Independent Survey Shows E-mail Is A Must Have

It comes as no surprise that the recent research released today by MORI that PC and Internet skills are seen as essential to most PC users in full time employment. With 81% of those surveyed agreeing that improving their PC and Internet skills will help them with their career.

Fact: Eight in ten (78%) British workers who use PCs believe that e-mail is a must have!

You could almost say therefore that having an Internet e-mail address at work is increasingly being considered as important to business as having a direct line.

Using PCs and the Internet has become such an integral part of work that around a quarter of PC users in full time employment say that it would be impossible to do their job without it. Indeed, over 7 out of 10 PC users say that having a computer helps them better manage their working environment and over half found it helps them manage their work schedule.

MORI interviewed 400 full time workers who use PCs or laptops in Britain by telephone, 263 of whom are connected to the Internet, either at home or through work.

Internet use is increasing dramatically with Internet Solution Providers cutting/eradicating the cost of accessing the Internet and therefore e-mail. There are more than 10,000 new users joining every day, and the uptake in usage at home has overtaken commercial use for the first time.

Within companies both large and small, managers believe that e-mail helps them and their staff to communicate effectively and that it will play a large part in the future of their company's success. Particularly as competition and pressure continues to increase in the shrinking world made possible by extended forms of communication. Out of the 263 Internet users questioned, e-mail is amongst the three highest current uses of the Internet today, along with research and access to business information. Overall 70% saw that requesting information, sharing information with others, education and e-mail would be the key uses in the future.

It's great to see e-mail being so widely accepted today as a method of communication, especially since our new e-mail software, Outlook 2000, to be launched in June, will enable us all to work and share information more effectively in the near future." Said Jeremy Gittins, group marketing manager of Office 2000, Microsoft Ltd.

Microsoft will be launching its new Office Suite, Office 2000 in June this year, which will allow businesses to communicate and working together much more effectively.

Businesses will benefit from increased business value and will see reductions in overall running costs, including dependence on IT support.

Office 2000, Microsoft's desktop suite will be available in five different versions to meet the needs of the user, they are: Office Small Business Edition, Office Standard, Office Professional, Office Premium (NEW!) and Office Developer.

For further information check out the Microsoft web site: www.microsoft.com/uk/office

Technical details

Interviews were conducted between the 15th - 19th December 1998.