Source: Microsoft/Ipsos Public Affairs
Notes: Some 86% of small business owners believe that technology is important to their business, and while roughly 6 in 10 agree that technology helps them compete with similar size and/or larger companies in their market, only 46% agree that they have access to the same technology tools as a large company. Laptops (68%) and desktops (67%) are considered the most important (top-2 on a 5-point scale of importance) technologies to the success of their businesses, with smartphones (60%) not far behind. Productivity applications (47%) are considered more important than social media apps (34%), and rival landlines (52%) in importance among respondents.
Related: 2 in 3 Small Businesses Using Mobile Tech, Mainly For Social and Email Efforts
About the Data: The results are based on a survey of 551 US owners of businesses with 500 or fewer employees, conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Microsoft.