IBM launches Express service for SME's

Bangalore, Oct 10: The IBM India, one of the largest IT solution provider in the country today launched 'Express Advantage' initiative for a 'one-stop-shop' for Mid-Market Businesses (MMB) offering a comprehensive packages including products, solutions and services including financing.

Speaking to newsmen here after the launch Mr Ramesh Narasimhan, Director, Global MMB, IBM India and South Asia, said that the SME's in India which is growing in much faster rate also faces several challenges due to competition and price and looking for trusted business partners to get innovative products, solutions that were easily install and manage efficiently to sustain and leverage it further.

Outlining the Express Advantage, Mr Narasimhan said that it was a comprehensive package of offerings comprising of products, solutions and services that have been rigorously tested and have met a specific set of criteria to ensure they are easy to acquire, deploy and are competitively priced.

He said that the Express Advantage product portfolio includes offerings from IBM's software, Systems and technology and Services groups and would address security, business recovery, employee collaboration and energy efficiency needs of MMB. "The offerings are broadly categorized as point product, infrastructure solutions and business solutions," he added.

Explaining about the simple solution offerings, Mr Narasimhan said it includes Messaging solutions to help MIB collaborate effectively within and outside their organization, Backup solutions focussed on the key data protection. backup, archive, recovery, space management and disaster recovery planning. E-mail security solutions, Server solutions and Retail store solutions were the other products that comes with the package of services, he added.

He said that the unique benefit to IBM Express Advantage was IBM Financing Advantage (IFA) designed specifically for the mid-market.

It offers customers and business partners a complete single-source financing at competitive rates, featuring easy access to leases and loans for IBM and non-IBM hardware, software and other IBM services.

Describing the new 'Express Advantage' package as a total Infrastructure, Business and Financial solutions Mr Narasimhan said that it will help its customers to enhance their partners' capabilities to ensure that they have resources to resolve their business challenges and grow.

He said that to reach its customers IBM has developed a network of IBM-certified Business Partners who understand the needs of small and medium business. The IBM had signed with its partners with their products and services built on IBM suite of products called IBM built on Express Advantage. "In this endeavor IBM has launched the Partner World Express Advantage program to provide the marketing, sales and other resources to sell in the mid-market space" he added.

UNI