(Redmond, WA, Tuesday, May 3, 2022) – This Small Business Week, Microsoft and its partners are celebrating and supporting small businesses across the nation. The pandemic not only forced businesses to digitally transform to the cloud, but it also created a new opportunity to connect with current customers and reach new audiences.

People don’t just want an online presence from their favorite business, they expect it. The online shift transformed employee and customer expectations, and business have had to adapt to stay relevant. The digital transition has been challenging, especially for small businesses navigating to the cloud for the first time, but it also has had upsides: Business owners from all over the global are connecting with and better serving their customers and employees in new, more digital ways.

To help businesses on their digital transformation journey, Microsoft and its partners have created products, apps, and tools to support businesses and help workers feel included and secure,

To help businesses on their digital transformation journey, Microsoft and its partners have created products, apps and tools to support businesses and help workers feel included and secure, such as:

• Software solutions custom-built for today’s business needs: Tech ranks high on the list of tools that could help reduce work-related stress, as it helps workers connect efficiently and stay organized. It can be overwhelming at first to find which app or software solution is the best fit for each business. M365 helps both employees and business owners connect and work efficiently from wherever they and provide the reassurance that their work is secure with M365 built-in safety features. With AppSource, small businesses can quickly search a database of thousands of solutions across collaboration, productivity, and customer service to find what works best. AppSource provides an entire marketplace of additional partner solutions built on these products to enable innovation and drive success. More information on AppSource can be found at: https://appsource.microsoft.com.
• Devices built for those who work on the go: In 2021, a lack of flexible work hours or location caused 21% of employees to switch jobs*. Businesses are learning they need to provide flexibility to bolster retention – and a big part of this is having the right technology to do the job. To support this shift, Microsoft’s partners have devices and solutions to fit any worker’s needs, whether that’s a creator’s need for powerful design tools and graphics, a hybrid worker’s desire for AI background noise cancellation during conference calls, or a first responder’s need for a durable and highly customizable rugged laptop. It’s more important than ever that the devices and tools small businesses choose can keep up with these new ways of working.
• Improved security features as more work moves online: Small businesses shouldn’t have to lose sleep over potential cyberattacks. With built-in chip to cloud protection, Windows 11 is here to help organizations meet the new security challenges of the hybrid workplace, now and in the future. Plus, Windows 11 includes powerful features that strike against the most common cyberattack techniques: phishing and targeted malware. Enhanced phishing detection and protection built into Windows 11 helps business owners protect the productivity of their employees, as well as their business, from the most common to the most sophisticated cyberattacks.

To learn more about how Microsoft’s partners are creating devices to support small businesses in a hybrid world visit https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/?p=177063.

*The Work Trend Index survey was conducted by an independent research firm, Edelman Data x Intelligence, among 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets between January 7, 2022 to February 16, 2022.