The internet is one of the most vital tools for small businesses in their fight for survival, the latest research has claimed.

According to a study by Easynet Connect, the web is the "critical difference" between today's economic downturn and the 1990s recession.

The work found that 45 per cent of the companies surveyed said that the internet will be important to them during the credit crunch.

Chris Stening, managing director of the researcher, commented that the web may have a pivotal role to play in the recession for many small firms, IT security experts may be interested to hear.

He said: "In the early 90s we were a world away from e-commerce, online marketing, or having a mobile workforce, let alone using cloud computing or holding video conferences with customers."

In other web news, Microsoft has launched its Internet Explorer 8 browser, which includes new IT security features to help protect users from hackers and viruses.

More than half of small businesses (53 per cent) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support. London-based Connect conducted the research in 2007.