Colin C. Haley

IBM plans to expand its partner program to help independent software vendors (ISVs) build applications specifically for the public sector and the insurance industry. Which means that small businesses serving clients in those industries stand to benefit by having an improved range of products and services to offer their customers. “These two industries are great […]

Over the past year, telecommunications carriers and network equipment makers have been trying to convince you to forsake your traditional phone service to move your business to a Voice over Internet Protocol system. The campaign appears to be working. According to research from the Yankee Group, 54 percent of businesses surveyed said they are testing […]

Cisco yesterday stepped up efforts to woo small and mid-sized business (SMB) customers with a new multi-pronged initiative. Dubbed SMB Class Solutions, the push includes enhanced networking hardware, software and services designed for flexibility and scalability. Taking a page from telecom carriers’ playbook, Cisco is bundling telephony and voice mail, enhanced routing, switching, security and […]

Former House Speaker “Tip” O’Neil once said, “All politics is local,” meaning that what mattered most to constituents was what happened in their own neighborhood. A similar philosophy is emerging in the search industry, of particular relevance to small businesses with local appeal. While search has grown to be an essential marketing tool for companies […]

Calling broadband telephony a “natural extension” of its infrastructure, Covad Communications will introduce voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service in four markets by October as the first step in a national rollout. Initially, three products will be sold for businesses: basic voice; small office/home office voice; and a hosted private branch exchange PBX (PBX), dubbed […]

In a bid to stem its losses and bolster its low-cost PC offerings, Gateway is buying eMachines for about $235 million in cash and stock. The deal — consisting of $30 million cash and 50 million Gateway shares — creates the third-largest PC company in the United States (behind Dell and Hewlett-Packard) and the eighth-largest […]

Inflexion Communications has launched with a new approach to selling Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services to cash-strapped municipal governments and nonprofits. The Detroit firm’s Xtend IP program aims to help public sector decision-makers answer two questions: How do we spend dollars more effectively for communications services? How do we redirect those savings to create […]

Looking for an edge over upstart telecoms and Internet service providers, New York-based Verizon Thursday launched a new portal for its small and medium business customers. Besides tools to manage accounts,

Looking to attract households that still aren’t online, and potentially allowing some small businesses to set up shop at home, AOL is offering new customers a $299 computer system if they sign a one-year contract for dial-up services that cost $23.90 per month. The promotion, made by direct mail and touted in select retail stores, […]

Sales of equipment to small- and medium-sized business already accountsfor 20 percent to 30 percent of Cisco’s total revenues and are expected to increase as the recently acquired Wi-Fi giant Linksys is absorbed. In addition to short-term gains, Cisco CEO John Chambers said a focus on SMBs is also a smart way to establish relationships […]

While eBay would have preferred to win the first phase of its recent patent infringement trial, the online auction giant’s business is not in jeopardy and the case is far from over, experts said. “The trial has a very minimal impact on the company’s business prospects,” analysts for Deutsche Bank Securities wrote in a research […]

The “buy versus build” analysis is a business school staple. Armed with a set of variables, students are asked: Is it better to pay top dollar for an established widget company or start fresh and beat them at their own game? In recent months, executives at Cisco Systems engaged in a similar exercise, only the […]