In a move to offer small businesses a turnkey approach to virtualization, HP Virtualization Smart Bundles for Hyper-V rolls hypervisor, storage, networking and management software into one virtual package.

Acer's brand-new all-in-one nettop sports a slim, stylish design and a widescreen monitor for $400. If the elegant-but-under-powered desktop had just one more gig of memory, it might have been love at first byte.

The latest edition of Intuit's small business accounting package extends its reach further online and around the globe.

Google Video for Business is designed to combine the best of YouTube's ease-of-use and social network tools plus the control and security businesses need.

Small businesses top the list of companies most likely to buy a notebook PC. Today, Lenovo announced a new line of ThinkPads built for SMBs that value mobility, multimedia, durability and affordability.

Web-based accounting service touts real-time Web 2.0 dashboards and looks to make software-as-a-serve carefree.

Business is booming for companies with between 100 and 999 employees, according to HP, and today's server and Linux announcements are designed just for those mid-sized businesses.

Aiming to make a run at more expensive collaboration offerings such as Microsoft SharePoint and Lotus Notes, Google today announced Google Sites.

The data security company targets small and mid-sized businesses with two online storage services and also revs up its Backup Exec line for Windows 2008.

Google Apps Team Edition is designed to bring instant, no-IT-help-required collaboration to small businesses.

The software mainstay says that based on small business customer demand, Microsoft Office Outlook with Business Contact Manager is available as a standalone product and also integrates with Microsoft Office Accounting 2008.

Last year, Google acquired e-mail security specialist Postini. Today, Google announced 'Powered by Postini' tools designed to provide message filtering, encryption and archiving for businesses of all sizes.

Big Blue says its PowerVM Express software and new Series p servers help smaller businesses save money, time and power.

The storage giant says its new Clariion AX4 SAN (and the Dell-branded Dell AX4-5) offers small businesses virtualization, scalability, iSCSI and friendlier storage management software.

If you're ready to move beyond using public IM services, IBM's recent release of Lotus Sametime Entry is aimed at small businesses like yours.

PayCycle claims that the 2008 version of its online service streamlines the process of running payroll, expands customer support and increases integration with accounting software. But can it fend off ADP and Intuit?

If you don't know jack about marketing, perhaps you need a trained professional. NetBooks hopes to provide the connection between Web-based customer information and marketing services to help you use it.

Microsoft Office Accounting 2008, the third iteration of the small business accounting offering, still features a free Express version and strong online components, but adds a smattering of new features and a Spanish-English version.

Intuit Online Payroll is a Web-based service designed for new employers and other small businesses that aren't QuickBooks customers.

Apptix, a company that offers small businesses hosted Exchange and voice services, says its new leasing options make voice over IP more attainable for small business.

The software-as-a-service vendor announced new tools designed to make it easy for third-party developers to create vertical-industry components for its Web-based application suite.

Let's face it: The only way a small business will back up files is if it's easy, invisible and affordable. Yosemite Technologies thinks it has an answer with FileKeeper Pro.

Intuit takes the wraps off the latest editions to the de facto standard in small business accounting software.

The Web-based application vendor says companies with fewer than 50 employees can benefit from an integrated business management suite, and it claims its new offering has the price, support and ease of use to attract that demanding crowd.

The storage company's PlatinumNAS Plus line features an embedded iTunes server, which is designed to let small businesses distribute training software, podcasts and other digital content (yes, even music).

Version 9 of the popular Mac and Windows database manager concentrates on making things easier on the front-end and tapping external data sources on the back-end.

The search engine giant today announced an agreement with Ingram Micro to distribute the Google Mini and Google Search Appliance.

The data integration software provider says that TradingPartner Complete helps small businesses connect QuickBooks and other small business applications with large retailers Electronic Data Interchange systems.

If you pay some of your employees based on sales performance and managing that process is a time-consuming challenge, Xactly wants you to know about its new managed service software.

In its rollout of NetSuite 2007.0, the software-as-a-service provider unveils what it bills as easy-to-use ERP enhancements, seamless multicurrency features and business intelligence.

Big Blue says its BladeCenter S is small enough to sit on a desktop but powerful enough to handle all your server needs.

We live in a wireless world, and online application provider NetSuite and its partners hope to help you take your business with you when you're on the road.

If you have an online presence, you probably use pay-per-click advertising at least to some extent. But is it helping you actually generate revenue? A startup company thinks it can help you answer 'yes' to that question.

