Media Kit: Small Business Basics

Small Business Needs

Small businesses require the biggest bang for their buck when it comes to investing in telecommunications products and services. Services growing in visibility and importance for the small business owner include broadband or high speed Internet access; wireless solutions, especially mobile applications and data services; wireline-wireless-broadband bundles; hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capabilities, providing robust call management features; remote data backup and storage; and an array of network security applications.

Perhaps more than any other type of organization, small businesses simply can't afford inadequate or unreliable services. Network disasters mean huge losses for big corporations; for small business owners, network disruptions can mean the mortgage doesn't get paid.

The telecommunications needs of small businesses primarily center around four basic categories:

• Mobility
• Innovation and Cost Savings
• CyberSecurity and Reliability
• Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery

Mobility

Anytime, anywhere connection is critical to success for small businesses, so wireless devices become a lifeline — helping them juggle personal and business needs while on the run.

As they grow, they often need to extend capabilities to more employees and implement more advanced applications, which enable small businesses to improve productivity and maximize efficiencies. AT&T offers many innovative mobile applications to meet business needs, and 24/7 customer care and dedicated small business wireless specialists. In addition, the company offers group discounts on devices and service plans that provide small businesses with the access and the expertise that growing businesses need to most effectively use wireless services.

AT&T also provides the nation's fastest mobile broadband network to ensure business can be conducted at the speed needed in today's competitive environment, and the largest Wi-Fi network with more than 26,000 hot spots in the U.S. and more than 135,000 worldwide.

Some key Wireless from AT&T offerings include:

Devices

AT&T wireless devices are supported by various operating systems, including iPhone OS, Android, BlackBerry^TM, Windows Mobile®, Palm^TM, or Symbian^TM, so small businesses have many options available to best meet their needs.

Mobile Applications

Small businesses can find applications that provide exceptional value to compete effectively, even with a small staff or limited IT resources, by visiting AT&T's recommender tool. In addition, small businesses can be more connected and responsive to their customer needs with mobile email and AT&T LaptopConnect, which provides broadband access on the fastest 3G wireless data network in the U.S.

Here's just a few ways that AT&T Small Business customers are relying on innovative apps to help improve productivity, reliability and streamline everyday processes:

• Mobile forms management
  Jet's Pizza, a pizza chain based in Sterling Heights, Mich, uses ProntoForms, a feature rich application for forms management helps improve companies' productivity by doing away with paper forms, and offering the ability to capture photos, signatures, and geo-stamps via a mobile form interface.

• Tracking and confirming deliveries
  AT&T customer HealthEx tracks and confirms deliveries with eCourier, which allows the business to capture electronic signatures, timestamps and even a GPS marker to confirm receipt.

• Tracking work orders and employee time
  AT&T customer Data Magic relies on Telenav Trak, an app that helps small businesses streamline and automate tracking of work orders and billing

 

Innovation and Cost Savings

Small businesses are always looking for ways to reduce costs, and deploying innovative technology is a key method many use to achieve that goal. New technology also enables small businesses to grow — i.e., adding employees, expanding office space, or opening new locations — while controlling costs and maintaining profitability.

IP Flexible Reach

A key telecom innovation that enables small businesses to reduce costs is combining voice and data traffic over a single communications line via an easy and affordable transition to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). With such VoIP capabilities as AT&T IP Flexible Reach, smaller businesses can add VoIP without having to replace older analog phone systems. Now, these legacy analog systems, commonly used by smaller businesses, can remain in place and small businesses can "bolt on" IP capability at an economical rate. In addition, the service also offers small businesses "virtual telephone number" capabilities, which gives the appearance that a small business is local

Tech Support 360 SM and Tech Support 360 Server Support

Troubleshooting computers and communications systems can be overwhelming, and it takes small businesses away from concentrating on their core businesses. In addition, many small businesses face the challenge of staying current with the technology that can help them compete —

AT&T Tech Support 360 is a telecom industry-first IT helpdesk designed specifically for small businesses, enabling them to quickly secure support and then focus on their businesses. With Tech Support 360, small businesses have access to U.S.-based remote live, technical service for handling problems with PC hardware, software, communications network and peripheral devices. The 24/7 service also provides device installation assistance and PC performance tune-up.

Tech Support 360 Server Support provides 24/7 monitoring, proactive maintenance and problem resolution ensuring uptime, securing and access that everything small businesses need to move ahead. By having AT&T manage and monitor their servers, small businesses are assured that issues are resolved quickly with minimum impact.

