The majority of Irish businesses (81%) believe that information and communications technologies (ICT) are a fundamental part of how they operate, with nearly two thirds (60%) saying that they use such technologies to differentiate themselves from competition.
The research was carried out by Circle Research on behalf of Vodafone Ireland among 201 smaller businesses. It found that technology adoption among smaller businesses is high, with more than half (52%) using tablets, nine out of 10 using smart phones and more than a third (38%) using managed services.
The survey also reported that more than three quarters of respondents saw investment in ICT as a priority over the next three years.
"We have seen significant increases in the number of small businesses who not only recognise the importance of communications technology but who are actively embracing it and incorporating it into their strategic business plans," said Claire Reynolds, small business manager, Vodafone Ireland.
"We have moved to a more flexible and productive way of working for the past number of years," said Séamus Marnane, director, Catering Innovation Agency, a business providing catering equipment to the hospitality sector, "and having the right advice about new communications technology has really helped us to deliver this.
"We are a small business so customer service and responsiveness is very important. We also have employees out on site so being able to connect back to the office to share customer information has demonstrated our superior quality of service which in turn has helped our business move forward."
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