To help mobile professionals better manage e-mail and text messages, the on-demand service provider unveiled WebMessenger Message Alerts for BlackBerry. Earlier this week Apptix acquired WebMessenger for $7 million.

Backup Exec System Recovery 7.0 is designed to add support for virtual servers, enhance Microsoft Exchange capabilities, expand data-recovery options and centralize management.

The companies look to make IBM OmniFind Yahoo Edition, which competes with the Google Mini, more customizable and faster to deploy.

The System i 515 and 525 feature a new per-user licensing plan and aim to offer small businesses a more consolidated approach to deploying and managing servers.

The StorageWorks All-in-One line, which is designed to offer small businesses a low-cost, low-complexity network storage option, now supports 12 SAS or SATA drive bays.

Looking to entice small businesses that have yet to move to a 'true' server based infrastructure, HP today announced the ProLiant ML115. Pricing for the AMD processor-based server starts at $499.

The small busniness-centric storage provider announced the Platinum NAS 4.0, a network storage device that features new 1 TB SATA drives, RAID, fast I/O and support for Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

Best-known for its hosted Exchange service, Apptix today announced a VoIP service designed to offer a small businesses enterprise-class unified communications features and support.

Th on-demand sales-compensation service provider rolls out Xactly Incent 3.2 and adds API, modeling and rewards tools. It also lays out its 18-month road map.

In a move to lower the cost and complexity of installing a data-recovery plan, HP yesterday announced the StorageWorks D2D Backup System.

Looking to combine affordability with simplicity, Dell and EMC team up to offer small and mid-sized businesses a SAN that makes sense.

Virtualization leader VMware today announced VirtualCenter for VMware Server. The new product bundle is designed to provide small and mid-sized businesses with a low-cost way to manage and provision virtual servers.

The search engine king rolls out Google Mini 2.2, which boasts better security, search capabilities across all internal business content and more powerful search features for public-facing Web sites.

WebEx adds e-mail to its WebOffice online application suite. The company claims it delivers what Microsoft only talks about.

Microsoft Dynamics — Point of Sale 2.0 is built to make life easier for cashiers and to give business owners more control over inventory and better integration with business software.

Graphics software? Check. Publishing tools? Small business applications? Umm ... If that's your reaction to what's available for the Macintosh, the folks at Macworld Expo have a symposium they want you to attend.

In a move to give small and mid-sized companies more storage capacity and the flexibility to mix and match high-performance SAS and more affordable SATA drives in one enclosure, HP announced the MSA60 and MSA70.

Adobe says that even after you send your PDF, Microsoft Word or Excel file off into the world, you can still track and control access with its new hosted service.

The systems vendor features AMD Opteron dual-core processors in its new line of 1U, 2U and 3U servers aimed at small and mid-sized businesses.

The newest version of the Intuit's point-of-sale retail management software promises online marketing tools, stronger inventory features, and better insight into the sales and customer data.

The software company today announced that it is splitting its small business accounting line into two products: Office Accounting Express 2007 is a free download and Professional costs $149. Both will offer a menu of third-party online services.

SonicWall's new network security appliance offers 3G Internet access for small businesses that can't get DSL service or are too mobile for traditional fixed broadband.

SMC Networks and ZyXEL promise faster and farther-reaching Wi-Fi performance with new draft 802.11n-compliant wireless networking products.

Looking to gain an edge on Dell servers running Windows, IBM today announced the IBM System i 520 Solution Edition for SAP. It's designed to offer integrated business software, database and security on a single server.

3Com's new Unified Gigabit Wireless PoE Switch 24 is designed to let you manage wired and wireless network devices and functions through a single, Gigabit Ethernet, PoE integrated box.

Motorola and Apptix announced a partnership to offer hosted mobile e-mail targeted at small businesses that want a single source for a mobile device, wireless service and on-demand e-mail services.

Paint Shop Pro Photo XI continues to add new image-editing and management features while keeping the learning curve and price low.

What would you call your latest small business accounting product? Microsoft is opting for Office Accounting 2007, dropping the 'small business,' but adding new features for e-commerce and Outlook integration.

Based on the just-released Xeon 7100 series dual-core processor (codenamed Tulsa), HP's new ProLiant servers promise improved performance for financial, ERP and CRM applications.

IBM's instant messaging and collaboration platform will soon boast Linux client and server versions. Big Blue claims small-biz appeal.

