Connect North Georgia Offering Broadband Assessments to Area Businesses

Strategic Networks Group will provide digital evaluations and recommendations

DAHLONEGA, Ga. (Nov. 19, 2012) – Connect North Georgia, the affiliated economic development company of the North Georgia Network, is making broadband adoption assessments available for local small businesses.

Connect North Georgia has partnered with Strategic Networks Group (SNG), an international group of broadband economists, to provide these assessments. Through the evaluations, local small businesses will see how they can better leverage broadband and its applications to compete in today’s economy.

“Most businesses are just scratching the surface of the potential broadband provides their business,” said Connect North Georgia President Bruce Abraham. “We are giving them insight into the new Information Highway. The businesses that find new ways use the Internet are the key to our region’s success. We want to make sure that area businesses fully benefit from high-speed broadband Internet that is available to them.”

Connect North Georgia is sending e-mail information about the assessment to approximately 2,000 area small businesses in North Georgia. With the evaluation, SNG will provide businesses with an “e-Solutions Inventory,” showing how they currently use the Internet and how their business peers are maximizing Internet usage.

Participating businesses will receive a Digital Economy Index (DEI) Scorecard report suggesting solutions to grow their business.

“By taking the current state of broadband use and comparing it to like-sized companies in similar industries, we’re able to educate businesses on best practices for broadband utilization,” Michael Curri, president of Strategic Network Group, said. “We’re able to provide specific recommendations and the ROI accompanying each that businesses adopting these e-solutions can expect.”

Strategic Network Group’s research shows that when a business increases their Internet usage by 10 percent it increases its return on revenues by 24 percent and it decreases their cost by 7 percent.

“Small businesses are the heartbeat of North Georgia,” Abraham said. “We’re trying to make that heartbeat stronger and pump more prosperity into North Georgia.”

Business interested in the complimentary Internet assessment can access it at www.northgeorgianetwork.com by clicking on the “Take The Business Internet Assessment” button.

For more information, contact:
Tiffany Fessler
Morton Vardeman & Carlson
770-536-8921
tiffany@vardeman.com

Jeff Butler
Morton Vardeman & Carlson
770-536-8921
jeff@vardeman.com