Friday, January 18, 2008

Dell promotes technology to SMEs with Vostro product line

PERSONAL computer (PC) and notebook maker Dell Malaysia aims to assist small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) become more competitive by using technology as
one of the forefronts and information as a core part of their business.

General manager Pang Yee Beng said a majority of Dell's SME customers were
aware that the use of information technology (IT) was important and could
help grow their business in a more efficient way.

"One of Dell's initiatives is to aid SMEs to adopt IT and to make sure that
people read more about successful stories of SMEs adopting IT to become more
competitive," he said.

Nonetheless, a Dell survey showed that SMEs did not want complications but
wanted things to be simple.

"We make our products friendly, easily accessible and very secure for SMEs
because they typically do not have a huge IT team," Pang told StarBiz.

"That's why we introduced the Vostro line of products that are customised
specifically for the needs of the SMEs.

"From the feedback received from customers worldwide, we realised that 55%
of SME owners are personally involved in IT implementation. All of them have
less than two people in their IT team."

The new Vostro (Latin for "yours") line of desktop and notebook PCs are
targeted at small and medium sized businesses and enterprises.

Among them are the Vostro 1000, 1400 and 1500 notebook PCs and Vostro 200
desktop PC.

The Vostro 1400 is for users with high-mobility needs. It has a 14.1-inch
wide antiglare display as well as integrated graphics card (128MB nVidia
GeForce Go 8400M GS).

Meanwhile, the Vostro 1500 has a 15.4-inch display and is a higher-end
notebook for those who require performance and power.

Pang said that over the years, Dell had been interacting with three million
customers worldwide a day through telephone, toll-free lines, outside sales
people and its website.

"We received a lot of feedback from customers, especially small enterprises,
that they required a simple product.

"Generally, costs and complexity are the main factors that caused some SMEs
to be reluctant to implement IT," he added.
Dell's Vostro range of products contains built-in wireless and security
solutions in its notebook, so that customers do not have to look for these
solutions separately.

Dell also has tied-in a response time guaranteed service with SMEs for
faster response time and to replace a machine when it breaks down.

"In Malaysia, the SME segment is one of Dell's highest growth markets and is
a significant part of Dell's business," Pang said.

Currently, Dell has a large presence in the country in terms of service
support, logistics as well as sales and marketing. It has about 5,000
employees in the Penang plant and 400 in its Putrajaya office.

"With the launch of Vostro in July last year, we are intensifying the focus
on SMEs," Pang said.

This is another of Dell's initiatives to make sure that it delivers the
right solutions and value-added products and solutions to customers.

Pang believes that if a company picked the right IT partner and utilised the
right solution, it could build an efficient business.
Source: thestar.com.my

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