Microsoft Supports Small Business by Easing the Burden of Locating and Identifying Designated it Specialists to Help with Technology Solutions

Ask anyone who runs a small business about their IT support and most will confess that it falls in the hands of an unqualified employee, a neighbor or, at best, their computer savvy brother-in-law. Small businesses simply don't have the luxury of an on-staff IT specialist nor do many know where to turn for the right outside assistance. Help is on the way. The Microsoft® Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) numbers 5,000 partners, all of whom are businesses who are designated by Microsoft to specifically serve the IT needs of small business. Microsoft defines "small business" to be companies with 50 or fewer employees. The SBSC group of 5,000 is easily identifiable. Each partner, and only those partners, can identify themselves with the Microsoft SBSC Logo.

The Microsoft Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) is dedicated to helping small businesses engage in making smart technology decisions. They offer technology advice, support and service to small businesses.

The Microsoft Small Business Specialist logo, along with the website (http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness) help identify those who have gone through training, passed exams, and have been designated by Microsoft to specifically serve the IT needs of small business.

"Microsoft is very committed to supporting the 20 million small businesses in the United States through our Small Business Specialist Community. We hope by raising awareness of our program that small business owners will recognize the qualified help that may be right in their neighborhood," said Eric Ligman, Senior Manager of Community Engagement for Microsoft U.S. Small Business. "We strongly believe that there is great potential for U.S. small businesses to benefit from our Small Business Specialist partners' technical expertise. We value the direct and powerful impact on the U.S. economy that small business brings and hope that with this program we can help make a difference."

Finding Assistance is a Click Away by Simply Plugging in a Zip Code

It is easy for small businesses to identify local SBSC specialists in their area. Simply click on the Small Business Specialist locator tool on the Microsoft website, type in a zip code, and local area specialists will be presented for review. The link to the Small Business Specialist locator tool is: http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/partner/vendorsearch.mspx

In addition other useful information and resources for small businesses may be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness.

"Our SBSC Partners, are often times linking up with other Small Business Specialists to mutually help each other out," adds Ligman. "Many of our SBSC members are small businesses themselves and therefore truly understand what it means to run a small business."

The Microsoft Small Business Specialist Has the Inside Track

The Microsoft Small Business Specialist Community continually demonstrates their collective knowledge and technical expertise in delivering proven Microsoft Small Business solutions to small businesses. Partners in the SBSC Program are qualified to work for small business. They can't just pay a fee to become a member. Before qualifying in the program, each member must take technical training and pass exams to become a designated member.

Upon acceptance to the SBSC program, partners gain access to a multitude of exclusive benefits and opportunities that help them enhance their skills. This includes access to exclusive training, networking and problem-solving opportunities, an exclusive resources web site, private newsgroups, and SBSC quarterly webcasts. All of which add to their knowledge and expertise in assisting small business.

The SBSC logo is just a small part of what Microsoft is doing to support the growth of small business in the United States. For more information on how Microsoft can help small business visit http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/

Information about becoming a Microsoft Small Business Specialist is available at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/program/smallbusinessspecialist/sbsbenefits.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Source
Press release