This week, business secretary Peter Mandelson announced that those who persistently download illegal content such as music and video will be cut off from their internet connection.

The MP said this measure will only work successfully if it is used alongside newer and less expensive providers of online content.

Paul Stokes, the news editor at music magazine NME, said that it is naive to believe that people will simply conform to these rules as it will be a hard switch for people to make.

He explained: "These changes to the law might have some impact in terms of cutting people off as a last resort, but changing the broad spirit of that generation and their attitudes towards what is copyrighted and what isn't is going to take more than just promising cheaper content and different things with it."

Mr Stokes added that the music industry has been too slow to react to the perceived threat and only offering cheaper songs will not "ensnare" listeners.

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.