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Regardless of its nature, even the tiniest and newest SMB (small- to medium-sized business) requires the acquisition and deployment of the right information technology as it begins to set up shop. Vendors of that sort of equipment recognize the growing need for SMB-oriented hardware.
For example, computer maker Lenovo's transaction sales 
(which includes SMB purchases)
accounted for 35 percent of all PC sales excluding Greater China in
the 2007/08 fiscal year, said company officials. In addition, recent
data from research firm IDC indicates that currently the SMB segment
makes up 34 percent of the entire notebook market. By 2011, the SMB segment in emerging markets will grow to about 50 million of the entire global notebook market.
In another example of the growing SMB marketplace, computer and server upgrades are cited as the top hardware initiatives for SMBs in the U.S. in 2008, according to research firm Gartner (NYSE: IT).
Just like larger companies, SMBs today face many complex issues such as data security threats, compliance regulations and demands for wireless mobility. Thus, SMBs want to make sure they have a sound PC technology infrastructure in place to manage their business as securely and efficiently as possible.
"Over the last three years in developing products for the SMB market, our approach is to take an enterprise-level product and make it affordable for SMBs. Often, their needs go beyond what they can afford," Keith Alexis, general manager and vice president of channel and enterprise sales for the Americas at network product maker SMC, told TechNewsWorld.
Defining Terms
Often the view SMB players have of their equipment needs differs from that of vendors. So what are the differences in IT products designed for the small-business environment?
IT products focused on the SMB must take into account a handful of factors, noted Ron Culler, CTO of Secure Designs. Secure Designs is an IT consultancy that specializes in setting up small business networks.
These include ease of use, a small footprint, budget friendliness and multi-purpose functionality -- for example, having firewall, virtual private network, intrusion prevention and secure wireless protection capabilities all in a single product. These are areas usually handled by an IT department in a larger enterprise setting.
"The majority of small businesses are not IT-focused -- attorneys, real estate agencies, financial services, or medical and dental offices, for example -- and are increasingly tending to outsource the entire IT function to specialist managed services providers in order to reduce the total cost of ownership of their systems," Culler told TechNewsWorld.
Must-Have Hardware
The specific hardware needs for SMBs can be as varied as the type of business they provide.
"But from the hardware prospective, you would need workstations for the employees, at least one server (depending on the company's requirements), network switching and cabling, routers, firewall, and an Internet connection," Jeff Black, CIO of Integrated Technology Corporate Solutions (ITCS), told TechNewsWorld. ITCS is an IT solutions partner for small and mid-sized businesses.
For entrepreneurs who want to set up shop with just a few dozen or fewer employees, there is an essential list of hardware technology needed.
"The basics are switch, server, data backup and recovery, office systems software desktop and laptops, and above all, security," said Culler.
Cloudy Alternatives
Some vendors are leveraging the latest cloud technologies used by large corporations for SMB users. Capital efficiency is an important consideration for small companies.
Using scarce capital to fund an elaborate IT infrastructure and expensive client-server applications weakens small companies, Paul McNamara, CEO of Coghead, told TechNewsWorld. His company delivers a platform for SMBs to leverage cloud computing to build custom, online applications.
"IT products for SMBs are designed to be less expensive than their enterprise counterparts, as well as simpler and easier to deploy and maintain. One of the best ways to make SMBs solutions easier to use is by leveraging cloud computing applications that require only a computer with reliable Internet connectivity -- no servers, software installation or maintenance," McNamara said.
For instance, he explained, a computer workstation with Internet connectivity is all that is required to leverage cloud computing services.
What to Avoid
For an SMB, enterprise-level hardware is generally much more expensive and requires a highly specialized technician to properly configure the device, according to Black. Also, certain types of infrastructure categories are wasteful for SMB users.
"Workstations are extremely important, but enterprise servers are not needed for small businesses, as there are many other solutions available," Black said.
Also, Web servers are typically not needed for small business as they
can have their Web pages hosted offsite. Small businesses typically do
not have the bandwidth or redundancy to effectively host their own Web sites, he
noted.
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