News
New Web Site Opens Technology to Women, Minority-Owned Businesses
Women and minority-owned businesses have a new technical training partner:
Biz Tech-Connect. Microsoft is part of a consortium of companies that designed
the free Web resource to help women and minority entrepreneurs use the Internet
and other technology to help grow their businesses.
The Web site, www.biztechconnect.com,
offers a number of technical training sections, or "modules," as it
calls them, for business owners: marketing and advertising, customer relationship
management, financial management, communications and mobility, free online business
applications, and tools and services. The site requires registration to use.
The Web site was the outgrowth of a 2004 study by the research organization
Urban Institute. The Institute surveyed about 1,100 businesses owned by women
and minorities, and found that those that used computers and technology extensively
were far more successful than those that didn't. The study estimated that if
women and minorities took greater advantage of technology, it could have a boost
to the U.S. economy of $200 billion per year.
A press release announcing Biz Tech-Connect quoted business owner Ginger Johnson
about how she's using the site to help sell her line of beauty products: "I
found the marketing and advertising section on Biz Tech-Connect very appealing.
And the rest of the site is a welcome refresher course on Business 101, quick
and easy to access, with information that comes from trustworthy sources. I
like that. There are a number of nice jewels you can find on the site."
The original sponsors of the effort are Microsoft, Cisco, AT&T and the
Women's Business Enterprise National Council.
About the Author
Keith Ward is the editor in chief of Virtualization & Cloud Review. Follow him on Twitter @VirtReviewKeith.