A construction-equipment supplier gives up its hardware and moves to a Web-based application suite that ties the business together.

Big Blue today announced a new server configuration aimed small business customers of Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications. IBM claims it offers lower acquisition costs than comparable systems running Windows on x86-based servers.

The latest version of the popular small business database application makes Web data available on demand, also boasts a performance bump thanks to new universal binaries.

QuickBooks Merchant Service for Web Stores is designed to let you integrate your electronic transactions with Intuit's popular small business accounting software.

Despite all the virtues of Web-based applications, sometimes you just want to buy the old-fashioned way. If that describes you, today's news from NetSuite and CompUSA may be appealing.

In a move to further expand its storage offerings, the systems vendor announces new network attached storage, disk and tape products.

Xactly Incent is designed to provide both managers and sales people with a real-time, on-demand view into sales incentives and commissions. The application will also now be available as part of Salesforce.com's AppExhcange.

The security vendor introduces a one-device approach to both Internet connectivity and security with the Safe@Office 500 and 500W (the W stands for wireless).

If you have a server and expanding storage needs, Dell says it has the product for you in what it claims is the first direct-attached storage enclosure that use 3.5-inch serial attached SCSI drives.

The software company known for its on-premise, server-based business management sofware suite today announced it will complement that version with a hosted offering.

Sage Software aims the first industry-specific version of its venerable contact manager at real estate agents and brokers.

The search engine company claims that the newest version of its small business appliance is half the size and weight of its predecessor. The new Mini also boasts a 25x speed increase and offers a real-time crawl feature.

The newest iteration of the popular Web-based application boasts an AJAX-based user interface, SuiteScript for customization and new industry-specific editions.

To sell storage and disaster-recovery products to small businesses, vendors now realize that the key to success is to lower both cost and complexity. Two products from EMC and STORServer aim to do just that.

Big Blue introduces an updated IBM Workplace Services Express, helps small and mid-sized businesses get serious about compliance and announces a patch to prevent havoc when daylight-saving changes time go into effect in 2007.

No, it's not the perfect spouse. The HP Compaq t5720 is a new thin client device that's designed to make your life easier by taking PC complexity off the desktop.

On the day it kicks off its Webcast-filled Small Business Summit, Microsoft announced a new financing option, some new twists with Best Buy and a revamped Small Business Server.

The social networking site said its premium services have brought it to profitability. Now it will add more free features in an effort to double its membership by year's end.

In a move to make its search appliance appeal to the smallest of small businesses, Google today announced a lower-priced Mini.

Small businesses can now sign up to test the Microsoft Office Live service. The move is the latest announcement relating to company's plan to offer more Web-based applications.

The on-demand CRM vendor says its new features will help extend its market footprint. And that foot is aimed squarely at Salesforce.com.

Whether it's traveling to one of the country's finest golf courses or sailing on magnificent yachts, Imagic Digital is never far away from its financial data thanks to QuickBooks Online.

Microsoft's Small Business +, which builds on its Small Business Center Web site, is designed to be a personalized resource that offers free and for-pay support and training services.

The software-as-a-service provider today announced WebEx System Management Service, which offers small businesses access to software distribution, patch management, online backup and virus protection tools.

Microsoft today announced that it will offer one year of free, unlimited support for its small business accounting customers, claims most of its users are coming from QuickBooks.

Touting PDF importing capabilities, a new e-mail client and more, Corel today announced WordPerfect X3. The Ottawa-based company also announced a new version of CorelDraw, its venerable graphics program.

For small businesses looking to add the power of Google searches to their company intranet or Web site, the Mini now supports up to 300,000 documents.

Small Biz Bits: The Small Business Administration is offering a free Web chat to offer tax advice. Plus, according to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, you have no plans to retire.

If your network is growing, Netgear's new line of smart switches features a stackable architecture and promises new levels of scalability and performance.

The software giant announces the availability of the long-waited Microsoft CRM 3.0, touts tighter integration with Outlook and a hosted version.

The software giant pushes mobility, security and automation in version 3.5 of its hosted messaging and collaboration suite.

iRadeon, a provider of on-demand open source software, today announced the iRadeon Dashboard. The new service is designed to provide a single point of access and control to multiple low-cost applications. Plus, Jamcracker looks to unite Web-based apps.

