PIN-SME

Brussels, 11 February 2009. PIN-SME experts agree: IT solution providers and in Europe are facing major changes! That is why the 3rd Expert Forum for Innovation and Internationalisation in IT-SMEs has the specific objective to give these enterprises an impulse for their successful further development.  

IT-SMEs in Europe are caught between tradition and innovation: According to PIN-SME, a European umbrella organisation for IT-SMEs and initiator of the Expert Forum, IT solution providers obviously focus much more on the classic sale of hardware and software instead of learning how to give the same priority to understand what customers from SMEs really want, how to be understood themselves and how to actively adapt to changing market demands. This “being trapped” in old thought patterns is viewed by PIN-SME as a mistake with grave consequences: Those who wish to profit from their special role as skills providers between the IT industry and SMEs must in turn have, beyond the classic IT-Know-how, specific expertise especially regarding the concrete demands of their customers from SMEs!

Brussels, 21 January 2009. Millions of European small businesses who want to enjoy access to inexpensive or free Internet applications could benefit from the European Commission's antitrust action against Microsoft's control of the web browser market, the PanEuropean ICT & eBusiness Network for SME's said on 21st January 2009.

Browsers serve as the gateway to the Internet, and the Internet will only remain open if healthy competition exists among browsers. At present, Microsoft's Internet Explorer's dominance threatens access to the net. Internet Explorer is the worst rated browser - with an approval rating less than 10%, according to the Market Share website. Yet the same website reports that Explorer has by far the largest market share of almost 70%.

In a true competitive marketplace, computer manufacturers would offer the most effective browser to go with their PCs. Yet almost all load low-scoring Explorer. This market disfunction makes Web 2.0 applications running cloud computing dependent on a Microsoft browser implementing proprietary standards. 

Brussels, 10 December 2008. If your company is an ICT provider, you can register at the new on-line database of the European Commission – eBusiness Guide for SMEs. All ICT suppliers listed in the database will have specific information about their company and services available on-line in the database.

Several activities are focused on SMEs. It’s up to you picking the one you are most interested in!

SME conference sessions
·    "ICT in the FP, supporting SME growth" (26 Nov, 11:00-12:30, Gratte Ciel)
·    "ICT SME, bridging the investment gap in Europe" (26 Nov, 14:00-15:30, Gratte Ciel) PIN-SME

Key note: "I" made it happen (26 Nov, 17h45-18:30, Amphi)

Brussels, 10. November 2008. On November 6th and 7th, 2008, Hessen-IT presented the latest international trends in information and communication technologies as well as the most important trends made in the ICT-Hotspot Hessen to an international audience.Johann Steszghal, PIN-SME President, was moderator of the discussion panel. More Information iTEC 2008 

Normal 0 21 false false false DE X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";}

Presentation of Prof. Paula M. C. Swatman, eBusiness Strategies for SMEs

Picture from left to right: Sarianne Reinkkala, Yvonne Zapf, Johann Steszghal, Paula Swatman