Australian SMEs invest in SaaS

Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are investing $66 million on software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications in 2009, up from 2008 by 11%, according to a study by New York-based Access Markets International Partners, says Business Wire.

Where overall IT investment among Australia SMEs is expected to decrease by -0.3% due to the economic downturn, the use of SaaS applications will be major growth area in the downward pressure of IT spending in 2009.

To improve customer satisfaction and maximise sales from existing customers, interest in deploying seamless CRM applications has also significantly increased since 2007.

O2 is making its first foray into the corporate applications market and has created a consultancy division for its business customers, states Mobile Today.

Developers Asavie, Neverfail and Telmap will lead O2's development of sought-after business applications, with an open invitation for further deals with other developers.

O2 is also making a concerted play for managed services, effectively acting as a telecoms consultancy for businesses to help with communication, marketing and professional advice.

AT&T Business Solutions added new services and features to its core portfolio during the first quarter 2009 highlighted by the expansion of the AT&T Telepresence Solution and the introduction of a wireless capability to bring smart grid technology to the residential utility market, says TMCnet.

These enhancements and others were among the projects earmarked for the approximately $1 billion investment scheduled for 2009 in the AT&T global network along with new services and network-based applications.

AT&T Business Solutions ended the first quarter 2009 by announcing an enhancement to the AT&T Telepresence Solution that will allow companies to connect the solution with their existing videoconferencing systems, offering a cost-effective solution.