News by SB Informer

Small Business Summit from Microsoft Fosters a Gathering of Entrepreneurs

SB Informer
Monday, March 19, 2007; 08:31 AM

Microsoft hosts its second-annual Small Business Summit this week, a nation-wide event that provides entrepreneurs with small business products and information they need to help their businesses soar. More than 30,000 small businesses and partners from around the country are expected to participate in this free event held online with an in-person, first day event today in Redmond, Washington.

With more than 58 sessions on small business topics including branding, sales and marketing, security, business efficiency and mobility, participants have the flexibility to join online from their home or their office. Additionally, small business owners can go to their local participating CompUSA store where they can watch the Webcasts, network with peers and have a direct dialogue with Microsoft and CompUSA representatives who understand their unique technology and business needs.

Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft, kicks off the event with a keynote highlighting new small business solutions and resources, including the unveiling of the company's breakthrough phone system software for small businesses, Microsoft® Response Point™. As a part of Turner's keynote, Bill Gates, chairman at Microsoft, will make a video appearance to announce the new product, designed to radically simplify the total phone experience for small businesses.

"With more than 20 million small businesses in the U.S., they continue to be a critical element in fueling our economy. We believe technology can play a fundamental role in helping small businesses succeed and allow them to create their own unique competitive advantage." says Turner. "The unveiling of new products, such as Response Point, highlights our efforts to carefully listen to the feedback and input of our small business customers and take a very deliberate approach to bring the right solutions, resources and services to market for this important business segment."

One of the largest U.S. events for small businesses, attendees will hear from industry luminaries including noted author and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, Baby Einstein founder Julie Clark and Wayne Best, chief economist at Visa USA. "We recognize the demands customers face on a daily basis," says Cindy Bates, general manager of Microsoft's U.S. Small Business Group. "We've listened to our small business community and based on feedback, we've expanded the number of Webcasts and in-person events this year , including adding a full day devoted specifically to startups. Attendees can immediately apply the knowledge they gather at the event to help their businesses start, grow and thrive."

New Solutions Designed For Small Businesses

Microsoft is introducing Microsoft® Response Point™ phone system software, designed specifically for small businesses, that is easy to use and easy to manage. Microsoft developed Response Point based on conversations with small businesses that included assessments of their current telephone systems and their pain points and how these could be improved. As a result, Response Point simplifies the phone experience for end users, and empowers even an average PC user to manage most system changes. Response Point integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange Server, and features speech recognition software that enables users to operate their phone using voice commands. Microsoft is working closely with industry partners, Uniden, D-Link and Quanta Computer to develop the phone systems, which will be available later this year.

The fifth day of the Summit will be devoted to the 675,000 U.S. companies that start-up each year. As part of this start-up day, Microsoft will unveil the Microsoft Startup Center, a free personalized toolkit (www.microsoft.com/startupcenter) designed to help new business owners successfully launch their businesses. The site provides actionable advice on what is needed to turn a business idea into a legitimate launch in an easy-to-use format. Also during the start-up day at the event, Rich and Jeff Sloan, creators of StartupNation.com and hosts of StartupNation Radio, will discuss 10 effective steps to start a small business. "We're excited to share our proven roadmap to success for startups," says Rich Sloan. "We've replaced the scariness, the confusion and the mystery with real-world and practical steps people should take to move from 'great idea' to 'open for business.' We're thrilled to be participating once again in this seismic small business event."

Small Business Momentum

The power of Microsoft's small business software has been enhanced dramatically with the release of Small Business Server 2003 R2, Windows Vista Business, Microsoft Office Professional 2007, Microsoft Office Small Business 2007, Microsoft Dynamics point-of-sale solutions, Office Accounting Professional, Microsoft Office Live and Microsoft adCenter. Steve Acorn, president and CEO of Student Painters commented on the Microsoft products designed for small businesses. "With the combination of Windows Small Business Server, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007, we were able to scale up our capabilities in step with the growth of our business. These products have met our need for an integrated environment that makes our network more efficient and provides secure remote connectivity to e-mail for all staff members."

The following Microsoft products designed for small business enable customers to focus on their core business priorities:    

·Windows Vista Business and Office Professional 2007 work together to help small business owners protect business data, manage e-mails and customer contact information and easily store and access information regardless of whether they're in the office or on the road.

·Microsoft Office Live, provides small businesses with the tools necessary to gain an online presence including a free Web site, domain name and e-mail addresses. Microsoft Office Live is also offering a new free web seminar series that gives small businesses access to some of today's most dynamic business leaders. New speakers and sessions are offered every month at http://www.officeliveseminars.com.

·Office Accounting Professional 2007 and Office Accounting Express 2007 deliver the tools needed to perform everyday financial tasks such as creating and tracking customer quotes and invoices, accepting payments and returns, managing inventory and tracking purchases. Office Accounting Express 2007 and Office Accounting Professional 2007 also helps customers grow their business online and easily integrate with online services such as eBay® and PayPal®.

·Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 helps small business owners improve employee productivity, protect vital business data and stay connected virtually anywhere and anytime. It is also a platform for line of business applications, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 Small Business Edition, enabling companies to access customer information from anywhere.

·Microsoft adCenter is an easy-to-use software platform that makes creating and managing search-based ad campaigns a snap, without the time and expense of a media buyer, and puts small business advertisers in control of their campaigns. Additionally, it helps advertisers reach the largest global audience on the internet, 81% of whom are recent online buyers.

Microsoft Dynamics™ point-of-sale solutions, including Microsoft Dynamics - Point of Sale 2.0 and Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System 2.0, enable small retailers to level the playing field in today's competitive retail environment. With their ease of use, affordability and reliability, Microsoft Dynamics point-of-sale solutions help small businesses manage inventory, control cash, reduce costs and improve customer service.

Lastly, during the Small Business Summit, Microsoft will announce the winners of its "Total Tech Makeover" and "I'm Going Places" sweepstakes. The grand prize for the Total Tech Makeover is $100,000 (U.S.) in technology and services, and the winner of "I'm Going Places" will enjoy the use of a private business jet for 10 hours.

Further details about Microsoft's small business resources are available at www.sbsummit.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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