REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 2, 1998 — Microsoft Corp. today announced new tools and resources to help customers choose the right operating system for their business and to help system builders and value-added providers (VAPs) build, sell and support PC solutions for small businesses. Resources include a Web site specifically designed for small businesses, as well as a Small Business Starter Kit for system builders who serve them. Both are designed to provide detailed information to illustrate how the Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation operating system version 4.0 can be part of a highly productive small business technology solution.
Microsoft and value-added providers are tailoring information and services to small businesses to meet the growing interest in Windows NT Workstation 4.0. Access Media International (AMI-USA) recently estimated a 40 percent increase in small-business customer adoption through the next 12 months, which would bring the total number of small businesses using Windows NT Workstation to over 1 million.
Small businesses choosing Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on new PCs are well prepared for the turn of the century and for future migration to Windows 2000 Professional. Small business customers like Managed Account Services, a Miami-based financial consulting firm, and Stratford Advisory Group Inc., a Chicago-based investment consulting firm, have chosen Windows NT Workstation 4.0, citing its reliability, performance and security as main reasons.
“We do more with fewer people [with Windows NT Workstation 4.0] than I ever could have imagined. Passing on those technology savings to our clients in the form of lower costs gives us a cost advantage,”
said Frank Armstrong, president and principal, Managed Account Services.
“We have both Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95, and it works great. Nobody knows the difference when they move from one machine to another, and there is no loss of time.”
“Small-business customers are increasingly choosing Windows NT Workstation 4.0 to help them gain real business benefits today and focus on what’s truly important – running their business,”
said Yusuf Mehdi, director of Windows marketing at Microsoft.
“By using these new tools and resources, system builders can make it easier for their customers to move to Windows NT Workstation 4.0 today.”
New Tools and Resources for System Builders
The Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Small Business Starter Kit is scheduled to be available this month to more than 80,000 system builders in North America. The kit is intended to provide those system builders and value-added providers that build, sell and support PC solutions with the information they need to preinstall, sell and support Windows NT Workstation for small businesses. The kit contains a mix of business-to-business sales tools, as well as technical resources and product components including the following:
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Scenario CD-ROM. Three video vignettes illustrate features and benefits of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and suggest how to provide a complete solution to a small-business customer. Simulations of real customer interactions are included to show system builders how to address customer concerns and answer frequently asked questions.
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Sales kit CD-ROM. This contains complete Microsoft Windows NT Workstation sales tools, including presentations, data sheets and marketing collateral, online training tools and other related sales tools, and training opportunities.
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Point-of-sale collateral. This provides system builders with POS marketing materials they can use with small-business customers to illustrate the performance and reliability measures of Windows NT Workstation 4.0.
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Windows NT Workstation 4.0 preinstallation training CD-ROM and How to Extend, Optimize and Troubleshoot for Small-Business CD-ROM. These contain a Windows NT Workstation 4.0 preinstallation training video and a new video designed to show system builders how to take advantage of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 opportunities for small business. Also included is information on integration with messaging solutions (Microsoft Exchange Server), telephone capabilities (Fax Server, RAS) and other important services related to small business.
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Microsoft Press® Windows NT Workstation 4.0 resource kit. This kit contains a comprehensive technical guide and a CD-ROM with useful utilities and accessory programs designed to help system builders take full advantage of the power of Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0. This kit also includes essential reference information on installing, configuring and troubleshooting.
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Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 beta and Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0. These are not-for-resale products, intended to provide system builders with preinstallation tools that will enable them to better sell and support these products.
“Microsoft has always done a good job of providing system builders with the tools and resources we need to sell and support Microsoft products,”
said Mike Daher, vice president of operations of Micro Standard Distributors, Redmond.
“The Small Business Starter Kit is a good example of the kinds of specific tools and resources we need to tap into market opportunities around core Microsoft products such as Windows NT Workstation.”
Free Resource for Small-Business IT Decision-Makers
Microsoft created the Small Business Web site ( http://www.microsoft.com/smallbiz/windows/ ) as a tool for decision-makers at small businesses to make the right operating system choice for their business desktop and laptop personal computers. The Small Business Web site contains detailed information on how Windows NT Workstation 4.0 benefits small businesses in important areas such as reliability, compatibility, security and performance.
For more information on the Small Business Starter Kit, please see the Microsoft OEM System Builder Program site at http://www.microsoft.com/oem/ . For more information about
Windows NT Workstation 4.0, visit the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/ .
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.
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