Microsoft and Bahrain's Ministry of Industry and Commerce introduce B-OnLine

Launched at the Bahrain Investors Center (BIC), B-OnLine delivers secure, innovative, integrated and scaleable solutions that are specific to SME needs. The new one-stop business solution was launched under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Hassan Fakhro, Bahrain's Minister of Industry and Commerce.

B-OnLine is designed to assist small businesses in the Kingdom in deploying latest technologies within their day to day business. Today's businesses are challenged to do things better, faster and with fewer resources. B-OnLine provides the right technologies and tools to help small businesses become more productive and efficient, saving both time and money. It offers small businesses in Bahrain a single, integrated solutions infrastructure, providing IT productivity tools that enable team collaboration scenarios, enhanced individual productivity and secure round the clock connectivity to the Internet. For businesses, this means an extended business reach and access to markets beyond Bahrain.

B-OnLine solution is based on familiar and highly reliable products from Microsoft and other technology vendors, with the advantage of acquiring the solution from one supplier compared to having to deal with several technology vendors as is the case today.

H.E. Dr. Hassan Fakhro declared: "We value Microsoft's commitment to leveraging IT in growing the local businesses and the economy in general. A strong IT sector gives businesses in Bahrain the competitive edge they require to compete, which helps drive Bahrain's economy to reach its desired growth potential internationally."

Samir Benmakhlouf, Country Manager for Microsoft in Bahrain explained: "Since our inception in Bahrain, Microsoft has worked closely with the government and enterprise sectors, to deliver the latest technology to the IT industry in the Kingdom. B-OnLine, our latest offering to the SME sector emphasizes our commitment to meeting the needs of partners and customers, providing investments that fuel business growth, financial opportunity and higher customer satisfaction for partners."

Microsoft will work with public and private organizations such as the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Bahrain Investors Center, Bahrain Economic Development Board, Batelco, HP, LinkDotNet (B-solutions) and Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait as sponsors. These sponsors will form a consortium that will provide the necessary support and service to facilitate the acquisition of B-OnLine. Local Microsoft partners, including Mantech, Zayyany, Al Moayyad, Northstar, BCS, Future Transformation and Bahrain Development Bank will help in the deployment of B-OnLine within the various participating businesses. Each partner will provide the one-stop solution including support and training, while sponsors will help reduce the initial cost barrier.

Benmakhlouf said: "Microsoft works closely with partners to deliver consistent and reputable solutions and services to ensure customers experience the most from their IT investment. B-OnLine has been divided into three parts to facilitate ease of adoption. The first phase, which focuses on office automation, starts today and sees 15,000 companies in Bahrain receive communications about B-OnLine through a call center. In phase two, B-OnLine provides a line of specific business applications geared to the unique requirements of each business, such as accounting and payroll, human resources, and inventory management. The third part consists of eCommerce where SMEs can buy and sell over the Internet using transactional websites linked to their back office applications. "