While most international networking technology marketing efforts have tended to focus on the largest multi-national clients (enterprises and carriers, for instance), there is increasing evidence that an extremely attractive opportunity is developing among the second, third, and fourth tier enterprises in many markets around the world.
The reason: technology prices are falling to the point where non-elites in emerging economies can afford it, and the standards-based interoperability in communications technology (especially IP networking) is boosting return-on investment for organizations large and small.
Indeed, as policy-makers in both developed and developing economies craft strategies for the rest of the decade, a growing percentage concentrates on making IT and telecommunications technology available to entrepreneurs of all sizes.
In the United States, for instance, access to broadband technology is considered critical to attracting new businesses to non-urban areas. In this hyper-competitive market, technology is seen as the equalizer that makes it possible for start-ups and established mom-and-pop shops to successfully compete against even the biggest companies.
Overseas, networking technology helps small businesses tap opportunities beyond their local and national boundaries. The fact that even traditional brick-and-mortar operations, such as retail suppliers, can now interact directly with the supply chains of foreign markets is democratizing economic opportunity.
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