Technology, key catalyst for entrepreneurship: MS

REDMOND, Wash.: Majority of entrepreneurs who started their business during the recession were employed. Roughly 70 per cent of recession-bred entrepreneurs left their jobs to start their own business, said a recent survey conducted by Microsoft Corp.

Despite their relative fearlessness to strike out on their own in a rocky economy, nearly one in three new entrepreneurs credit technology as a key catalyst in driving their entrepreneurial spirit.

"Technology is critical to a business owner's success. It helps increase cost savings, supports innovation and, ultimately, contributes to growth," said Christoph Wilfert, general manager of SMB solutions for Microsoft.

He further added that many newer technologies, such as the cloud-based offerings of Microsoft's productivity applications, promise great value but still have limited awareness among SMBs.

According to the research findings, entrepreneurs picked technology as one of the top three considerations when starting their business, along with marketing, advertising and public relations, and capital funding. Furthermore, affordability (71 per cent), security (37 per cent) and overall technological capability (35 per cent) were identified as the top three most important factors when evaluating technology purchases for their business.

Microsoft offers free or low-cost options for entrepreneurs who are just getting started., said a press release.

For example, Microsoft Office Live Small Business is a set of Internet-based tools that provides everything needed to take a business online, including a free Web site and services to market and manage a small business.

Evaluating and incorporating newer subscription-based technologies, often referred to as software as a service (SaaS), is a low-cost or free option for small and midsize businesses seeking to simplify and alleviate workloads so they can focus on growing their business.

For instance, the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite is an integrated set of messaging and collaboration solutions hosted by Microsoft. It consists of Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft Office Communications Online.

These online services give businesses streamlined communications with high availability and comprehensive security without the cost or hassle of managing onsite hardware and software, added the release.