French enterprise embraces the network, but not the Net

French companies are making more use of networking technology but are still keeping their distance from the Internet, according to a survey about to be released by the French Ministry of Industry.

Between 1994 and 1997, the number of firms with local area networks rose from 32 per cent to 63 per cent. However, the survey highlights strong differences between large and small enterprises. Although the vast majority of firms with under 500 employees use computers, a third still have stand-alone servers. In contrast, 88 per cent of companies with more than 500 employees are working with networks.

However, French firms remains wary of the Internet. Only 28.8 per cent of enterprises are using the Internet, either for email or as a source of information.

Again, large firms lead the way online; 60 per cent of companies with over 2,000 employees are familiar with the Web, compared to just 15 per cent of small businesses.

However, both sectors fare poorly when it comes to spreading information over the Net. Only 13 per cent of French enterprises have implemented a Web site.