The popularity of netbooks - ultra-portable laptops designed for ease of transportation - have boomed during 2008 in what has been earmarked as a breakthrough year for the technology, it has been said.

According to Ian Williams of vnunet.com, the principle of light and mobile PCs has finally found a true audience, with the rudimentary stylings of the point-of-entry sub-notebooks allowing a "cheap and cheerful" approach to internet use and important quick tasks both in and out of the office.

He said that Asus pioneered the market with its Eee PC line, targeting a host of netbooks to meet the demands of leisure users and IT support alike with such models as the 901, 1000 series and the "more upmarket" S101.

Mr Williams continued: "In that time every other PC manufacturer has moved to claim its stake in the market, with the likes OF? Acer, Lenovo, LG, Toshiba, Samsung and possibly even Apple clamouring to take a share."

According to Brooke Crothers of Cnet News, netbooks will show their true power in the market during 2009, where users will weigh up the sacrificing of big screens and full-sized keyboards for the ultimate portable experience.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent).