Dell launched Small Business 360, an online resource for small businesses seeking products and services, industry information and success stories to help them grow and better serve customers.
At www.dell.com/sb360, small businesses can find technology and business advice from Dell and partner experts, as well as links to online resources and tutorials, view video customer case studies and register for webcasts. They can also access industry-specific technology information and community forums where they can pose questions to each other, share technology challenges and discuss best practices.
Initial industries include accounting and finance, architecture and construction, law, real estate and retail. The site is primarily geared for small companies with little or no IT support.
“With a record 670,000 new businesses started in 2005, small business clearly drives our nation’s economy,” said Frank Muehleman, vice president and general manager of Dell Small Business. “Technology can help these businesses succeed, and we want them to view Dell as their trusted advisor whether they are ready to buy today, tomorrow or six months from now.”
“Small businesses want solutions that can give them maximum business benefit with minimum technical pain and financial risk, and they’re turning to the Web to educate themselves before they buy,” said Laurie McCabe, vice president of SMB Insights & Business Solutions for AMI-Partners. “According to our 2006-2007 U.S. Small Business Overview study, 78 percent of small businesses turn to the Internet for information on IT-related products and services, behind turning to fellow associates for help by just 1 percent.”
To complement Small Business 360, last week at the Consumer Electronics Show Michael Dell unveiled Studio Dell, a new digital media network that shares informative videos on a broad range of technology topics and user experiences. The RSS-enabled site, www.dell.com/studiodell, targets the full spectrum of Dell customers with tailored content on three “channels” -- Home, Small Business and IT Pro.
“A resource center for small businesses would be an excellent tool for us, especially if it’s industry specific,” said Rob Davis, IT manager of Donald A. Gardner Architects, one of five small businesses featured in the initial week of Studio Dell programming. “If you could log in and ask another architect, ‘How did you integrate this particular component,’ or ‘I see that you’ve used this technology before, was it able to solve your issue?,’ would definitely be a resource any small business would take advantage of.”
