RingCentral Survey Reveals Small Business Owners Embracing a Remote Workforce and Cloud Technology to Get Through the Holidays

SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 14, 2011) - For small businesses across the nation, it's business as usual this holiday season, thanks in part to the "cloud." RingCentral, the industry leader for cloud-based business phone systems, released today the results of a survey of small business owners examining the adoption of cloud technology and trends in working remotely. The two combined have created a constantly connected workforce that is rarely unplugged or unreachable; as the study shows, these habits have extended themselves into the holiday season as never before.

More than 300 business owners and executives replied to the study, sharing how their companies' attitudes about working remotely and holiday vacations have changed. Powered by their smartphones -- and perhaps by an uptick in the economy this year -- most business owners will be working through the holidays and while on vacation.

Overall, small business owners expect to work more this holiday season and allow their employees to work remotely in order to meet the demands of their businesses. Additional takeaways and industry trends include:

• Only 14% of business owners are planning to take a true vacation - very few people will take any hiatus from work-related emails or phone calls. Business owners will stay connected via smartphones to take work calls while on vacation or traveling to be with family.
• 73% of business owners will allow their employees to work remotely - business owners will be more flexible this year than in the past in allowing their employees to work remotely during the holidays.
• The majority of small business owners use at least one cloud service and one-third of small business owners use three or more cloud services - cloud-based technology, such as Gmail, Salesforce, Box.net and RingCentral, is becoming increasingly popular for small business owners with remote workforces aiming to stay atop every to-do and prospect even while away from the office.
• Cloud technology is expected to trump traditional software in the next 3 years - nearly 90% of respondents indicated they expect to transition into the cloud in the near-term, signaling tremendous growth for this segment of business technology.
• Small business owners are less motivated by cost today when considering new technology purchases - the primary factor small business owners consider when choosing to buy new technology is functionality, focusing on what the technology delivers and how it can contribute to business workflow and accelerated success.

In April 2010, RingCentral released its first survey, which examined smartphone and tablet use by businesses. Both continue to grow in market demand and are key tools for the cloud-powered remote workforce.

RingCentral executives are available to discuss the findings of the survey in more detail and ongoing trends in the adoption of cloud technologies within the SMB market.

About RingCentral
RingCentral provides cloud computing based business phone systems. With top industry honors, including PC Magazine Editor's Choice Award, Small Business Computing Excellence in Technology Award, and the 2010 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer Award, RingCentral delivers on-demand phone systems that are designed for the modern mobile and distributed business world, at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, RingCentral is privately held with backing from Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures and DAG Ventures. For more information, please visit: www.ringcentral.com.