Leading U.S. computer maker Dell Corp. has begun a computer software campaign that aims to help it capture a larger share of the small-business computer market.
For the past five weeks, the Round Rock, TX-based company has been promoting its Microsoft Business Server 2000 PowerEdge machine to small-business owners with all the needed software installed at one of its factories.
As in previous campaigns, Dell officials said they are making business leaders aware of the offer through a direct marketing campaign that encompasses electronic advertising, phone calls and catalog mailings.
“Some of the people we're targeting in this campaign already have relationships with us,” company spokesman Matt Boucher said. “In a way that makes things a lot easier for us because our practice here has always been to deal directly with our clients. There's no middleman here, so we are going in knowing a lot about our clients and what their needs are.”
For a nominal fee, companies can have a fully operational server delivered just days after making their purchase. The only stipulation is that the company must have no more than 50 employees using the software.
“We understand the needs of small businesses,” said Michael Lambert, senior vice president at Dell Enterprise System Groups. “The ability to order a system and have it up and running with minimal technical expertise is of tremendous value to small business.”
Spokesman Bill Robbins said the company does not release numbers related to the campaign. “But it's safe to say there has been growing customer interest in the offering,” he said.
Dell officials describe the Microsoft Business Server 2000 as an integrated software suite for Web access, e-mail, collaborative computing, shared printing and data management.
