German SMEs want to invest more in their IT security 2. June 2006 by Thomas Jannot As was reported in an online article by the Computerwoche magazine, the majority of German SMEs expect rising expenses on IT security. This is said to be the finding of the »IT security in SMEs – status quo and trends in Germany« study for 2006 carried out by the market research company IDC. The survey …
EU to cut bureaucracy on SMEs 2. June 2006 by Thomas Jannot EU commissioner Mr. Günter Verheugen in a comprehensive statement published by the Hamburger Abendblatt magazine has voiced his personal view on the importance of SMEs for Europe. He is convinced that the real job generators in the EU are the 23 million small and medium-sized entities.
Tax-free financial reserve planned for SMEs 2. June 2006 by Thomas Jannot As was reported by the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) with reference to allegations of top-political circles, the Federal minister of Finance, Mr. Peer Steinbrück, intends to introduce a tax-free financial reserve for small and medium-sized entities (SMEs). These companies would be allowed to create reserves of up to 100.000 Euros not subject to taxation, if …
Law on cuts in bureaucracy to be improved 31. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot Markus Gühl, chairman of the Aktionsgemeinschaft Wirtschaftlicher Mittelstand initiative (AWM), on the occasion of a committee hearing in the Lower House of German Parliament has called for the powers of the standard control board for cuts in bureaucracy to be extended in order for the board to work effectively. »The standard control board needs the …
Proprietary data formats represent a potential IT security risk 31. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot A warning by the German consultancy Eurospace against the use in companies of the Internet telephony software (VoIP service) »Skype for Business« currently causes some confusion. At first sight, the main reproaches that firstly Skype was a security risk and that secondly it did not make use of accepted standards seem to be justified from …
Good consumer climate encourages to buy more 30. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot The consumption behaviour of German consumers has again substantially improved in May. This is the finding of the May 2006 consumer climate study prepared by the GfK institute. There is an anticipation of economic development which is as positive as it was for the last time five years ago. The indicator of the propensity to …
German SMEs are to train more apprentices 30. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot Otto Kentzler, chairman of the Federal association of German craft companies (ZdH), in an article published in the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung magazine calls upon SMEs to take on more apprentices. In view of the looming lack of qualified young workers, Kentzler urges “to make a better use of the momentum gained by the economy” and …
Leasing of intangibles bridges funding gaps 30. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot A clever solution to the problem of funding gaps in supply companies is described by Mrs. Marlene Brockmann in an article published in the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD). The author deplores that in particular suppliers more and more often have to struggle with financing problems. Although these companies benefit from increasing outsourcing by their customers, …
Study analises salaries paid by SMEs to IT staff 30. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot IT staff are paid higher salaries in 2006. In particular employees of small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) and experienced personnel earn more money. This is one of the findings of a recent study by the Computerwoche magazine on salaries of IT staff working in SMEs, which was presented on Sunday.
Competition from emergent nations underestimated 29. May 2006 by Thomas Jannot German companies have to face increasing competition by new competitors from low-wage countries, in particular from Asia. This is the alarming finding of a study carried out by the consultancy The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), which presents the “100 new global challengers” from China, India, Brasil and Mexico who are about to conquer Europe.