Everest Software today announced version 3.0 of its all-in-one small business management application suite. The new release adds accounting, inventory and dashboard features. The company also unveiled a software development kit for its reseller channel.

With the goal of automating network security, Trend Micro today announced its Worry-Free Security initiative. The security software vendor kicked off the program with the release of Client Server Security for SMB 3.0 and Client Server Messaging Security for SMB 3.0.

The network security appliance vendor announces new ways to protect yourself from viruses, spam, spyware and inappropriate Web sites.

QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 6.0, which is now built on a more powerful SQL database, supports up to 15 concurrent users and offers more inventory-management features.

The newly acquired online collaboration service takes its parent company's name, rolls out new calendaring features, a live meeting service and a remote-access product.

The software giant offers Windows XP Pro operating system, Office suite and Small Business Server CAL for one price spread over three years, provides small businesses subsidies for IT services.

Whether you want to ensure that your tech guy knows his stuff or you want to make sure your reseller knows security threats inside and out, a new Symantec certification program looks to label those who have passed the test.

The true benefit of open source software may not lie in the operating system, but rather in the new applications available to businesses. Big on innovation and compatibility, Zimbra Collaboration Suite is more than a poor man's Microsoft Exchange.

iRadeon is hoping to attract a new breed of CRM user by combining the cost savings of open source software with the convenience and low overhead of Web-based applications.

Before the Call, an on-demand service that operates within Salesforce.com, is designed to comb the Web for market intelligence about sales lead while also making internal collateral easy to access.

Saying the time is right for businesses of all sizes to face up to the darker side of IM, the managed network security provider today announced the Postini Perimeter Manager for IM and the Postini Archive Manager.

The software giant says that it will rely on software partners to expand its eagerly awaited Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 product and retail channel partners to sell it.

Paint Shop Pro has long been a viable low-cost alternative to Adobe Photoshop. However, with today's release of Paint Shop Pro X, Corel is looking to make the feature-rich photo-editing application the leader in ease of use.

Featuring a heat- and noise-sensitve BTX chassis, a slew of processor choices, RAID, dual power supplies and more, Gateway looks to sell small businesses on servers with the E-9220T.

With Microsoft poised to attack with its small business accounting program, Intuit goes on the offensive with the announcement of QuickBooks 2006.

Now boasting 3.3 millions users, LinkedIn today announced a new premium service that allows recruiters and others to gently sidestep the relationship part of social networking.

Everest Advanced 2.1 promises to make you more efficient with new accounting, inventory management and e-commerce features.

The new e-mail server touts improved spam-fighting, double the virus protection and support for Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

Looking to use fast search capabilities to lure Outlook users away from their e-mail application, Corel today announced that it will offer WordPerfect Mail as a standalone application.

How do you find the right provider of Microsoft products and services? Assuming you want to eliminate luck from the equation, the best option may be to look for the Microsoft Small Business Specialist logo.

On Monday, the online payment processor will announce its first non-hosted product as well as an express checkout service and support for purchases by phone, fax or mail.

The baseball metaphors and analogies were flying yesterday as The SCO Group used Yankee Stadium as the setting to introduce OpenServer 6, an upgrade to its Unix operating system.

In its fifth new release in the past 12 months, the CRM giant adds collaboration and market segmentation features to its Web-based application.

Palo Alto Software now offers a version of Business Plan Pro specifically aimed at social enterprises — nonprofit organizations that need to earn revenue.

The newest installment of the small business accounting program adds online bill paying, a way to find common accounting mistakes and more reports. Peachtree also rolls out new versions designed for construction companies and nonprofits.

Looking to offer alternatives to Dell and HP, Gateway today announced three servers designed to help you more efficiently run applications and databases.

In preparation of the fall launch of Office Small Business Accounting 2006, Microsoft focuses on the storefront with new point of sale software. It also cozies up to CPAs with a new network for accountants.

From tracking inventory to targeting customers, this small clothing retailer built its business around Intuit's QuickBooks Point of Sale software and hardware.

Think your small business is something special? If so, UPS wants to hear from you. The shipping giant recently announced the launch of its Best 'Out-of-the-Box Small Business Contest.

In a move to help SMBs produce color documents and marketing materials that once required the use of design agencies and commercial printers, HP rolled out a bevy of printers and services.

EMC offers its Centera content-addressed storage system in configurations more appropriate for small and mid-size enterprises. IBM counters with its TotalStorage DS4800, a midrange storage server that pipes data at 4 gigabits per second.

