UK SBSC : SMB Market Insight

IDC predicts Windows 7 channel windfall - 14 Jul 2009 - CRN

UK SBSC — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:57:00 GMT

We thought you may find this article interesting. Written by Kayleigh Bateman from CRN, the article highlights a recent IDC report that states for every euro of Microsoft Windows 7 revenue in the UK, partners are set to reap €19.82 in additional services and products!

IDC predicts Windows 7 channel windfall

For every euro of Microsoft Windows 7 revenue in the UK, partners are set to reap €19.82 in additional services and products

Microsoft's partner ecosystem can look forward to strong growth thanks to the launch of Windows 7, according the market watcher IDC.

In research to coincide with the software giant’s Worldwide Partner Conference, taking place this week in New Orleans, IDC has predicted that for every €1 spent on Windows 7 in the UK, partners will reap €19.82 in additional services and products.

Globally IDC predicts a brisk uptake for Windows 7, forecasting that shipments between the October launch and the end of 2010 will reach 177 million units.

The analyst has predicted global employment will grow by more than 300,000 new jobs, or more than 30 per cent of total growth in global IT employment in 2010, solely because of the launch of Windows 7.

The report said: “In the midst of an economic crisis, with most governments seeking economic stimulus to grow their economies, the launch of a major new operating system should be considered good news – a stimulus package in its own right.”

IDC predicts Windows 7 channel windfall - 14 Jul 2009 - CRN

More free text books up for grabs…

UK SBSC — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:06:00 GMT

We are continuing our office clear-out and in addition to the ‘Small Business Specialist Primer & 70-282 Exam Preparation Guide!’ books that we offered out to you earlier this week, we also have a few ‘Making it Big in Small Business 2006: Top 15 successful SMB consultants share strategies and lessons learned’ books to give away. Again, this book is part of Harry Brelsford’s SMB Series.

The book is currently available on Amazon for £31.38 new!

If you would like to receive a free copy please email sbscuk@microsoft.com with your full name, company name and postal address. We will only be able to post books to UK addresses and allocation will be on a first come first served basis. We only have a few copies so don’t delay in emailing us.

Technology Can Help Build Success for Smaller Companies: Q&A: Eduardo Rosini of Microsoft discusses top technology drivers that enable small and midsized businesses to compete.

UK SBSC — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:01:35 GMT

Technology Can Help Build Success for Smaller Companies

Q&A: Eduardo Rosini of Microsoft discusses top technology drivers that enable small and midsized businesses to compete.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 26, 2009 — Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are important contributors to the world economy. In fact, it’s estimated that SMBs employ 90 percent of the world’s work force, and account for more than 50 percent of gross domestic product worldwide.

Eduardo Rosini, corporate vice president, Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners

In today’s economy, however, these companies face significant challenges including limited cash flow and reduced access to credit. Historically, SMBs are the first to be hit by recessions. The good news is they’re also typically the first to recover. Because of their size, SMBs can react quickly to market changes, employ innovative approaches in solving business challenges and better connect with customers locally.

Recently the 2009 Microsoft SMB Insight Report revealed that smaller companies recognize the strategic and competitive advantages that can be gained through technology. More than half of SMBs plan to invest as much or more in IT in 2009 as they did they did in 2008, and are looking at technology investments that directly benefit their bottom line.

To learn more about how SMBs are reacting to the recession and how they plan to adapt and compete in the current economy, PressPass spoke with Eduardo Rosini, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners organization.

Read more here.....

Technology Can Help Build Success for Smaller Companies: Q&A: Eduardo Rosini of Microsoft discusses top technology drivers that enable small and midsized businesses to compete.

Microsoft Study Reveals Small Business IT Sophistication

UK SBSC — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:49:36 GMT

My colleague, who heads up the SBSC programme in Canada (Satish Kanwar), has kindly advised me that Microsoft has released the results of a global study that investigated how small businesses use and manage their IT. The research report, called “Microsoft Global Small Business Index, October 2008”, was executed by Vanson Bourne Ltd. earlier this year with more than 1,300 small businesses across several countries - including 200 from the UK.

Whilst some the research looks to highlight the growing demand for software as a service amongst small businesses, as you can see from the quote below you can see it also identifies the opportunity around Windows Small Business Server.

"The research, which surveyed small businesses’ attitudes on a range of areas, also found that many have “IT envy” for the resources of larger businesses. A vast majority — 79 percent — think that larger businesses gain significant advantage from having access to better IT resources. Despite this, 37 percent still use Web mail, such as Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo! services, rather than business e-mail services such as Microsoft Hosted Exchange."

"Other findings from the research indicated that small businesses desire more developed capabilities for security and mobile services, with 56 percent of small businesses indicating they would prefer to have more protection from viruses and spam. Meanwhile, 44 percent of small businesses believe they would benefit from mobile e-mail and shared calendar functionalities."

As an all-in-one server solution, SBS 2008 can provide all of the major features used by larger companies to these envious small businesses at a surprisingly affordable cost. E-mail, internet connectivity, internal web sites, remote access, mobile device support, file/printer sharing, backup/restore, etc..

Another interesting thing that came out from the research was that despite the economic downturn, most small businesses reported that they had performed well in the past year, indicating that although the economic situation is real, some are born as a result of fear and uncertainty:

"Globally, 39 percent of businesses had grown, while 36 percent had remained steady in the past year."

With the strength of your partnership with Microsoft, there are cost savings you can uniquely position to SMB customers by exploring innovative hosted, virtualization, and collaboration technologies. Have you understood the opportunities with Software + Services, Virtualisation, and SBS/EBS 2008? Visit our Partner Portal for resources that will help you get up to speed.

The report also highlights the opportunity of working with local governmental influencer bodies, such as the local Chambers of Commerce, associations and bodies, as it highlights:

"Government support is often widely used and well-received, but in some cases, it is thought to be too limited."

Have you explored opportunities to find business through these type of influencer channels? Microsoft UK has someone on point to look at opportunities to work with key influencer channels and perhaps get SBSC partners involved. Watch this space for further updates and information - but in the meantime, think about approaching them directly and utilise the Sales and Marketing tools available in the Sales and Marketing Resource Library.

You can read the full press release or request the report here.

UK SBSC : SMB Market Insight

IDC predicts Windows 7 channel windfall - 14 Jul 2009 - CRN

IDC predicts Windows 7 channel windfall

More free text books up for grabs…

Technology Can Help Build Success for Smaller Companies: Q&A: Eduardo Rosini of Microsoft discusses top technology drivers that enable small and midsized businesses to compete.

Technology Can Help Build Success for Smaller Companies

Q&A: Eduardo Rosini of Microsoft discusses top technology drivers that enable small and midsized businesses to compete.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 26, 2009 — Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are important contributors to the world economy. In fact, it’s estimated that SMBs employ 90 percent of the world’s work force, and account for more than 50 percent of gross domestic product worldwide.

Microsoft Study Reveals Small Business IT Sophistication