REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 27, 2000 — Microsoft this week launched the dotSmart initiative, designed to connect thousands of business and technical decision makers with the tools they need to plan, build and manage business on the Internet. The dotSmart Web site, located at http://www.microsoft.com/ecommerce/ , provides focused product and service information from Microsoft and its partners, as well as architectural guidance, customer case studies, and opportunities to connect with Microsoft through optional profiling and follow-up with the company’s dot-com specialists.
To learn more about the dotSmart initiative and the needs of dot-com businesses, PressPass spoke with Peter Boit, Microsoft’s vice president for e-commerce.
PressPass: Why did you launch the dotSmart initiative?
Boit: We believe that Microsoft has the vision, strategy and understanding of the issues that are important to dot-com businesses, such as speed to market, speed to profitability, reliability, scalability, dependability and interoperability — so we launched the dotSmart initiative to connect our dot-com customers with all the information and support they need to meet those needs, in a way that’s simple and easy to use, yet detailed and interactive.
Right now, the Microsoft Web site has plenty of great information for dot-coms — what we’ve done is brought all that information together into one place, organized and clearly presented with the dot-com customer in mind. Rather than playing
“hunt and peck”
around dozens of Microsoft and partner Web sites to find what they need, customers can visit the dotSmart Web site and find it all in one place — everything from basic product, service and support information to architectural guidance and detailed case studies.
PressPass: How can customers act on this information once they’ve found it?
Boit: The dotSmart initiative is much more than a portal — not only can customers find the information they need, they can connect directly to the partners and suppliers that can help them put that information to work. For the first time, we’re providing our customers with the option to create a profile that reflects their situation and needs, so they can communicate directly with dot-com specialists at Microsoft. And it will eventually encompass more
“offline”
resources such as seminars and events, as well as special offers on products and services for dot-com customers.
PressPass: How are the needs of dot-com businesses unique, and what does the dotSmart initiative do to meet them?
Boit: Both pure dot-coms and enterprise e-commerce efforts have similar technology needs. They both want a platform that’s provably reliable, scalable and available, and both benefit from learning about those solutions through detailed, real-world case studies. And they both need access to experienced partners for business and technology services.
The dotSmart initiative provides all of this, but it goes one step beyond to serve the needs of dedicated dot-com businesses, providing great resources for business planning, raising capital, marketing, and establishing an overall business presence. It’s targeted specifically at dot-coms, but overall it’s very useful for anyone who depends on the Internet for their success.
PressPass: How can the solutions found on the dotSmart Web site help dot-com businesses succeed?
Boit: We believe that Microsoft and its partners provide the most agile platform for dot-com businesses — our customers can develop their solutions faster and develop a rich user experience using best-of-breed tools and the broadest range of partners, all at a fraction of the cost of other solutions. The dotSmart initiative backs this up with case studies and data from companies like HSN.com, GuinnessWorldRecords.com, Haystack Toys, Infospace, Nasdaq, Ask Jeeves and Barnes and Noble that have built reliable, flexible and scalable solutions — then gives customers a head start on connecting with Microsoft and its partners to develop solutions of their own.
