Microsoft is serious about the small and midsize business (SMB) market. It is so serious that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s CEO, will be directly overseeing the Business Solutions unit that makes software for the SMB market, following a shake-up there.
It seems that the unit has disappointed Microsoft’s management. The unit grew revenue 4% from a year earlier. This is right in line with the overall SMB market growth in software spending, which grew 4.1% in 2003. But apparently Microsoft expects its business units to exceed the market rate of growth.
Hat tip to Chris Seper at Chat Room Live.
The software market for small and midsize businesses is growing faster at 4.1% than the market as a whole which grew only 0.7% in 2003, according to research firm IDC. Which explains Microsoft’s (and every other IT provider’s) emphasis on small business — that’s where the growth potential will be in the near future.