Promising more Web-based conferencing features, greater ease of use and an increased focus on integration, Macromedia today announced Breeze 5.

Looking to put pressure on Microsoft Office, Corel adds PaintShop Pro 9, a new e-mail client with fast search, Norton Internet Security and more to its existing productivity suite to create WordPerfect Office 12 — Small Business Edition.

In a move to expand its entry-level server and network-based storage lines, Gateway Tuesday announced a 1U rackmount server that features RAID 5 capabilities with redundant power and a 2U Serial ATA SAN.

Take a Xerox Phaser 8400 color printer and add copying, scanning and advanced document handling and what do you get? The WorkCentre C2424, a multifunction device that promises speed, color consistency and convenience.

When it comes to servers, HP and IBM say thin is in. Blades mean fewer cables, less power consumption and easier management. Today, the blade battle intensified as HP announced its Blade for Business program.

The Yahoo Small Business Resource Center features eight channels, thousands of articles, new search features and other resources designed to help you succeed in business.

Looking to fill a key position? LinkedIn says why take chances. The social networking company wants you to use the power of its two million registered uses (and connections you trust) to find the right person.

The hosted sales force automation vendor announces a new version of its application that features a relational database system designed to allow you to track sales data by company, individual or deal.

Based on feedback from 20,000 small business owners, Microsoft adds new online resources to its Small Business Center.

The vertical search engine, which targets the wholesale community, is adding free classified advertising to its pay-per-click advertising, wholesale online auctions and organic search results.

In a move to build more momentum for Web-based conferencing, Convoq is offering ASAP Express at no charge for one-to-one meetings. The service also allows you to embed presence-indicating links in e-mails, blogs and Web pages.

Seattle-based HyBlue today launched a Web-based network diagnostic and management tool designed to help small business consultants and resellers monitor PCs and servers to avoid potential problems.

The new Gateway 9510 tower server touts beefed-up internal storage options and the latest in Intel 64-bit Xeon processor technology.

Storage giant EMC Corp. today announced the release of EMC Dantz Retrospect 7. The backup and recovery software is designed to make it easier to automate data protection for servers, desktop PCs and notebooks.

While service providers have long offered hosted Microsoft Exchange, today's announcement of Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration 3.0 means small businesses can now also tap collaboration and instant messaging as a service.

To answer the nagging question, 'what do you do with collaboration software?' peer-to-peer software provider Groove Networks announced a collection of templates designed to help put Groove Virtual Office to work.

Industry Focus: Medical Office: The Plastic Surgery Center of Hampton Roads boasts the latest in cosmetic surgery technology, yet its inter-office communication consisted mainly of PostIt notes and intercoms. Then the company made the switch to instant messaging.

Convoq launches a new version of its online meeting service for small and mid-sized businesses. The Web-based collaboration system requires only that attendees have a Macromedia Flash player to attend an online meeting.

Industry Focus: Graphics and Printing By bringing together its PageMaker and InDesign applications, Adobe has helped businesses such as Howard Adkins Communications tap new technology to save themselves and their customers money.

Looking to offer small businesses an integrated approach to accounting, contact management and general productivity, Microsoft announced that a beta version of its newly announced small business management product is now available for testing.

Looking to combine the reach of an eBay Store account with the customizable site-building features of a content management system, eBay and Macromedia today announced Contribute 3 for eBay.

The software company announces that the latest in its ubiquitous small business accounting product line features 22 new and enhanced products and services and 400 enhancements.

Looking to help small and mid-sized businesses get the most bang for their server buck, HP today announced the ProLiant ML150 — a dual-processor server designed from the ground up to balance features and price. Also rolls out new NAS and SAN products.

Small and mid-sized businesses that aren't backing up critical data off-premises are flirting with disaster, according to Verio. In a move to prevent a crisis, the hosting provider today announced Remote Backup, a managed service designed to provide a backup a day.

The application service provider today announced the release of NetSuite 10.0, which features the capability to track individual customers' Web site behavior and new upselling tools based on historical data.

The printer and copier giant looks to help SMBs capture, reproduce and manage documents with the launch of the WorkCentre Pro 123 and 128 multifunction devices.

Can people find you on the Web? If you're not sure, you may be interested to learn about Interland's EzClicks service. For a monthly fee, the hosting provider will help you pick, buy and track keywords on leading search engines — and they guarantee results.

