Anger Management? Downtime Gets Under the Skin of Nearly One-Fourth of Net Generation, New BroadSpire Survey Says; For Business, Threat to Brand Loyalty Lurks in Site Outages.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2003

When Web sites go on the fritz, members of Generation X -- the Net's largest and most important demographic -- are most likely to kick a chair.

According to a new nationwide survey conducted by Synovate of Chicago for BroadSpire, a leading managed IT services provider, those who have grown up on the Internet are significantly less tolerant of downtime -- that is, crashes that render web sites temporarily inaccessible -- than their elders. Nearly a quarter of young adults "get angry" when their favorite website goes south.

Fielded in April, the BroadSpire/Synovate eNation survey polled 1,241 online Americans to determine reactions to web site outages. The new study reveals that, overall, downtime bothers nearly 80 percent of those surveyed, with almost 20 percent of the sample admitting that they get angry when experiencing downtime. For web businesses, that pique translates to a potential loss of revenue -- not only from the outage itself, but from the ill will that downtime engenders.

Those for whom the Internet has become part of the fabric of life feel most intensely about downtime: 23 percent of those 25-34 agreed that "downtime bothers me a great deal -- I even get angry now and then," while 21 percent of those 18-24 put themselves in that camp. Overall, downtime bothers 71 percent of those under 35 to some degree, while it irritates only 46.5 percent of those over 65. In addition to younger users, intolerance with downtime was highest among those with the lowest income (23.5 percent), the unemployed (21 percent) and the self-employed (20 percent).

For companies that regard their sites as business-critical, the survey findings suggest that downtime could impair brand loyalty among this key population. The demographic profile of those most aggravated by site meltdowns: in the 25-34 age bracket, the $50,000-$75,000 income bracket, self-employed with some college education.

"The bar is rising for website accessibility, as it should be, and what may once have been tolerated is now a point of contention, especially with the younger online population," said Suresh Srinivasan, president, BroadSpire. "Downtime doesn't have to be tolerated, especially because going down can have huge consequences for businesses and users alike."

Srinivasan advised that hosting companies must offer tight quality control measures to ensure that the most cutting-edge, reliable and supportable technologies are used to enhance business operations, round the clock.

The BroadSpire/Synovate survey also uncovered other demographic trends of note:

-- The more affluent, the more demanding. Downtime bothers 70.5

percent of people with annual incomes between $50,000-$75,000,

and 65 percent of those with incomes above $75,000, while it

troubles only 60 percent of those making $25,000-$50,000 and

62 percent of those in the lowest income bracket.

-- Regional hostilities? Downtime gets 22 percent of

Northeasterners "angry" while just 15 percent of Midwesterners

reported feeling that strongly.

-- Education -- and patience. Downtime bothers 67 percent of

those with some college education, 63 percent of those with

post-graduate degrees and 59 percent of those with a high

school education and below.

-- Seniors: been there, done that. Perhaps a reflection of having

grown up with often flighty technology, 20 percent of retired

people said they "expect downtime every so often."

-- Fatalism conquers all. 46 percent of the population say that

downtime bothers them but they try to "take it in stride most

of the time."

About BroadSpire

Founded in 1996, BroadSpire (www.broadspire.com) is a leading managed IT services provider, headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. In delivering outsourced IT, data center outsourcing and fully managed Web hosting services, BroadSpire maintains a strict focus on customer service that has enabled the company to become a best-of-breed provider both in its service offerings and in its customer care. With discrete lines of business for enterprise and small/mid-size businesses, the company serves as a seamless extension of its customers' information technology infrastructure. BroadSpire has earned the trust of more than 2,000 companies worldwide, including BP Amoco, NBC, Yale University, Paramount Pictures, and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts.