1.      What major challenges are SMBs are facing today?

When I talk to SMBs, they say that one of their biggest challenges is the current business environment in which they compete. Business owners are facing a myriad of fluctuations not only in market conditions, but in how products and services are delivered and through which channels. We live in an information age where consumers have an abundance of information at their fingertips and are connected like never before. The number one goal of SMB retail merchants is efficiently operating across these multiple sales channels, while still providing the ideal customer experience and growing overall revenue.

2.      Are SMBs adopting cloud technology to solve these business challenges?

Yes. In fact, small businesses in the U.S. spent $3.5 billion on cloud technology in 2011, up 41 percent from the $2.2 billion spent in 2010, according to a report by International Data Corp. (IDC), a technology research firm. In 2012, spending on cloud technology was projected to increase by about 25 percent. In 2011, cloud spending by small businesses in the U.S. accounted for around 7 percent of the $53 billion that was spent on all IT expenditures (IDC defines a "small business" as one with fewer than 100 employees)

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