Fred C Church

The Small Business Opinion Poll conducted by ORC International recently found use of mobile devices among small business decision-makers is increasing, with about 38 percent now using such devices on a daily basis.

Researchers found the percentage increased with the size of the business, noting about 28 percent of those with 4 or fewer employees used mobile devices, compared to 63 percent of those with 20 or more. For those with between 5 and 19 employees, 36 percent of decision-makers used mobile devices daily.

Many were interested in applications geared toward payroll, business insurance policy and risk management, among other uses. The use of mobile applications was particularly common among those in the financial services, transportation and communication industries.

The use of social media for marketing was more likely in younger companies. Of those using applications, smaller companies were more commonly using those connected to social media. The use of mobile banking applications was fairly common.

While these tools may be helpful in running businesses of various sizes, the proliferation of mobile devices and applications may significantly impact business risks and liabilities. In particular, businesses may need to work carefully to limit access to sensitive data and ensure information security.