Microsoft - Small Business Guide
Microsoft - Small Business Guide
grow and thrive. This easy-to-follow, practical guide shows how Microsoft software
can help you run your business more efficiently, improve customer service, boost
sales and manage your finances centrally. You will also learn how Microsoft software
works together to give you more value for your investment.
Whether you want to find out how to improve the security of your business
information, learn more about Microsoft licensing or get tips on using a server as
a foundation for your network, this guide will give you a better understanding of
the software that Microsoft has designed to provide the right solutions for
small business.
To locate a Small Business Specialist in your area and to explore interactive guides,
tools and resources that provide more information on the products in this booklet,
we also encourage you to visit microsoft.com.au/smallbusiness
Inese Kingsmill
Director, Small Business
Microsoft Australia
Small Business Guide
Helping your business start, grow and thrive.
Buy a new computer and get more than what you paid for. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
design tools.
small businesses. Business Server 2003 R2 and Office Small Business 2007
or Office Professional 2007, you get a powerful combination
Microsoft to help you centralise your business contacts and customer
Microsoft
Office information. Plus, with Microsoft Windows SharePoint ®
Office
Small Services, which is part of Windows Small Business Server
Professional
Business 2003 R2, you can create shared workspaces where your
2007
2007
employees can collaborate on customer quotes, documents
Microsoft Office Word 2007 3 3 and other files. With this collaboration, you all save time,
become more organised and stay focused on managing your
Microsoft Office Excel 2007
®
3 3 customer relationships.
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 3 3 1 Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager is designed for
individuals and small workgroups, typically in the context of a small business.
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 It provides a way to bring your important business information together
with Business Contact Manager in one place, as well as the essential tools to help you market and sell your
(for contact and customer
3 3 products and services.
information management) 2 If your company has more than 25 employees, a better solution may
be Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM, which offers extensive capabilities and
Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 customisation. Refer to the section named “Extend your customer
(for marketing collateral creation)
3 3 management company-wide.”
Customer management
Extend your As your business grows and the number of customers
increases, keeping track of your customer commitments and
communications can be daunting. So, take a look at Microsoft
customer management Dynamics™ CRM Small Business Edition , a full-featured customer
1
past twelve months. However, service request data pre-formatted reports in Microsoft Dynamics CRM to design
for April through October is stored on Arnold’s compelling marketing materials with Office Publisher 2007 or
desktop PC, while data for December through compose enticing offers with Office Word 2007, send them via
March is kept on Maggie’s notebook. Argh! What email with Office Outlook 2007 and then track their results with
about the data for November?? Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Control your cash You need to maintain a tight control over your company’s cash
flow and budgets. You must pay suppliers and employees on
time and you also want to invoice and collect payments from
flow and budgeting your customers on time.
Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Dynamics NAV are
financial management software solutions that will help you
to better monitor your company’s finances. They offer more
advanced functions than simple accounting software packages.
These functions include:
• General ledger
• Fixed asset management
• Bank reconciliation
• Collections management
• Sales forecasting and more!
Streamline In addition to competing against major retailers, do you face
the challenge of competing against other small- and mid-sized
retailers, many of whom have already moved on from manual
your retail business cash registers and are now benefiting from store automation
software? Do you have little control over inventory shrinkage
and over- or under-stocks? Are you making critical business
decisions based on gut instincts, rather than on reliable data
reports? Are your point-of-sale and accounting processes
disconnected, making it even more difficult to run operations
efficiently?
Today’s competitive retail environment is full of questions
like these. The Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System
provides answers by enabling retailers to level the playing
field. Featuring unsurpassed ease of use and the familiar “look
and feel” of Microsoft Office products, the Microsoft Retail
Management System is currently used by thousands of retailers
in a variety of industries. It can also help your retail business to
become more successful.
The Microsoft Retail Management System works with widely
adopted financial software packages such as Microsoft Dynamics
GP, Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics NAV and
QuickBooks . Your employees can use them out of the box with
TM
Share information and If any of these statements are true for you, then
a server may be right for your business.
work from almost • “ I want to access my company email and data when I’m on
the road; say, from my hotel room.”
anywhere • “ Our data is spread out among many PCs. It’s hard to
keep track of where everything is! Plus, we have no
central backup.”
• “ For regular maintenance, I’d like to be able to have our IT
vendor check in on our system, but to do so remotely,
in order to save costs.”
• “ We want a better way to share information with our
suppliers and customers.”
What is a server?
Today, more and more companies with multiple employees have a
server. A server is a specialised computer that is used to centralise
information and resources and to connect all PCs in the company
to one network. The server is loaded with server software that
enables specific tasks such as file sharing, print processing and
Internet connectivity. A server is used with the network’s “clients”
or devices ranging from printers to PCs or mobile devices.
Reliable operating system and easy-to-use network tools, including system backup,
fax service, network security and virus protection.
3 3
Internal team Web site for sharing documents, calendars and tasks. 3 3
Streamlined, professional email system; includes Office Outlook Web Access to access
email through the Web.
3 3
A unified place to manage and organise email messages, schedules, contacts and other
personal and team information.
3 3
Fax from users’ desktops at any time with fewer telephone lines; receive faxes through
Windows SharePoint, email or your printer.
3 3
11
Go mobile – and keep Are you ready to experience the freedom of wireless technology,
with the ability to access your company data wherever you are?
Many small businesses have adopted technologies such as wireless
in touch with your networking and mobile phones, so that their employees stay in
touch and serve their customers better, even when they’re away
business from their desks and offices.
n Get work done. Windows Mobile software provides your business with
Windows Mobile allows you to view and edit Microsoft Office the ability to:
files from your mobile device just as you would from your PC.
This means you can modify Office Excel spreadsheets and Office 3 Make and receive phone calls. 2
users. And, if your device ever gets lost, you can wipe out 3 Use Bluetooth to connect to accessories.
sensitive data remotely from your office. Use Wi-Fi to stay connected on the go.
3
n Using the Sync Center, stay in “sync”. Send instant messages.
3
New in Windows Vista, the Sync Center ensures you have the
most current version of your files available at your fingertips 1 Windows Mobile 5.0 with Messaging and Security Feature Pack and
through improved device synchronisation across PCs or with Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 with Microsoft Exchange Server
2003 Pack 2 are required for device security management and remote
Windows Mobile powered PDAs or mobile phones. device wipe.
• Take your office with you, with work documents and files
stored in Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 and the
wireless features of Windows Vista Business.
• Work from practically anywhere, with your lightweight
Windows Mobile hand-held device. What freedom
wireless brings!
and get more than opportunity to get the latest genuine Microsoft software at
the best price. The software comes preloaded on your PC and
you paid for requires no configuration and no headaches. Just plug and play!
By purchasing a PC with genuine Microsoft software, you can
get the latest features, updates and support that will help you to
improve your employees’ productivity and expand the capabilities
of their PCs. You’ll also have access to free downloads and special
offers available only to customers of genuine Microsoft software.
n A
cquire the latest, fully supported software.
15
Improve the security Every day, news reports announce new security issues such as
viruses, hackers, spyware and worms. They pose serious threats
and consequences. Have you taken steps to safeguard your
of your computers business?
current with the latest updates to enhance the security of security and performance features in an integrated service
your network. that is managed for your small business. As a simple, hassle-
free service, OneCare integrates features like these:
• Prevent data loss by backing up company information
automatically. With Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, • Real-time antivirus integrated with anti-spyware
your employees can retrieve accidentally deleted files and • Bi-directional firewall
restore previous versions easily.
• Anti-phishing
• Automated procedures for data backup and restore
• Performance tune-ups
• Integration with Microsoft update services
• K
eep your network up and running and secured
with Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2.
• L everage the improved security features of
Windows Vista.
valuate OneCare as an integrated security solution
• E
for all your PCs.
17
Get the professional Many businesses, especially those that depend on technology in
their day-to-day operations, build their success upon a network
of partnerships, vendors and relationships. To help you find the
help you need technology-based solution most appropriate for your business,
Microsoft has created a community of Small Business Specialist
partners.
In addition, to get the most from your investment in solutions,
Microsoft has created a variety of pricing options, payment terms
and partner relationships to give you choices that put you on
the fast track to increasing the value of your investment in your
Microsoft software solution.
n Volume licensing.
If you need as few as five desktop software licenses (or one
server licence), you should evaluate these options to buy a
volume contract. There are two options for volume licensing.
20
“The technology doesn’t just give them
more time for their club and branch
commitments, but also more time for
other commitments like work and family.
They might even have time for a surf!”
Ken English, President
Surf Life Saving Sydney Branch
To learn more about Microsoft solutions, visit our online Small Business Centre:
microsoft.com.au/smallbusiness, or phone 13 20 58.
m
microsoft.com.au/smallbusiness
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Dynamics, Access, BitLocker, Excel, Internet Explorer, the Office logo, OneCare, Outlook, PowerPoint,
SharePoint, SmartArt, Windows, Windows Vista, the Windows logo, Windows Live and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries. Microsoft Business Solutions ApS is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. 06/07 SMB079 7JEAUXA5PD71MXX