In brief: Firms still reluctant to go online

Despite experiencing fourfold returns on Internet investments, corporations are still shying away from putting mission-critical applications on the Web, according to the latest IDC report.
IT directors who took part in the research claim intranets and extranets are undoubtedly reducing costs and increasing productivity. However, security and reliability are still proving a barrier to taking Internet strategy a step further.
Michael Sullivan-Trainor, senior analyst at IDC, warned that the growth of corporate Internet use could plateau, because technology standards are failing to meet business requirements.