Yankee Group Says Consumer Technology Increases SMB Productivity by 30% to 40%

Business Wire, Jan 31, 2008

Greater Productivity Outside the SMB Office When Including Investment in Least Empowered Employees

BOSTON -- Yankee Group today announced that consumer technologies can increase small and medium business (SMB) productivity outside the office 30% to 40%, especially for the least empowered employees. The SMB work environment has not changed in the past 30 years. However, the impact of ubiquitous connectivity is changing the work/life balance of both enterprise and SMB workers, empowering Anywhere workers.

"SMBs are stuck in a productivity malaise using technology no more helpful than a bikini in a meat locker," said Steve Hilton, vice president of Yankee Group's Enterprise Research group. "Ubiquitous connectivity is becoming a reality, and for SMBs to get ahead in this global connectivity revolution, organizations must adopt consumer- and business-based technologies to improve employees' work/life balance and drive forward productivity."

According to the recently published Yankee Group Report, Unleash the Hidden Power of Your SMB, technology solutions drive productivity for SMBs outside the office, not inside. Of the consumer technology solutions, blogs, wikis, smart phones, wireless-enabled laptops, instant messaging and online travel services have the greatest impact on SMBs, increasing productivity 25% to 50% for SMB mobile employees. On the other hand, voice-only cellular phones, Second Life, Slingbox and YouTube decrease SMB employee productivity. To maximize employee productivity, SMBs must force IT staffs to support the "just-making-its" and "common folk" in their organizations as much as the "movers-and-shakers" and "aspiring executives." Detailed descriptions and special characteristics of these four SMB employee segments are included in this Report.

Consumer technology solutions also help Anywhere employees better balance their work and home commitments, adding a level of sanity to their hectic lives. This Report shows the impact consumer-based technologies have on SMB employees and provides recommendations for SMB application vendors such as to stop buying fixed-office-based technology and buy technology solutions that drive productivity outside the office.

To get a better understanding of how technology solutions are affecting SMB productivity, listen to the live webinar, "Unleashing Hidden Productivity Gains at Small and Medium Businesses," with Steve Hilton. The webinar will air on Thursday, January 31 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Register for the webinar at http://www.yankeegroup.com/webinars.do?url=Conferences/Unleash HiddenProductivityGainsatSMBs.html (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste it into your Internet browser's URL address field. You may also need to remove an extra space in the URL if one exists.)

YANKEE GROUP (www.yankeegroup.com)

The people of Yankee Group are the global connectivity experts[TM]--the leading source of insight and counsel for builders, operators and users of connectivity solutions. For nearly 40 years, Yankee Group has conducted primary research that charts the pace of technology change and its effect on networks, consumers and enterprises. Headquartered in Boston, Yankee Group has a global presence including operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.