Productivity For Small Businesses

Monday, March 1, 2004

Productivity For Small Businesses (NAPSA)—There’s a big myth that many small business owners come up against: “If I can’t get cable or DSL, I can’t get high-speed Internet (also known as broadband).” “1 can't get broadband Internet service in my area... What am fgoing If that were true, it would mean that some businesses could not get the broadband Internet access they need to remain competitive in today’s marketplace. According to the Small Business Association, 73 percent of small businesses have some type of Internet access, with 58 percent of them subscribing to high-speed Internet. However, many businesses assume they are left out because they are unable to get broadband access due to the lack of terrestrial service in their area. For many small and medium size enterprises, this lack of highspeed Internet access places them at risk of becoming disenfranchised from their customers and the marketplace. Small and medium businesses use high-speed Internet to improve customer communications, grow their sales revenue and improve overall productivity. Businesses can receive and quickly respond to orders online, conduct research, purchase inventory, access electronic documents from suppliers, and receive large e-mail attachments. As these applications become more prevalent and customers become increasingly reliant on the Internet for purchasing and communications, experts say businesses without broadband access will struggle to compete. “Fortunately, there are other affordable and reliable alternatives—such as satellite—to get business-quality broadband,” says David Shiff, vice president of Hughes Network Systems, the provider of DiRECWAysatellite high-speed Internetservice. The good news is that more and more businesses are discovering they can get the service they need via satellite. “I was extremely frustrated because we didn’t think highspeed Internet was available in our region. And almost all of my suppliers and manufacturers had gone to online Web ordering and reporting in the last few years,” says David Geiger, whois a parts and service manager for a small business called CKS that installs laundry equipment in rural Indiana. “I discovered that satellite was available and quickly got on board with e-business—it’s significantly improved our operations.” Geiger is not alone. Tens of thousands of small and medium enterprises have discovered that satellite is an affordable and effective high-speed Internet solution. “Our business has seen strong growth over the last few years,” explains Shiff. “Businesses need broadband, and satellite is mak- ing it easily available to businesses that didn’t think they could haveit. Satellite is distance insensitive, going where other technologies do not.” For more information about satellite high-speed Internet access, visit www.dwayforbiz.com.