Significant Number of Nevada Businesses Lack Backup Internet Service
Carson City, NV (PRWEB) September 18, 2014 -- Explore the New Data
New research released this week by Connect Nevada shows that 32,000 Internet-connected Nevada businesses don’t have redundant or backup Internet service. This means that if anything were to happen to their Internet service, they would be unable to connect to the Internet. This lack of backup service could cost these businesses—and the state—significant revenue.
“All Nevada businesses deserve access to the most comprehensive, high-speed Internet service available,” said Lindsey Harmon, Connect Nevada state program manager. “Without access to this backup service, many online businesses are vulnerable if their primary service is lost. At Connect Nevada, we are also committed to helping the state’s businesses and economy grow.”
Among other findings from the 2014 Nevada business survey:
• 10,000 Internet-connected businesses want more bandwidth; of those, three out of ten (30%) report that they can’t get faster service where they are located.
• Three out of ten Internet-connected Nevada businesses (30%) now rely on cloud computing services for their operations. The most popular uses of cloud computing are:
o Data storage and back-up
o File sharing
o Online banking or financial transactions
• More than one in eight businesses say it is important for new employees to be able to create or edit a mobile app; similarly, one in eight also say it is important for new employees to know at least one programming language.
• Nearly half of Nevada businesses (49%) say they spend their own time and resources training new employees on the software that their business uses.
• Online sales represent more than $15.6 billion in revenues for Nevada businesses each year.
The report is based on a telephone survey of 600 business establishments across the state. Connect Nevada invites residents and businesses to explore and examine the survey results by clicking the link here and, most importantly, share the results.
On Monday and Wednesday, Connect Nevada held two broadband planning workshops to help create a master broadband plan for the state. These workshops, held in Las Vegas and Reno, featured speakers and discussions about the state of broadband in Nevada. More than 70 people from the public and private sectors participated.
Stakeholders in southern and northern Nevada attended workshops in Las Vegas and Reno to discuss sector and geographic issues and challenges preventing broadband availability, adoption, and usage.
After discussing these issues and challenges, attendees rolled up their sleeves to brainstorm and discuss ways to encourage broadband availability, adoption, and usage. Discussions ranged from implementing computer programing efforts in middle schools to encourage digital literacy, developing technology-centered higher education curriculum to support technology in all sectors, to changing the mindset of broadband as a luxury and brand it as an essential utility for improved quality of life, economic development, and cost savings.
The southern Nevada event provided direction and suggestions about public safety, digital literacy, and economic development while the northern meeting offered perspectives on education, healthcare, and local government. All discussions will be incorporated into a statewide broadband plan designed to educate and motivate broadband policy planning in communities, regions, and the state.
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About Connect Nevada: The Governor’s Office and the Nevada Broadband Task Force are leading the initiative to increase broadband Internet access and information about availability throughout Nevada and to ensure sustainability. Connect Nevada is a non-profit organization that was commissioned by the state to work with all Nevada broadband providers to create detailed maps of broadband coverage in order to accurately pinpoint remaining gaps in broadband availability as well as to coordinate efforts with other federal grant award recipients in the state. Connect Nevada is now supporting the development of a statewide plan for the deployment and adoption of broadband. The goal is to spread high-speed Internet across the state and to make sure all Nevada residents have access to its life-changing benefits. For more information visit: http://www.connectnv.org.
Follow Connect Nevada on Facebook and Twitter.
Jessica Ditto, Connected Nation, http://www.connectednation.org, +1 (202) 251-4749, [email protected]
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