Microsoft's new-and-improved search engine Bing is not really denting the universal popularity of Google, according to an industry expert.

Dan Oliver, the editor of .net magazine, explained that it might have something to do with Google's status as a brand name, one which is synonymous with small businesses in IT throughout the UK.

He explained: "Google has become a verb now. People trust Google, they trust their products, when it comes to search they trust their resources - Google has spent millions on developing its algorithm."

However, Bing does have some strengths in comparison to Google, with Mr Oliver highlighting how the image and video searches are much improved and will always do better with the general public so long as fewer clicks are needed to get to the information desired.

According to research by Chitika into 100 million searches online, only 10.3 percent of IE users search with Bing, despite the fact it is bundled with Internet Explorer as the default search engine.

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).