Firms from the UK which have embraced new IT systems have experienced faster growth than those that did not, new research suggests.

Data gathered by Cisco indicates that business leaders in companies where turnover has increased by more than 15 per cent in the past year were far more likely to view IT systems as a vital part of operations.

These fast growing firms are more likely to have flexible working capabilities in place and to have installed Wi-Fi networks for their staff.

Furthermore, these firms generally have better security capabilities and are more confident that they could retrieve data on-demand.

"With British businesses contending with increasingly tight markets, stronger competition from overseas, and key labour shortages at home, companies are turning to strategic technology investments to help them improve operational efficiency, cut costs and drive business growth," explained Nick Watson from Cisco.

"However, it is clear from the research that without support from business managers, technology investments alone cannot necessarily drive positive business outcomes."

Elsewhere in the report, Cisco found that small firms were far less likely to have implemented new IT systems, even though they could help drive growth.

In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were 'guaranteed response times' and 'allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues'.