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Mobility and Data Security Among European Business Users' Top Priorities in 2005, IDC Survey Reveals

LONDON, April 25, 2005 Business confidence in IT infrastructure spending will take another positive leap in 2005, a recent IDC end-user survey has revealed. After what was undeniably a positive 2004, with an uplift in corporate renewals and burgeoning SMB demand fueling growth, 2005 should reveal not only a continued increase in PC spending but also the evolution of a range of dynamic user trends that are set to influence investment priorities as a new wave of business IT infrastructure is put into place.
Among the key shifts that are currently impacting the overall personal computing space is the clear acceleration of mobility as a fully integrated business solution, while data security, especially where the implementation of wireless networks is concerned, remains a top priority.

Business Home Internet "With 2004 being driven by a major uptake of notebook penetration, and in particular strong desktop replacement trends in the SMB market, European businesses are clearly displaying a far greater commitment to the integration of mobile solutions into their IT strategy," said Ian Gibbs, senior research analyst with IDC's European Personal Computing team. "The share of notebooks continues to grow within business organizations from SMB to corporate as an improved perception of the benefits in terms of productivity and flexibility are placing mobile platforms, along with an uptake of wireless networks, at the heart of business IT solutions."

The number of websites dedicated to the act of phishing has increased, it has been revealed. August 2005 Security "too costly" for SMEs Small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) are increasingly finding that online security issues are too expensive and are being outweighed by more pressing financial matters. According to survey by Computer Associates (CA), the daily cost of business support is now the top priority of most IT managers at SMEs, meaning that the important issue of security has been relegated to second place.

Business Mlm Opportunity Key survey findings include the following:

A quarter of all IT managers polled stated that IT security concerns do worry them, day costs of supporting business priorities was now the prime issue. "Small companies want to focus on business priorities, not worry about IT." However, Mr Ball added that SMEs need to better prioritise their IT support, so as to ensure that they do not waste their limited resources, as the CA survey found that 34 per cent of IT managers do not prioritise which areas of the business receive support.

Based Business Home Income * Overall business confidence appears to be on the rise, with buying intentions for PCs looking very positive. Over half of this year's survey respondents expect to spend more on IT infrastructure in 2005 than they did in 2004, while PC purchases are expected to be on the rise also. This is a distinctly promising signal for vendors as they look to build on what was undoubtedly a positive rebound last year.

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Based Business Home Internet * User demand for notebooks as the key mobile solution platform will continue to grow. After a major uptake in the SMB market in 20032004, portable PCs will now increasingly be finding their way into the heart of tailored corporate mobile solutions. While these larger businesses have so far focused on "essential renewals," they are now looking into optimizing the infrastructure they currently have in place and fully integrating mobility into it.

Business Homebased Opportunity * Price/performance remains a key criteria of choice for mobile platforms, but an increasing focus is also being placed on technological innovation a key consideration for vendors as they seek increased product differentiation, new revenue opportunities, and greater profit margins in a time of high market commoditization.

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Based Business Home Mlm * User perception of notebook vendors, from HP to Acer, has improved across the board when benchmarked against last years survey. While vendors are clearly making efforts to respond to mobility market dynamics, they still need to work hard to enhance their image from one of mobile systems provider to mobile solutions provider.

Business New Opportunity * From a product standpoint, system reliability, battery life, and hard disk capacity are the three most important criteria when making a purchasing decision. While physical aspects such as notebook size and weight will remain of key concern too, it is system performance that is of over-riding concern.

Business Home Online * Improving data security remains the most important investment priority in 2005, according to this year's survey respondents, followed by the replacement of aging systems and upgrades to Windows XP. Cost constraints and a lack of understanding of new technologies remain the biggest inhibitors to new investment proposals, however.

Best Business Home Opportunity * Wireless network installations have clearly increased in 2004, with a further rise expected in 2005 as issues surrounding wireless standards and network security are steadily overcome. Notebooks remain the main hardware component of business wireless strategies, but standard PDAs and smart phones are increasingly acting as supplementary devices too.

Business Investment * Linux is receiving increasing interest from businesses. Although penetration is still at a low level, it is gradually being seen as a more credible alternative in the optimization of business systems. Of those businesses currently using Linux, some feel it is technically more suited to their IT environment, while the majority feel a Linux and Windows mix provides them with greater stability.

Business Home Making Money * The IDC study Personal and Mobile Computing Survey Business User Spending Intentions 2005 (Doc #JP02M, March 2005) presents the results from IDC's survey of 1,000 European IT decision makers. Detailed survey analysis is also available by country and business size. Recommendations are made regarding the requirements of IT directors from vendors, and are relevant to system builders, channel players, and end users. Other key topics covered in this year's survey include PC replacement cycles, tablet PCs, utility and grid computing, acquisition cost, distribution channels, and investment concerns. For further details, please contact either Ian Gibbs (igibbs@idc.com or +44 (0)20 8987 7229) or Karine Paoli (kpaoli@idc.com or +44 (0)20 8987 7218).

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