SMB

According to reports, Microsoft is expected to purchase Danish enterprise software company Navision for about $1.2 billion. Navision released a statement that avoided any direct mention of the software titan but did confirm that the board is considering a deal. Such a purchase would follow up Mic...

It is not an easy time for startup companies. The economy may be starting to recover, but investors are still leery about pouring money into new businesses, especially in the tech sector. In fact, the best advice for would-be entrepreneurs may be to wait until the economic climate takes a more po...

In most cases, small e-tailers and other e-businesses must climb big mountains to reach their goals. For example, the increasingly cluttered Internet sales channel demands that sellers provide unique and aptly delivered products and services. "If small companies are 'me toos' to the big players, ...

Size matters a lot in the world of brick-and-mortar commerce. But online commerce in many ways is a great equalizer, and experts say small players can stay in the game -- and score some niche victories -- by using the same tools and strategies available to entrenched combatants. "Make sure you ha...

Small-business entrepreneurs looking to make a splash on the Web need not drown in massive site construction costs. According to experts, if site builders are willing to start out with a no-frills approach, they can keep costs below US$1,000. "Your best bet is to pick those sites and products tha...

Small and mid-sized businesses -- particularly those with broadband Internet access -- consider Internet access and e-mail more critical to productivity than voice connections, the Yankee Group has reported. Key Internet tasks for small businesses include conducting competitive analysis and connec...

As brick-and-mortar retail chains and long-established catalog players grab a growing share of e-commerce sales, smaller online stores are finding themselves hard-pressed to stake and hold their claim to shoppers' dollars. Experts said small stores can stay in the game if they master such nicetie...

Accusations of anticompetitive land-grabbing often befall category leaders like Microsoft and Wal-Mart. But e-tail juggernaut Amazon.com is no bully, according to analysts. "Amazon has been more of a partner than a competitor," Giga Information Group analyst Andrew Bartels told the E-Commerce Tim...

Microsoft and Bank One announced a wide-ranging alliance to promote and develop online services. As part of the agreement, Bank One plans to use a variety of Microsoft offerings, including the nascent .NET technology. The pact focuses largely on marketing tie-ins and providing online services to ...

Looking to raise money for a small online business? Experts say that in today's difficult economic environment, some basic tenets for securing financial backing remain -- but other rules have changed, and it is as important as ever to be abreast of those changes. For example, Gartner Group analyst...

From corporate formation to business licensing to taxation, lawyers have a hand in nearly every aspect of a fledging e-commerce business. For many online entrepreneurs, working with attorneys is an enormous stumbling block. However, the more you learn to think and operate like a lawyer, the bette...

In the "real world," the opportunities for a new startup or even a small, established business to link up with some of the world's largest companies are few and far between. But on the Web, teaming up the big boys and small fry is the order of the day. Gartner analyst Robert Anderson told the E-C...

Want to write a plan for an e-business that will impress post-shakeout investors? Start with a business that makes money, experts say, and then explore how the Web can help your business succeed. "Treat your e-business like any business startup," Al Napier, a professor of e-business and entrepre...

Online payment system PayPal filed for an initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, looking to leverage its rapid growth and close ties with auction giant eBay to help itself raise as much as US$80 million through a stock sale. PayPal said that the money it raises will be used in part to provide ...

Despite the dot-com downturn, there is still room for small offline retailers on the Web and good reasons for them to be there, according to industry analysts. Gartner research director David Schehr told the E-Commerce Times that the real value of the Web to small retailers is its ability to pro...