Latin American SMEs have been slow to turn to the internet for Software as a Service (SaaS), the marketing VP for US logistics company DHL, Samuel Cuñado told BNamericas.
Cuñado based his statements off of the study "Internet and new technologies as tools for exporting SMEs" which was carried out jointly by DHL, business consultancy Red Global de Exportación (RGX), and SAP (NYSE: SAP). The study examined internet use by 721 Latin American SMEs in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Paraguay, Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Panama.
Cuñado said SMEs are delaying SaaS adoption because many lack basic IT infrastructure. He added that businesses are not aware of the benefits provided by the service.
"SMEs need more education not only about the program itself, but also about its value-added benefits," he said.
Tech consultancy IDC reported earlier this year that the Latin American SaaS market is worth nearly US$100mn and growing at a 30% annual rate, compared to 11% growth estimated for the overall services market in the region.
Cristina Rivas, the Southern Cone research manager for IDC told BNamericas that regional IT infrastructure has improved during the past few years. She said SaaS use will be increasing as regional companies pass through an initial IT adoption stage and look to improve their business processes with more advanced technologies.
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