‘Invent’ive: HP Offers e-Center for Small Businesses

So I come across an e-mail or a site that tells me that if I subscribe to a Hewlett-Packard e-newsletter, that I’ll get a $10 gift certificate to Amazon.com. Now, you know me, I can’t pass up free money when all it takes is an e-mail address.

Sure enough, I got my $10, and a week ago I got my first newsletter. As I’m moving my mouse up to prepare the “unsubscribe” e-mail, the e-newsletter subjects catch my attention and I find myself clicking over to HP’s small business center at www.hp.com/sbso/.

What I found turned out to be worth a lot more than $10. HP has, over the past year or so, been busy building a site to help small and medium-sized businesses put technology to work by providing a number of online re-sources and tools—most of which are free.

Enhance productivity
Now remember, HP’s not do-ing this out of the goodness of their heart—they are going to try and sell you on HP products and solutions, but if you can look past that, you’ll find a host of good information resources. The first of these is a section called “Productivity Tools.”

While the “tools,” per se, may push more “product” than “productivity,” they do offer new ways to consider how information is accessed, stored, and processed in the office. How-to guides, while promoting HP scanners, printers and so on, do provide insight into technologies and trends that some of us may not be that familiar with nor know how it might benefit our office. These include developing a wireless network, managing electronic documents, and even what to consider when purchasing a laptop.

Another part of the section worth looking at covers office templates. These are quick and dirty templates for use in designing everything from business cards to brochures. For use with Microsoft Word, these templates might come in handy the next time you need to customize something for a client on the fly. No time for a designer—grab a template and go.

As seen in the “Productivity Tools” section and throughout the site, HP has done some partnering with other firms in order for you to put your printers to good use. The “Mailroom” puts you in touch with the people at Stamps.com and FedEx, so that you can use your printer (preferably an HP, of course) to print your own postage or print FedEx shipping labels. It also has a few templates to aid in printing customized envelopes and labels.

Expert training and advice
The other main section of the site I found useful was the “Advice and Consulting” portion with two links to note—free online classes and free IT advice.

Training these days can be a luxury item, so I’m always looking for ways to learn without the hassle of heading off for a few days or having to pay an arm and a leg. Here, HP offers a few different courses online, instructor-led with access to materials 24/7—fitting your schedule. Topics range from using Adobe Photoshop to improving communication.

And this is not just some stinky little PowerPoint presentation. Interactive message boards, quizzes, online calendars of classes and lessons and more are part of a curriculum designed to teach and train.

There’s also free expert advice that comes in the form of featured articles and a list of technology tips. That’s where HP’s experience with everything from computers and printers to networks and storage is a real benefit.

Information is straightforward and written for the everyday person—not a geek sheet but not a primer for the technophobic. Examples and solutions involve real businesses struggling with the same kinds of IT issues that we all face.

I found myself spending a lot of time in “Technology Tips,” learning a thing or two. As one who does quite a bit of scanning and digital photography, I found that each tip in “Printing & Imaging” helped me understand more about the technology I use to do my work, and how to make it better. But the tips cover more than that—from general business tips on reducing energy costs and efficient use of high-speed Internet access, to networking tips on planning for adequate bandwidth and how switches and hubs work.

Scratching the surface
The HP small business site is definitely worth looking into, and whether you like or use HP products doesn’t really matter. The information on how other businesses are streamlining workflows, reducing paper, extending their reach and increasing customer service is translatable into any industry and usable by almost anyone in business. If we truly want to find technology solutions that enable our employees in the office, on the road or on the phone, we need sites like HP and others that will give us the lowdown on technology in a language that we can understand.

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