Local Area Networks in U.S. SMBs: Industry Report

Local Area Networks in U.S. SMBs

Product Type: Market Research Report
Published by: IDC
Published: January 2004
Product Code: R104-14425

Description

This IDC study provides an overview of the use of LANs in U.S. small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Current ownership and plans to add networks, services, wireless capability, and switching hardware are all examined. Wireless technology preferences and the use of different network operating systems are examined in detail along with hardware brand preferences. Current and planned network applications are examined, and LAN users are compared with SMBs in general across a range of demographic variables. "The SMB market continues to represent an area of opportunity for vendors of networking hardware and software," says Merle Sandler, senior research analyst in the SMB program at IDC. "However, only those suppliers that are able to channel and package their solutions to meet the unique challenges of this market will be successful."

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

IDC Opinion

In This Study

Methodology

Situation Overview

Networked SMBs

Table: U.S. SMB Number of PCs Owned by Company Size, 2003

Figure: U.S. SMB LAN Penetration by Company Size, 2003

Figure: U.S. SMB Number of PCs Connected to the LAN, 2003

Table: U.S. SMB Primary Sources of Information Used for Learning About Network/Storage Products by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Network Servers

Table: U.S. SMB Server-Based LAN Penetration by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Type of Server Currently in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Type of Server Planned for Purchase by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Brand of Server Currently in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Brand of Server Planned for Purchase by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Hubs, Routers, and Switches

Figure: U.S. SMBs with Hubs, Routers, and Switches by Company Size, 2003

Table: U.S. SMBs with Hubs, Routers, and Switches by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Hub Brands in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Router Brands in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Switch Brands in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Wireless Networking

Table: U.S. SMB Use of LAN Wireless Access Point by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: Wireless Standards inU.S. SMBs by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Network Operating Systems and Transmission Speeds

Table: Network Operating Systems in U.S. SMBs by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Planned Network Operating Systems by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Network Transmission Speed by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

LAN Applications

Table: U.S. SMB LAN-Based Applications Currently in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB LAN-Based Applications Planned by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Table: U.S. SMB Email Software in Use by Company Size, 2003 (% of Respondents)

Demographic Profile of SMB LAN Users

SMB LAN Users by Industry

Figure: U.S. SMB Use of LANs by Vertical Industry, 2003

Location of Business

Figure: U.S. SMB Use of LANs by Location, 2003

Length of Time in Business

Figure: U.S. SMB Use of LANs by Length of Time in Business, 2003

Customer Base

Annual Revenue

Historical Sales Performance

Figure: U.S. SMB Use of LANs by Customer Type, 2003

Figure: Annual Revenue in U.S. SMBs with LANs, 2003

Figure: U.S. SMB Use of LANS by Sales Performance, 2003

Future Outlook

Essential Guidance

Learn More

Related Research

Methodology

Table: U.S. Small Business Survey Weights by Number of Employees and Vertical Industry, 2003

Table: U.S. Medium-Sized Business Survey Weights by Number of Employees and Vertical Industry, 2003

Synopsis

Ordering and More Information

Price and Delivery Options

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