As small and mid-sized businesses start to explore new options for software delivery and pricing structures, IBM announced that it is stepping up its efforts to work with independent software vendors to help them offer their wares as Web-based services.

Instant messaging can be a source of network security problems or a great tool for SMBs. IMLogic helps you secure and control IM use at your company.

The San Francisco-based software provider announces new pricing plans designed to make its Flash-based Macromedia Breeze Live Web conferencing hosted service attractive to to small and mid-size businesses.

Industry Focus: Real Estate — Realtors can access the Web-based MLS database with just a mobile phone thanks to NewportsWorks AnytimeMLS application and IBM's WebSphere Voice Server.

Cisco Systems today announced plans to integrate its IP Communications platform with Microsoft CRM. The goal is to provide an affordable way to give everyone in the company a single view into complete customer data.

As viruses, worms and other threats continue to abound, it seems there's a new patch released in the time it takes to say 'vulnerability.' To automate the patch management process, Symantec today announced a new version of ON iPatch.

Microsoft ended nearly a year of anticipation Friday afternoon when it annnounced that it has released to manufacturing Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Technologies.

Symantec's Norton Ghost 9.0 is designed to let you rest a little easier knowing your system files, documents and other important data are backed up.

Fast deployment and no upfront costs are the promises made by Intranets.com, a collaboration software company. How well does it deliver on that promise? SmallBusinessComputing.com asked COSEP, a recent customer about its experiences.

Software giant SAP recently announced that it has added new partners to focus on specific vertical industries. To prove its commitment, the company also began breaking out SMB revenue on its financial statements.

The graphics software company unveils Contribute 3, a new version of its Web publishing software designed to make updating your Web site an easier and more controlled process.

Hoping to make a dent in the armor of Outlook and Exchange, IBM today announced Lotus Domino Messaging Express, which Big Blue describes as its 'Microsoft killer.'

Groove Networks, a company specializing in peer-to-peer collaboration products, will announce next week a new version of it software that touts a new look, slicker synchronization, better performance and a new name.

Big Blue plans to announce six new 'Starting Points' for its Solutions Builder Express Portfolio, reports it has landed 10,000 new small and mid-sized business customers so far in 2004.

Analytic and site-building modules will provide customers with even more customization and tracking capabilities.

Will FTP software be the e-mail of the new millennium? Ipswitch, makers of WS_FTP, thinks so and is rolling out a home version as well as a beefed-up professional version to appeal to a broad range of users.

FileMaker releases a new version of its mobile product designed to let you transfer and synchronize FileMaker Pro 7 data between handhelds devices and desktop dasebases ... also announces Work Order Request application.

Elance Online provides small businesses the opportunity to solicit bids from nearly 14,000 businesses that offer outsourcing options in more than 100 categories including IT-related services.

HP's latest network-attached storage system is designed to allow small and mid-sized business to consolidate backup of file, print and Exchange e-mail data on Windows Storage Server 2003 devices. The result is lower cost and complexity, HP reports.

If your business has a Web site, chances are good that you are relying on online tools more and more to communicate your company's message, according to a survey conducted by hosting giant Interland.

The storage giant expands its small and mid-size business product line with the NetWin 110, a NAS system that runs Microsoft Windows storage software.

According to research conducted by the National Small Business Association and IBM, small businesses are taking advantage of a recent revision to the tax code to buy new hardware and software.

According to a recent survey commissioned by HP, small and mid-size businesses see up-to-date technology as a key to competing, and they will rely on local consultants and VARs to stay current.

Big Blue followed a slew of recent Express Portfolio announcements by rolling out new ThinkPad, printing and training products and services aimed at small and mid-size businesses.

How well is your business network functioning? If you can't easily answer that question, you may want to take a look at the just-announced Ipswitch WhatsUp Small Business. The $295 monitoring tool lets you track 10 key network devices.

While its stores may be closing, Gateway is opening up its server line with new a rack-mountable and a tower offering aimed at small businesses as well as larger companies looking for affordable edge servers.

The printing giant targets small businesses and workgroups in larger companies with today's release of the 22-page-per-minute Xerox WorkCentre M20/M20i.

If you haven't already increased your IT spending this year, you soon will, according to a new report by Forrester Research. According to the company, spending among small and mid-size businesses will out pace that of larger enterprises.

