming fiscal year, with 13% planning to increase their commitment to ICT by more than 10%.
The top three ICT priorities for 2009 include upgrading systems with newer technology (23%), containing costs (19%), and ensuring the reliability of ICT systems (12%), the survey showed.
Respondents identified their greatest ICT challenges as an efficient integration of technology products, support in training staff, integrated solutions that are compatible with other software, and improved voice and data services.
Tabulated in December 2008, the Bell-commissioned study was conducted among a group of ICT decision-makers in British Columbia and Alberta, with 41% of those surveyed holding positions of general manager, president/CEO, or owner/partner. The survey focused on small and medium businesses defined as those organizations that employ 25 to 500 people.
