SMB

The stock market and the dot-com world may be down for now, but that does not mean launching a new e-business is out of the question. New York University business professor Christopher Tucci pointed out that many of today's technology and commerce giants began life at a time when startup capital was...

In the early days of e-commerce, small businesses flocked to the Web with grandiose visions of transforming mom-and-pop shops into mega retailers. Those visions turned out to be pipe dreams for most merchants, and the dawn of reality convinced many early adopters to retreat to the brick-and-mortar w...

Although innovation can be wonderful, there is something to be said for sticking to the basics. In fact, that is how venture capitalists seemingly have come to feel about high-tech companies as they contemplate which to fund with now-limited resources. Those who remember the manic days of VC funding...

Numerous venture capitalists are nursing wounds sustained when companies collapsed and stopped going public at a record clip. But most of the VC firms that can trace their roots back to the pre-boom era are still hanging on, if not thriving. "Those who came late to the party and tried to grab all...

Venture funding dropped 11 percent last quarter to $5.7 billion, a level not seen since late 1998, as venture capitalists continued to nurse their wounds and stayed on the sidelines in large numbers, according to the latest quarterly survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Venture Economics a...

IBM's personal computing division has introduced several new ThinkPad notebook and NetVista desktop models, featuring Intel Pentium 4 processors and IBM e-business solutions, such as wireless networking, advanced security and application management. The new products can be taken as a sign that th...

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 ...