The Apple Computer software subsidiary announces new versions of FileMaker Meetings and Tasks built to tap the new features of its flagship FileMaker Pro 7 database management application.

Big Blue yesterday announced IBM Desktop Management Services, a hosted (a.k.a. on-demand) service that includes automatic backup, operating and application management, and anti-virus and anti-spam protection.

With Ensim Ignite, HSPs can let their customers choose from a variety of Web marketing services. The service provider get a percentage of the revenue and small e-tailers get the services without having to change hosting providers.

The provider of a Web-based, all-in-one e-commerce, accounting, CRM and ERP application announces an uptime guarantee: If your application is available 99.5 percent of the time, you get your money back for the month.

The systems vendor today announced a $39-a-year premium support service that guarantees businesses that they will reach a live, trained technician in 30 seconds or less. Can the Gateway Priority Access premium support system deliver as promised?

Does your e-commerce business suffer from data overload? In its newest version, ClickTracks continues to focus on making Web analytics accessible and meaningful — even for first-time e-tailers who don't know exactly what they're looking for.

In a move designed to offer big-business security features for less than $350, Symantec today announced an all-in-one appliance that promises integrated firewall, VPN, anti-virus policy enforcement and content-filtering features.

According to a recent survey by hosting giant Interland, the majority of small businesses either don't know what the CAN-SPAM Act is or aren't sure what it means to them. Legal experts say the law applies to everyone.

NetSuite claims its new dashboard features let you keep tabs of sales, marketing,customer service,financial, and e-commerce information as only a tightly integrated, turn-key Web-based application suite can.

The hosting provider's Platinum Business Solutions service offers small businesses a 10-page template-based Web site, but what's news is the design consultation, bevy of online marketing tools, eBay integration, and vertical-market advice.

The finalists for the Small Business Computing Excellence in Technology Awards are set; the online ballot is ready for your vote. Hurry, voting ends today.

The software giant focuses on making customer relationship management software an integral part of small and midsize businesses. The goal is combine CRM with other business management tools in a single, integrated package.

Is there a new product or service you used this year that you can't imagine working without? We want to know about it. Nominate your candidate for our 'Excellence in Technology Awards' today.

How much would you consider paying for a Web-based CRM application? How about nothing? A San Francisco-based startup company is offering its service for free. The catch: it's advertising-driven.

Anaconda Sports was outgrowing its e-commerce technology and needed to make a move. The sporting goods company never thought it was in the same league as IBM, but it found a winning combination in WebSphere and an open-source operating system.

Looking to help growth-minded small businesses, online CRM vendor Salesnet announces Salesnet Express, a five- and 10-seat version designed to bridge the gap between contact managers and enterprise software.

The latest version of Microsoft's MapPoint is designed to combine geographic data with business analysis tools overflowing with demographics. As a result, MapPoint is a sales and marketing tool as well as geographic aid.

Salesforce.com, Echopass and Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories unite to offer SMBs an online, subscription-based service that combines customer relationship management with telemarketing, telesales, and customer service and support.

Verio's VPN.Remote service lets you provide remote users (whether they are home-based, field-based, or contract-based) with access to your network resources without sacrificing security. What may be most attractive is that Verio manages the VPN, and you manage only the users.

New network cameras from Toshiba and Linksys allow you to watch your office, stockroom, supply closets and other points of interest from any Web browser. With built-in Web servers, you don't even need to attach them to a PC.

With the new version of Dreamweaver, Macromedia thinks it can help through building a Web site. Leading the feature list are support of Cascading Style Sheets, cross-browser validation and in-line image editing.

Market360, which marks Biz360's entry into the SMB market, is designed to let companies measure the effectiveness of their public relation efforts. Just as importantly, it lets you track how your competitors are perceived.

The security software provider announces the release of IMsecure Pro and IMsecure (a free version), which are designed to work with the leading IM services to protect your business from hackers, identity theft and other malicious acts.

At the mall or on the Web, retail is retail. LiveOffice sets out to help small online shops lock in on potential buyers with instant messaging-based customer-service applications.

ClickTracks sets itself apart from its competitors by offering a unique browser-based view and an easy approach to helping you analyze your Web site traffic.

Even though Intuit hasn't exactly pushed QuickBooks Online Edition on them, small businesses are discovering the benefits Web-based accounting applications — largely on their own.

The Web analytics application service provider reports that the new version of its e-commerce service will help online retailers improve their cross-channel marketing and analysis.