C I Host Surveys 120,000 Web Hosting Clients; Results: 2005 - Year of Increased e-Business, Measured Growth

C I Host Surveys 120,000 Web Hosting Clients; Results: 2005 - Year of Increased e-Business, Measured Growth FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Small- to medium-sized businesses will expand in 2005 through capital investment and Internet marketing, while hiring will experience healthy increases according to the latest sample polled from C I Host's 215,000 clients worldwide. C I Host, a global leader in Web hosting and data center operation, today released survey results from its clients -- 20,859 responses from 120,000 U.S.-based e-commerce customers that were contacted. "Businesses will pump up by increasing their Internet marketing and twenty-three percent also expect to hire new people," said Christopher Faulkner, CEO of C I Host. "Particularly interesting, fifty-three percent will increase overall IT spending -- which is great news for high tech in general." While most of the survey was forward-looking, there was also a positive report card from the recent holiday season. "A rock-solid ninety-six percent reported increased revenues from Internet marketing this season," Faulkner said. "So, the smart money will go after more of a sure thing throughout the year." The C I Host survey respondents were verified e-businesses -- equipped with electronic shopping cart systems on their Web sites. Sixty percent had traditional "brick and mortar" locations, in addition to their e-businesses, indicating a fairly mainstream sample. In the survey, 66 percent of respondents said their businesses will increase capital expenditures in 2005, and 53 percent expect to spend more on Internet marketing specifically. Sixty-one percent said they will rebuild or revamp their Web sites in the coming year. Overall, the majority of businesses expect improvements in the U.S. economy; 68 percent said 2005 will be a good year to expand their business; and 44 percent said gross revenues will increase. About C I Host: C I Host (http://www.cihost.com/ ), based in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, is a global Web hosting and Internet solutions provider serving 215,000 individual consumers and businesses in 190 countries worldwide. C I Host's headquarters and Network Operations Center are in Bedford, Texas, and the company operates additional diverse data centers in Los Angeles and Chicago. Source: C I Host CONTACT: D. Kent Pingel of C I Host, +1-888-868-9931, ext. 7006, or kentp@cihost.com Web site: http://www.cihost.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment