Software firm takes SMEs into account

IBM Global Financing
has launched specific funding for small to medium enterprises wanting IT equipment. Called IBM Financing Advantage, it aims to secure agreements for funds within an hour for people looking for up to $300,000. The company believes that the small business community - by which it means companies with between one and 1,000 employees - typically has as much in terms of the need for IT as anyone else, but is less likely to have large reserves and access to other credit deals in order to realise this requirement. The scheme will cover non-IBM equipment as well as the company's own stock.

Software company Intuit
has released Quickbooks 2005, its accounting system for the small business market. This time the company is pitching it at people who want to transact electronically, not only with customers and employees but also with the Inland Revenue. It integrates electronic payment functions from Barclays, Bottomline and Worldpay and also works alongside BACS so staff can be paid automatically from the desktop. The company believes this is the first time these functions have been made available to the smaller enterprise. An accountants' edition means that if your accountant has the software, he or she can receive your accounts electronically, enabling faster processing at year-end time.

Newcastle's e-government
strategy is getting a boost with the launch of a web portal for the local business community. Found at www.newcastle.com it was under development as this issue went to press, but its aim will be to encourage people to network and find new business opportunities. Among its features are an electronic marketplace, a job board, a space for small businesses to work together on large tenders and online training.

Pipex is launching Voice
over IP's (VoIP) small business offering. VoIP involves using a broadband internet connection to carry voice as well as data, so you can effectively make a phone call across the internet without incurring any charges as long as the call recipient is also using the internet rather than a standard phone line. There is a lot of speculation around at the moment as to just how much money businesses and consumers will be able to save using the system (and how telecom companies will need to adjust their businesses to continue if the market shifts towards cheaper services). We will keep you up to date as specific product offerings emerge.

Brighton PR company Vada
Media has done some research on the most effective ways of getting new business and found, unsurprisingly, that word of mouth is the best recommendation. Ninety four per cent of businesses quizzed said so, and, indeed, 64% of new business came into organisations that way. Websites, in spite of the amount of interest in these in recent years, came only third in importance, with e-mail being the least effective, partly because of the risk of being accused of spamming. Other methods that didn't perform well included cold calling and online advertising, mostly because the online world isn't good at delivering the specific audience a company might want.

Business Link for London is
launching two schemes likely to be of interest to new entrepreneurs. The first is called StartQuest, which is a six-week course for people considering starting a business in London. It will be free of charge and will operate by e-mail. You can find details at www.businesslink4london.com/start. Meanwhile, the same organisation is pushing for further input from the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community; it hosted a conference called "Empowering Community Organisations to Promote Sustainable Economic Regeneration in the Capital", celebrating BL's Knowledge Centre on BME issues and Reflex, an Islington-based business project for minority groups.

Hewlett-Packard has
launched a set of seven notebooks for the business community. The company believes its new offerings improve on security, ease of use and reliability for professionals. The range includes the nc4200 which is the ultralight version, the nx6110 which is the cost-effective version and the nc6220 which majors on its thin profile. Price will depend on memory, screen resolution and similar considerations, while availability will be staggered over the next few months. Optional features will include light-sensitivity so that the screen can calibrate itself in sunlight, and extended battery for working all day without recharging.

IT service company Newell
and Budge has published research on the extent to which companies are risking their livelihoods by using wireless networks. The company assessed over 2,000 of the networks across seven cities in the UK and discovered that 62% of companies overall had failed to take even elementary precautions against hackers getting in - and some of the precautions can be as basic as ensuring there's a firewall or that people need a password before "borrowing" a bit of airspace.