| The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate six factors that may influence adoption of virtual private network (VPN) technologies in small businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Prior research indicated small businesses employing fewer than 100 workers do not adopt VPN technology at the same rate as larger competitors, and the reasons for this lack of adoption may be mitigated if understood by vendors and small business. Managers of small businesses employing fewer than 100 workers experience greater technology risks than their larger competitors when adopting VPN technology as a component of comprehensive technology strategy. The theoretical population represented all managers responsible for information technology decisions in firms consisting of fewer than 100 employees. The relevant population for this study included owners or managers responsible for information technology decisions in small firms with fewer than 100 employees in west central Florida. The study approach was non-experimental and quantitative employing a Web survey with the instrument extrapolated from previous research. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and point biserial correlation to evaluate the strength of association between postulated adoption factors and adoption of VPN technology. Five research questions and related hypotheses were posed and tested, resulting in statistically significant relationships found for all six VPN adoption factors. Adoption factors included perceived need for remote access (r = .60, p = .001), perceptions of VPN security (r = .67, p = .001), perceptions of VPN reliability (r = .49, p = .001), perceptions of VPN adoption costs (r = .41, p = .001), perceptions of VPN maintenance costs ( r = .43, p = .001), and perceptions of VPN support from technology vendors (r = .35, p = .001). These findings are in accordance with existing research. Future research encompassing a larger or more diverse sample size, additional adoption variables such as social networking factors, and a progressive qualitative study are recommended. The implications of these results may assist small business understanding of technology adoption drivers, and technology vendors in tailoring their service offerings appropriately to small business needs. |
