SME market a sleeping giant

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have long maintained a wary distance from all things IT, choosing instead the patchwork infrastructures provided by a largely distracted service industry. But knowledge of the positive impact of good IT implementation is key to this sector`s future.

The SME market has traditionally received the short end of the stick owing to its comparatively insignificant potential profitability.

Basheera Khan, Journalist, ITWeb

In the generally accepted manner of conducting business, most IT vendors approach their larger clients` problems with a fixed game plan: understand the clients` business problems and sell them the appropriate technology solutions.

Instead of selling these clients a quick fix, vendors build working relationships with them that are based on longevity and profitability, and, ultimately, loyalty and trust.

The SME market, on the other hand, has traditionally received the short end of the stick owing to its comparatively insignificant potential profitability. As such, the industry has not developed a standard method of dealing with the problems this sector faces. The other side to this double-edged sword is that SMEs have been relatively inexperienced in IT in general, and haven`t always been sure which product best addresses their problems.

However, the whiff of change is on the wind. More SMEs are realising the positive impact which good IT implementation can have on their businesses and more developers and vendors are coming to view the SME market as the sleeping giant it is.

The potential savings on cost and increase in profit can be a heady incentive for SMEs to leap blindly into contracting a complete IT implementation without fully understanding the implications. But there are several issues that must remain paramount in the minds of decision makers.

An ideal IT solution involves not only the installation, maintenance and upgrades of software and hardware where necessary, but also several other processes which are critical to the safeguarding of a business` information, which should be provided as a matter of course.

Data back-up management is one such service, as is anti-virus protection and monitoring. The specific allocation of resources is a third. This involves taking a full inventory of all hardware products, and, having analysed the functionalities involved, assigning them as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Another challenge most SMEs face is that of staff skills shortage. Most end users will require specific training in end-user applications and neglecting this aspect of IT would only be to a company`s detriment, as staff would be unable to increase their project turn-around-time owing to lack of sufficient knowledge of the systems.