Dell Launches New Small Biz Services

Dell Computers which recently
moved its headquarters from Austin back to Round Rock, Texas Monday debuted
new services to make it easier for small businesses to purchase and get
computer networks up and running.

The new suite, the first of a tiered service strategy, includes services in
network design, installation, and training for businesses that typically employ 100 employees or less.
The systems vendor is aiming for the small and midsize service market with the release of its new suite, a tiered services strategy that includes services in network design, installation, and training for businesses that typically employ 100 employees or less.

Beginning in 2003, Dell will take its existing IT service and support
portfolio and offering it to small and midsize business (SMB)
customers. The systems vendor will provide SMB customers support for
software applications and peripherals manufactured by most vendors.

Breakdown of the three categories covered in the suite is as follows:

• Network Design — assesses the customer’s hardware and software needs,
  as well as technician time required to build a network. With a starting
  price of $199 this package includes an on-site assessment from a technical
  expert who will review what’s in place and determine what is required to
  design a well-rounded network or to deploy a specific hardware
  configuration
• Installation — available for Dell’s entire product line, including
  OptiPlex and Dimension desktops, Latitude and Inspiron notebooks, Dell
  Precision workstations, PowerConnect switches, PowerEdge servers, PowerVault
  storage, and a variety
  of software and peripherals. For desktop, notebook and workstations, Dell
  said it will transfer data from the old systems to the new, as well as
  install the customer’s software on each system
• Dell’s Business Professional Training — targeted at customers with
  zero IT staff, this package includes online courses for more than 340
  applications. With this $99-per-year package, enterprises with a technical
  staff can tap Dell for industry certification programs or schedule time with
  technical experts to provide more training

Frank Muehleman, senior vice president/general manager of Dell’s SMB
division, said the decision came from customer demand.

As per usual, Dell is in competition with other major systems rivals, including HP, Cisco, and IBM to cater to the SMB class.

In July, HP paired with Dimension Data to jointly market and promote Dimension Data application hosting and managed services.

Servicing SMBs appears to be on the rise. On Monday, Yahoo! rolled out Web hosting for SMBs, while Nortel Networks introduced Business Communications Manager Release 3.0, which adds interactive voice response, IPSec client support, among other perks, to help drive increased revenues while reducing costs for SMBs.