NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 9, 2003 — Today at the Microsoft® Worldwide Partner Conference 2003, Microsoft Corp. announced that Windows® Small Business Server 2003 is now available for customers from leading partners including Dell and HP as well as a network of more than 20,000 trained technology providers. Windows Small Business Server 2003 is a fully integrated server product that is optimized for small businesses to help automatically protect their data, significantly increase their productivity, and extend their customer reach while also reducing complexity and administration time. The innovations and improved integration in Windows Small Business Server 2003 are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of small businesses and enable customers to capture a full return on their investment in approximately one month.
“Small-business customers tell us that for technology to effectively address their business challenges, they need solutions that are simple, familiar, economical and comprehensive,”
said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft.
“Windows Small Business Server 2003 enables small-business customers to optimize their business computing and really unlock the value of information.”
Protecting Business Information Automatically
As small businesses struggle to better manage and gain control of exploding information, they look to technology as a way to help ensure their core business information is protected. This is why 43 percent of small businesses ranked automated data backup and recovery as their leading IT need.* Groundbreaking innovations in Windows Small Business Server 2003, such as the Small Business Server Backup Wizard, guide a small business through the most essential elements in helping protect its business information and ensure it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
”
In a traditional medical-providers office, each patient creates another layer of paper on
a desk,”
said Dr. Arthur Lavin, co-founder of Advanced Pediatrics in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Imagine the difficulty of ensuring the integrity of that information and quickly retrieving a specific document when you have 2,500 individuals to keep track of. The Small Business Server 2003-based solution in our office reduces staffing needs by two-thirds versus a traditional paper-based medical practice, and regular, automatic backup of our records gives us confidence that it is secure and always available to our medical providers and staff members.”
Improving Employee Productivity by up to 20 Percent
Small businesses are increasingly looking to technology as a solution to improve collaboration and productivity. Windows Small Business Server 2003 enables employees to achieve 20 percent more in a single work period through integration of leading advancements in collaboration and productivity. A key advancement is an out-of-the-box company intranet using, Windows SharePoint™
Services, which makes it easy to find and share documents, collaborate on projects, and automate many routine tasks.
“We estimate that improvements in inside and outside sales productivity, combined with direct employee cost savings, will generate an additional $315,000 to the bottom line,”
said Gene Austin, general manager of The Fischer Group, an independent marketing firm in Orange, Calif.
Extending Customer Reach and Improving Service
An increasing number of small businesses can compete in the global marketplace by effectively leveraging the Internet to better connect with suppliers and customers. Windows Small Business Server 2003 provides integrated e-mail, a company intranet and a shared contact database that enables small-business customers to efficiently manage a greater volume of customers, while delivering professional, personalized customer communications, 24×7.
“Before the deployment of Windows Small Business Server 2003, our sales reps were spending too much time on order replenishment and fulfillment transactions,”
said Brad Storms with C & S Sales Inc. in Los Angeles.
“By deploying Windows Small Business Server with SharePoint Services, weve been able to develop a self-service collaborative environment between our outside sales force and customer service representatives, ultimately reducing the time we spend on ordering specifications and input transactions by 30 percent to 40 percent. This translates into an increase in sales of approximately 5 percent and a cost savings of between $15,000 and $20,000 per year.”
Setting Up and Operating Quickly and Easily
Small businesses are much less likely to have dedicated IT staffs and will find management innovations in Windows Small Business Server 2003 that reduce administration time. Automated, integrated setup on preloaded machines typically enables customers to be running with a fully deployed network in less than three hours. In addition, configuration and maintenance tools ensure that maintaining the system is simple and automatic.
“Weve installed and upgraded many of the older versions of Small Business Server, so we planned for as much as a week for installation and configuration,”
said Marc Harrison, who handles technology for W & E Baum.
”
We were thrilled when we came in on
a Sunday prepared to work through the night and had everything up and running in
just three hours. The company was open for business on Monday morning with no downtime whatsoever.”
Pricing and Availability
Windows Small Business Server 2003 is available from PC manufacturers, retail outlets, technology providers and consultants for an estimated retail price** of $599 (U.S.) for the Standard Edition server and five clients and $1,499 for the Premium Edition server and five clients. The most-current information on Small Business Server 2003 licensing and pricing can be found on the pricing and licensing page at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/howtobuy/default.mspx .
About Windows Small Business Server 2003
A member of the Microsoft Windows Server family, Windows Small Business Server 2003 is the fourth-generation release tailored specifically to the needs of small businesses. Whether it is the only server or the center of a multiserver network, Microsoft Windows Small Business Server
2003 is the simplest way for small businesses to get the power of Microsoft Windows Server
2003, and Microsoft server-based solutions for e-mail, fax, database and security technologies to help protect shared Internet access all as one integrated solution with unified setup and centralized management. More information on Windows Small Business Server 2003 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/ .
About Microsofts Worldwide Partner Conference
Microsofts Worldwide Partner Conference combines the best elements of two previous events Fusion, for Microsoft partners, and Stampede, for Microsoft Business Solutions partners to provide even more valuable and informative learning opportunities in leadership, sales, marketing, services and technology. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/partner/events/wwpartnerconference/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software any time, any place and on any device.
* According to industry observer Access Markets International Partners Inc.
** Reseller prices may vary.
Microsoft, Windows and SharePoint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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