PlumChoice and Parks Associates to Host Webcast Showcasing Trends and Solutions in SMB Technical Support on February 10

BILLERICA, Mass., Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PlumChoice today announced that it will join international research firm Parks Associates, in hosting a complimentary webcast – SMB Technical Support Services: Taking Care of Business – on Thursday, February 10, 2011, at 2:00 pm EST.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are six million small and medium business (SMB) enterprises in the United States (businesses employing between 1-99 employees). According to Parks Associates' recently-completed U.S. small business survey (SMB Demand for Technical Support Services, December 2010), 44% of SMBs deal with computer troubleshooting issues on at least a monthly basis. Furthermore, about one-half deal with Internet access issues, 31% troubleshoot networking issues, and 27% deal with server problems. In total, SMBs lose dozens of hours a month in lost productivity dealing with technology troubleshooting.

"With often very heterogeneous technology environments, the growing use of server technology, critical needs for data backup, and unique needs for IT support and management, the SMB market has significant demand for one-stop premium technical support services," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates. "The study finds significant demand in particular for remote technical support services among businesses with ten or more employees and for a diverse array of technology platforms, from servers to workstations, and even mobile handsets."

"We currently service over 100,000 small businesses for our corporate partners and we are seeing a strong need for a national managed services solution to meet the needs of SMBs," said Mike Cooch, vice president and general manager, PlumChoice Business Services.

During the webcast Parks Associates and PlumChoice will provide attendees with a unique perspective on the SMB technical support marketplace by incorporating actual end-user market research and insight from the leading technology support company.

Attendees will receive information on:

• The technology ecosystem of the average U.S. SMB;
• The current technical support environment of the SMB market;
• Where SMB technology managers need technical support the most;
• What special needs SMBs have for how technical support services are delivered.

To register for the free February 10 webcast – SMB Technical Support Services: Taking Care of Business – please visit:  http://www.parksassociates.com/events/webcasts/2011/webcasts_plumchoice.htm.

About the Webcast Presenters

Kurt Scherf, Vice President, Principal Analyst, Parks Associates

Kurt Scherf studies developments in home networks, residential gateways, digital entertainment services, consumer electronics, and digital home technical support services. Kurt is the sole author or contributing author/analyst to more than 80 research reports and studies produced by Parks Associates since 1998.

His industry expertise includes Home Networks & Residential Gateways, Home Networking Media (Wi-Fi, G.hn, HomePlug, MoCA, etc.), Set-top Boxes, Connected Consumer Electronics, Consumer Storage Products and Services, Media Server Hardware and Software, Value-added Services, Online Video, Consumers and Digital Entertainment, Digital Home Technical Support Services.

Mike Cooch, Vice President & General Manager, PlumChoice Business Services

As VP/GM of PlumChoice's Business Services team, Mike is responsible for managing PlumChoice's SMB partners, new product innovation and the delivery of SMB services. He has extensive domain expertise with small business customers, having serviced this market for over 12 years.

As the original Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Everon Technology Services, LLC, purchased by PlumChoice in 2010, Mike brings over a decade of experience as a successful entrepreneur in technology and business services. Mike founded Everon in 2003 with the objective to deliver a dramatically higher level of service to the small and medium sized business marketplace. He is a recognized expert in business technology needs and solutions and established Everon as a leading provider of IT services to SMBs nationwide. Everon is a two-time member of the Inc. 5000 and was named to CRN's most innovative MSP list for 2010.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions. The company's expertise includes new media, digital entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security. Each year, Parks Associates hosts executive conferences CONNECTIONS™, with support from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®; CONNECTIONS™ Europe; and Smart Energy Summit. For more information, visit www.parksassociates.com.

About PlumChoice

PlumChoice is reinventing the way Technology Care is provided to connected homes and small businesses. With its patented SAFElink™ service relationship management platform, PlumChoice offers a fully integrated and highly secure solution for service providers and other business partners. As the largest Technology Care provider in the industry, PlumChoice pioneered the remote technical services business in 2001, providing 24x7 online repair and assistance for digital devices through local industry-certified agents. PlumChoice's services are delivered fully white labeled and in whatever way the customer needs. The PlumChoice platform packages a variety of technology services into one-time fixes or subscriber-based solutions. Covered devices include PCs and Macintosh® computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, TVs and home theater systems, routers and servers, security systems, consumer electronics, software, peripherals and more. We support technologies and devices from Apple® (iPhone®, iPad®, etc), Dell®, Microsoft®, Google® (Android™ phones and tablets) and others. For more information, visit www.plumchoice.com, call 1-866-811-3321 or email [email protected].

SOURCE PlumChoice