Many Rotorua businesses are still not taking advantage of available technologies, local experts say.
The latest MYOB Business Monitor showed only 32 per cent of Bay of Plenty SMEs (0-200 employees) surveyed had a business website, while 20 per cent were utilising cloud technology.
Nationwide, 34 per cent of the 1000 plus SMEs surveyed operated a website and 16 per cent used cloud computing.
James Scollay, MYOB's New Zealand general manager business division, said there was still tremendous scope for local SMEs to increase revenue, strengthen customer relationships and improve productivity through online technologies.
"There is an immense need in this country for government and business leaders to work together with our business community to share knowledge about the benefits of embracing online tools," he said.
"Our research found that business owners using cloud technology say it enhances their data security and improves their productivity, while those with a website earn more, sell more and have better relationships with their clients.
"Activities such as building an online presence, enabling teleworkers, using online accounting software, building a social media presence and so on really should be easy to implement for businesses of all shapes and sizes."
Rachel Warrender, director of Rotorua-based dubzz Digital Marketing, said studies showed more than 80 per cent of Kiwis researched online before making a purchase so a good website was crucial for any type of business.
Ms Warrender said most Rotorua business owners knew they should have a web presence, but many didn't, due to lack of knowledge, time or budget.
"A lot of people are holding back from taking that step, but it's not that scary."
She said it was "do-able" for businesses to create their own websites, but the key thing was ensuring people could find it. That was where professional services such as search engine optimisation came in, she said.
Rotorua-based iTCO provides a range of IT services to businesses and is now in its fourth year offering ZoomCloud.
Wade Fleet, iTCO's technical operations manager, said while they were not right for every business, he believed private clouds were the way of the future.
Mr Fleet said security was the main concern of business owners he dealt with so it was important for them to build a relationship with their cloud provider and understand exactly where their data was being stored. Most of iTCO's data was stored in Rotorua, with contingency plans in place around New Zealand, he said.
Mr Fleet said about 30 of iTCO's Rotorua clients - of varying sizes - were already using the cloud and more were moving towards it.
He said for a business with five or six users the cost of moving to the cloud could be 50 per cent less than replacing worn-out servers. It was not just the cost benefits though - being connected to the cloud meant your business was always accessible, he said.
"If people haven't at least looked at the cloud by now ... they need to be."