Nearly 40 per cent of companies in the south-east with between two and five employees do not have a computer, a survey has established.
Addressing that deficit will be one of the objectives of an action plan seeking to create an inclusive information society in the region over the next three to five years.
The plan, drawn up by the South East Information Society Strategy (SEISS) group, proposes a number of ways in which the region can become a "dynamic, knowledge-based society" and close the income gap with other parts of the country.
SEISS was set up by the South East Regional Authority last year. Research by the group on the levels of awareness and use of technology among businesses in the region established that 38 per cent of organisations with between two and five employees did not have a computer.
"The demand for the technology is low in the south-east," said SEISS project manager, Frank McCarthy.
"Our vision is for the south east to become a region where the opportunities provided by ICTs [information communication technologies] can be embraced by all sections of the community."
The plan calls for easier and more affordable access to new technologies.
It also calls for the increased use of ICTs to improve the delivery of public services in the south east.
A key recommendation is the development of an Internet regional portal promoting the region as a whole to the outside world and signposting, "like an online Yellow Pages", the websites of regional organisations and institutions.
It also recommends the creation of a partnership between F┴S and the region's third-level institutions to deliver basic ICT training to local communities.
Further recommendations include an awareness campaign about the information society and steps to accelerate the roll out of broadband access in the south east.