Survey reveals accountants' preferences

This was the outcome of a survey that was conducted by independent research house, Objectivity. Respondents were selected at random and interviewed telephonically with no prior information as to who had commissioned the project.

The official score showed that 92% of professional accountants refer their small business clients to Pastel's business and accounting programs.

"What makes this project so relevant is that it surveyed professional accountants countrywide who specifically serve the SME sector and are completely in tune to the needs of small businesses," says Joanne van der Walt, Pastel's marketing manager.

Online is still gaining momentum

Survey results also pointed to an interesting trend: only 53% of accountants recommend online accounting programs for their SME clients despite the tried and tested nature of cloud solutions. The report indicates that the slow uptake could be due to concerns over security and slow internet accessibility.

"This finding is an accurate reflection of the market. Many businesses, regardless of size, are wary of placing their business functions online and operating in the cloud is still gaining momentum in South Africa. However, broadband availability is ever improving in the country and on the continent. This, accompanied by lower connectivity rates will boost demand for online business packages in the future," says Steven Cohen, Softline Pastel MD.

Security shouldn't deter business owners from using online solutions; cloud service providers have incredible expertise and often provide better security than regular IT vendors. Cohen recommends that small business owners who are hesitant to place their business functions on the cloud adopt a hybrid approach. This way, users can locate business functions such as their customer relationship management (CRM) in the cloud but retain client databases on their regular IT infrastructure. A hybrid approach gives users the speed, accessibility and mobility of the cloud without the worry of storing vital business information online.