Towards the end of last year I came across an interesting report, and one that struck an optimistic note as well. Since publications containing not only important but also almost exclusively good news are something or a rarity these days, I had a proper look at it. I can tell you in clear conscience it is a good read to start the year off with.
The report has found that the internet is used by nearly 93.7 per cent of Polish businesses. Moreover, most users use broadband connections (93.2 per cent). In fact, we should expect nothing less. In the last few years, the number of companies which do not use the internet has gone down only a fraction. It could be inferred then that the internet is not very important to their operations.
As can be expected, nearly all large- and medium-size companies have access to the internet (99.7 per cent and 98.8 per cent respectively), with „just” 92.5 per cent of small companies being internet users. This group is most likely to shelter the largest number of „Robinsons” – businesses for whom being online is not critical to their activity.
As I said, the percentage of companies enjoying the benefits of the internet has hardly budged in the last few years. For small companies, the rise in the number of internet users in the years 2013-2016 was only some two tenths of a per cent, while large- and medium-size companies have seen a fall of about one tenth of a per cent. We could of course go on looking for reasons why the changes are so small, but given how stable the situation is, it is not worth the bother.
Of greater interest however are figures for mobile broadband internet access (modem, telephone, 3G). These show a sharp increase indeed. The percentage of companies using this type of connection went up from 44 per cent to 64.7 per cent between 2013 and 2016. The conclusion is clear: businesses are waking up to the benefits of being mobile. In other words, business goes mobile.
What is more, mobile often goes together with cloud, even though at first glance the rise in the number of companies using cloud solutions is not terribly impressive. 8.2 per cent compared to 7.3 per cent in 2015 falls short of being phenomenal. But, if we look at data concerning companies of all sizes, a rather different picture presents itself. Small businesses: 5.6 per cent in 2015 and 6.3 per cent in 2016 – no sensation there; medium-size businesses: 13.4 per cent and 13.1 per cent respectively – a small drop. Finally, large businesses: 24.7 per cent in 2015 and 31.1 in 2016 – quite a significant change, indeed.
Acceptance of cloud computing clearly shows that large, prosperous companies are front-runners in embracing technological solutions. They are first to incorporate promising new technologies in the belief that these will give them a strong competitive advantage in the near future. What springs to mind is the case of ABC Data and Interlink, launched in the days when e-commerce was an innovation poised on the brink of becoming a commercial success story or being consigned to history. At the moment we are bringing to a close works on our own cloud platform. I am convinced that, just as Interlink has done before, it will win the hearts of our clients now, while ABC Data will continue to set the standards for modern distribution business.
The list of good news is quite long, and we could go on analysing the data ad infinitum. I have necessarily focused on a very small part of the report, which is literally a mine of valuable information. I wholeheartedly recommend that you have a browse through it – I am going to spend some time myself poring over its contents. Some spare time naturally – that is when I can find it …
You may have guessed by now I have quoted the figures from the latest report called „Information Society in Poland in 2012-2016” by the Office for National Statistics (GUS).
The full GUS report, published in December 2016, can be found here:
http://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/nauka-i-technika-spoleczenstwo-informacyjne/spoleczenstwo-informacyjne/spoleczenstwo-informacyjne-w-polsce-wyniki-badan-statystycznych-z-lat-2012-2016,1,10.html
A working version of the report from October 2016 is available at:
http://stat.gov.pl/obszary-tematyczne/nauka-i-technika-spoleczenstwo-informacyjne/spoleczenstwo-informacyjne/spoleczenstwo-informacyjne-w-polsce-w-2016-roku,2,6.html
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