Tech Support 360 customer — Burch Law Firm

Other cost-saving and productivity enhancing technologies:

• All For Less
  Small businesses can get connected to the most relevant business communications technologies with "All for Less" bundles. Built especially for businesses with up to 10 wired voice lines, they feature wired broadband and unlimited domestic calling, with additional options, including wireless voice, mobile broadband, remote technical support, online data back up and Web site hosting.
  
  
• "Broadband on the Go"
  Enables connectivity virtually everywhere, giving small businesses the ability to keep in touch with the office, customers and business partners. With Broadband on the Go, small businesses can access their data from anywhere while staying connected to the Internet and corporate applications including high-speed internet, mobile broadband, tech support and Wi-Fi.
  Broadband on the Go video
  
  
• Shared Web Hosting
  For small businesses looking for reliable and affordable solutions, AT&T offers two environments — UNIX and Windows Operating System — for small business web hosting and eCommerce. Businesses can select either platform regardless of the operating system running on their personal computers.

Conferencing Services

• AT&T Connect combines web conferencing with AT&T Audio Conferencing Services. AT&T Connect delivers an enterprise-class web and audio collaboration application that transforms voice and web conferencing from multiple point tools into one core communication product that can be given to everyone in your company, much like email.
  
  
• Unified Messaging
  AT&T Unified Messaging(SM) allows small businesses to check and receive all email, landline voicemail, Wireless from AT&T and faxes through a personal computer or touchtone telephone. With text-to-speech technology, businesses can have the contents of an e-mail message and/or fax header information read to them. Plus, they can save faxes for viewing on a personal computer or use the computer to forward a fax.

 

Cybersecurity and Reliability

As networks become more complex and organizations conduct business with more partners, suppliers and customers, protection becomes even more critical, with thousands of vulnerable targets and hundreds of applications susceptible to security breaches. As a result, small business must take steps to ensure their data and critical business information is safe from viruses, hackers, and other cyber security threats. For many, having high speed Internet service from a reputable Internet service provider helps keep their businesses safe.

High Speed Internet
High speed Internet services from AT&T come with built-in security features, including:

• Pop-Up Blocker to help keep annoying ads at bay
• Firewall software to help shield your computer from unauthorized access
• SpamGuard to help keep unwanted e-mail from clogging your inbox
• Email virus protection software

To determine if you are eligible to receive high speed internet, click here.

 

Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery

Many small businesses lack the resources and/or the IT expertise to regularly back up their day-to-day business data off-site. Yet when disaster strikes, whether it is a power outage, a fire, hurricane, etc., millions of the country's small businesses are the most vulnerable to data loss and corresponding loss of revenue. Being without access to key business data for a day or two — or even a few hours — could be devastating to small business.

Learn how to minimize the negative impact of emergencies and disasters with simple proactive steps to preparedness - Safeguard Your Business

 

Tech Support 360 Backup and Go
Small businesses can work remotely and flexibly with no worries about losing business-critical documents, thanks to AT&T Tech Support 360SM Backup and Go — the first online data backup service to be truly optimized for mobile devices. The new cloud-based service enables small businesses to virtually take their hard drives on the road; users can collaborate and share documents on the go by accessing and viewing those documents on any Web-connected PC or mobile device. In addition to providing easy and secure remote access to files, Backup and Go lets users print and fax documents, add comments or share with others by simply sending a Web link. And, because employees of small businesses often choose their own devices, the service runs on more than 800 mobile devices, including Blackberry devices and smartphones from other manufacturers.

 

AT&T Recommendation Tool

To help small businesses take the guesswork out of selecting the right AT&T wired and wireless services for their operations, the company recently launched the online "AT&T Recommendation Tool." An online portal, the tool presents small businesses with a series of business-specific questions that are easily answered and quickly recommends the most relevant AT&T wireless and wired solutions, which can help them reduce costs, enhance productivity and, ultimately, get the most out of their communications technology budget.

Small businesses interested in free resources, including advice, online courses, podcasts, online seminars and opportunities to ask questions directly to small business thought leaders and experts should visit AT&T's online resource for small businesses site showcases success stories and keeps business owners — regardless of telecom or technology provider — on the cutting edge of business solutions.

To find out more about these services from AT&T or other telecommunications services the company offers, please visit http://smallbiz.att.com.