Right technology at the right price

It's about providing the right technology and services at the right price; technology that is affordable, reliable and easy to maintain.

To accomplish this, computer makers must adapt quickly - as a small business does for its customers - to meet the evolving needs of emerging businesses. That means having direct conversations with customers and designing IT products and services specifically for their needs, including their budgets.

Right now, small businesses in emerging countries - as well as some schools and government customers - say they want simple, affordable business computing and connectivity features, without higher-end features they don't require. They also want access to technical services and support that small businesses often can't afford today.

According to IDC, only 15 per cent of small businesses with 20 or fewer employees have a dedicated IT staff. That makes reliable, straight-forward service - from basic installation to telephone diagnosis of problems and next-business-day onsite support - incredibly important.

The enormous opportunity presented by both small- and medium-sized businesses and emerging countries ensures that the IT industry will continue developing tailored solutions for them. But we'll need to keep a few crucial things in mind.

First, many of these customers are starting with a clean slate. Today's entrepreneurs want to build their businesses using the latest, most efficient standard technologies. They get to skip over the complicated systems based on proprietary technologies that other businesses have grown up on for decades - and from which they are increasingly trying to separate themselves.

Second, we have to recognise the value that standards-based technology offers to customers and continue to develop innovative new products and services based on those standards. Data-storage systems using Internet-protocol technology (iSCSI storage) are a great example of this. They provide the advanced-storage capabilities needed in this data-saturated Connected Era, but in a way that's simpler to set up and use. Standards-based storage systems are also considerably less expensive than older versions. As a result, analysts predict a 76-per-cent increase in spending on iSCSI storage between 2005 and 2010.

Above all, we have to listen. The only way to understand and deliver on the specific needs of customers is to have regular conversations with them. That's particularly true in serving the different, growing requirements of small businesses in emerging countries. Suppliers that earn the trust and spending of these customers will be those that have listened, grasped the nuances of customer needs and addressed those requirements with tailored solutions.

This is the final article in a two-part series. Anothai Wettyakorn is managing director of Dell Corporation (Thailand).