National Survey on Smartphone Usage and Challenges by SMBs Says 88% of Small
Businesses View Mobile File Access as Critical
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Egnyte, a leading provider of on-demand file server solutions, today introduced
Blackberry and Android device interfaces that allow small business users secure
access to all their business files via their Blackberry or Android-powered
smartphones. The announcement coincides with the release of a national study on
smartphone usage and challenges among small businesses. The study revealed that
88% of small businesses believe that mobile file access is critical to business
success, and half of small businesses (50%) use their smartphones regularly to
conduct business, with one quarter of business owners using their smartphone
more often than their computer.
The study, which was commissioned by Egnyte and conducted by market research
firm, Decision Analyst, also showed that accessing business data 24/7 from a
mobile phone was the number one factor in an SMB`s mobile business strategy. The
majority of respondents (64%) admitted that they had been in situations where
they needed critical access to their business file server data while in transit.
Fifty-five percent stated that they needed access to critical data from their
file server while on vacation, and 36% said they were offsite and needed to
handle a dispute or clarify a question.
Egnyte`s on-demand file server enables both Mac and PC business users to have
online file storage, file sharing capabilities and automatic backup in one
solution. The new interfaces, which require no additional software installation
on the device, leverages a mobile drive -- "m Drive" -- that lets mobile users
access all of their data stored via the Egnyte file server.
For existing Egnyte users who use a Blackberry or Android-powered smartphone,
the new user interfaces allow businesses and professionals to easily navigate
folder hierarchies and open and share files using their Blackberry or Android
device keypad or touch screen. Last year, Egnyte introduced an iPhone interface
following the launch of the Apple iPhone 3G. Following its introduction, users
quickly adopted the interface, illustrating the need for mobile data support, as
more and more business professionals seek to complete work functions outside of
the traditional office.
"As a commercial building materials supplier and installer, our primary office
location is at the construction site - everyone is mobile," said Marc Cantwell,
CFO of Chinook Materials. "Egnyte`s m Drive enables us to work efficiently,
enabling our team to access our architectural drawings or construction contracts
from mobile phones and discuss specifications with customers at the job site. We
don`t have to lug around our laptops anymore and we`re more responsive to
customers."
"We realize that smartphones are critical to staying connected while on the
move," said Vineet Jain, CEO of Egnyte. "With our m Drive capabilities, iPhone,
Blackberry and Android users have secure and immediate access to all their files
no matter where they are located."
Other key findings from the survey included:
* The majority of small businesses name Blackberry (48%) and Apple`s iPhone
(29%) as the most innovative smartphone devices on the market today.
Interestingly, Google`s entry into the smartphone market doesn`t appear to be
appealing to small business users quite yet - the Android phones were rated last
(3%).
* Nearly 75% of respondents reported greater customer satisfaction as a result
of data access while on the road.
* Slow access to data is the number one challenge to small business owners while
out of the office (36%). Not being able to access a business file server was the
second top challenge (16%).
* Nearly 25% of respondents indicated that they will upgrade their smartphone in
the next six months, in order to get a better phone with advanced features.
About the Study
480 small business owners or IT decision makers responded to the online survey,
which was commissioned by Egnyte and conducted by independent research firm
Decision Analyst, Inc. of Arlington, Texas between October 15-25, 2009. The
survey's margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points at the 95%
confidence level. The sample was a stratified random quota sample from Decision
Analyst`s American Consumer Opinion Panel. Quotas were set in order to ensure
national representation.
About Decision Analyst
Decision Analyst (www.decisionanalyst.com) is a leading global marketing
research and marketing consulting firm specializing in advertising testing,
strategy research, new product development and advanced modeling for marketing
decision optimization. The 30-year-old firm delivers competitive advantage to
clients throughout the world in the consumer packaged goods, telecommunications,
retail, technology, medical and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, Decision
Analyst owns and operates the American Consumer Opinion® Online panel, one of
the largest consumer opinion panels in the world - with more than 7 million
members.
About Egnyte
Egnyte is a leading provider of on-demand file server solutions for small
businesses and professionals. Egnyte was founded in 2006 and is privately
financed. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. For more
information, please visit www.egnyte.com or call 1-877-7EGNYTE.
for Egnyte
Kathleen Gratehouse, 415-963-4174, ext. 2
kathleen (at) bordersgratehouse.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
