Making technology work for small business

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, June-July, 2006 by Dalia Socorro Herrera

Small business technology continues to change the way small businesses operate. With a variety of applications and hardware to support the evolution of these small companies, technology developing firms are finding this section of America's business world more and more enticing. At the forefront of this vital, technological development is technology guru Microsoft Corporation.

In this issue of LL Focus, we speak with Microsoft's Alejandra Calatayud, General Manager, Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners Group, about Microsoft's mission to foster small business initiatives and solutions via its growing library of software programs.

The small business segment has been typically overlooked and underserved, because it is a hard-to-reach market. Why is Microsoft pursuing the small business market? Is it its growth potential or has large corporate market been saturated?

I think small business in the U.S. has not really used technology to compete with their competitors as much as the [larger] enterprises have. There is a real awakening to the fact that small business owners who use technology are better equipped to compete, so they are being more effective and productive. If you think about that fact and the fact that this segment is growing significantly in the U.S., then that becomes a very specific opportunity for Microsoft.

Microsoft targets different needs, what is the biggest need of the small businesses right now?

I would think that small businesses having technology in place as part of their strategy for growth is key. The needs are different for each business segment.

What exactly does Microsoft offer to the small business market to fill this need?

Microsoft has great products that were designed for the business segment. We're uniquely positioned to serve this market. Microsoft has projects that are really widely adopted and easy to use. So, if you think about MS Windows or MS Office and the ease of use of those products and how well people know how to utilize them, then it becomes a no-brainer for small businesses to employ those technologies.

What about specialized projects?

We have things like financial management systems or customer relationship management products that are specially tailored for small businesses, which are also easy to use and have the same interface as MS Windows and MS office.

Which is the most effective product Microsoft offers?

It depends on the need of the particular business. The MS Windows Small Business Product was specifically designed to help with today's business environment demands that allow small businesses do more with less. It includes security-enhanced internet access, it has protected data storage and printing, it's a full site of basic services for any computer network that has collaboration within it. This product has been a huge success with small businesses because it's so easy to use. Another program is MS Office Small Business Edition. That one is basically the same version of office that you see for large corporations, but it also has programs that are very important to small businesses, such as MS Small Business Accounting and Business Contact Manager.

These two additional programs distinguish it from the MS Office geared for large corporations?

Yes, those two would be the main thing. MS Office Professional Edition will not come with Small Business Accounting.

What about programs for customer relations?

MS CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a full blown contact management product that helps our clients with doing marketing campaigns, understanding what kind of contact has been made to specific customers, to fill out sales needs with specific customers. It very good, specifically, for people who sell products or services.

Is there one product that most effectively promotes productivity?

The more you integrate the more productivity you are going to see. But, if I had to choose one, I would have to say that MS Office Small Business Management Edition is the one. You can do so much with that application that it is going to help with productivity.

Are any of these products standalone?

These products are basically developed to work under the Windows platform. The programs cannot do not work on their own. But, I would venture to say that any small business owner who has bought an Intel PC will already be running windows.

How do you address the criticism that Microsoft simply retrofitted a product created for large corporations?

I don't think that we've created products that are downsized for small businesses. If you think about 10, 15 years ago, everybody said that Microsoft didn't scale to the [small] enterprise. Today we are a very strong player in that section. When we design products, we think about the 'mission critical' tasks and applications. Mission critical may be different from one customer segment to the other. And, the great news about is that as customers grow, their Microsoft programs and solutions can grow with them.

Outside of software-based solutions for business, does Microsoft offer other services to assist small businesses?