"Individuals in an SMB are much more critical to the overall business than individuals in larger enterprises," according to Jan Dawson, research director of Ovum Research. "If the general manager is out of contact or cannot access corporate resources for an extended period of time, this can seriously damage a small business."

To keep employees connected to people and data at all times, some companies are turning to IP (Internet Protocol) communications–which help facilitate enhanced business communications–and to virtual private networks (VPNs), which provide a secure, remote connection to the company network.