Small Businesses 'Engines of Innovation Driving Economic Recovery,' Says Top AT&T Small Business Executive

WASHINGTON, May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In celebration of the 47th annual National Small Business Week, AT&T Executive Vice President of Small Business Solutions Cathy Martine told some of the nation's more than 25 million small businesses that they can be "engines of innovation that create new lines of business, new jobs, and new ways to drive economic recovery." Martine's remarks were made today at the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week event in Washington, D.C.

"Each month, more than 400,000 new small businesses start up in the United States," Martine said. "That's more than 400,000 entrepreneurs looking to create new jobs and opportunities. To succeed, they need the best technology available. AT&T – and the communications industry as a whole – can play a key role in delivering that technology.

"We're committed to helping small businesses access the latest and best technology solutions – whether it be mobility, high speed Internet, technical support, data backup or web design – to help them innovate and grow their businesses."

AT&T continued to demonstrate its support of this important economic growth segment by announcing today the availability of AT&T Tech Support 360(SM) Backup and Go, a cloud-based online data backup service and the first to be truly optimized for mobile devices, helping small businesses to be prepared for disasters whether they're in the office or working remotely.

According to AMI-Partners, a market research firm, the U.S. market for small business online storage/backup is expected to more than double by 2013 to $295 million, while the smart phone device and data services market will reach more than $5 billion during the same time frame.

With Backup and Go, small businesses are able to "take" their computer hard drives on the road to:

• Work remotely and flexibly without worrying about losing business-critical documents.
• Access unlimited PC data backup and storage from any Web-connected computer or mobile device.
• Take advantage of collaboration features, such as online project workspaces, printing and faxing documents, or sharing materials with customers or partners via Web link.

"For small businesses, data backup is increasingly becoming critical, though not all realize that until an unfortunate event occurs," said Deepinder Sahni, Senior VP, AMI-Partners. "Meanwhile, collaboration is very much top-of-mind and an immediate need for small businesses as they look to make decisions quickly and while on the move. A combination of collaborative, mobile tools and back-up/storage, such as packaged by AT&T, would hold strong utility for growing small businesses."

Furthering its commitment to serve the needs of small businesses, AT&T also recently announced they are now offering two new web design and hosting plans to help small business owners concentrate on running the shop while AT&T experts create and maintain a search engine-friendly website.    

National Small Business Week Sponsorship

As a sponsor of National Small Business Week, Martine will be speaking at the Phoenix Award Luncheon today, which honors business owners, volunteers and public officials who helped small businesses and communities successfully recover from a natural disaster.

AT&T also announced today a small business sweepstakes, which will provide 19 small businesses innovative business solutions, including:

• One year subscription to AT&T Web Hosting's Get Me Started bundle, including professional design of your own webpage and a year of hosting service.
• One year AT&T Tech Support 360 Advanced subscription
• Some of the latest 3G smartphones and
• Some of the latest wireless 3G modem devices for laptop users.

To enter the sweepstakes, small businesses can visit http://smallbizoffers.att.com/SMBWeekSweeps. Winners will be announced and notified in early June.  

For additional information on small business products and services from AT&T, visit www.att.com/smallbusiness or www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter to learn more about mobile applications.

For free business resources such as webinars, white papers, training, case studies and best practices, visit www.att.com/smallbusinessinsite. Additionally, real-time information can be found on the AT&T Small Business Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz) and Twitter channel (www.twitter.com/smallbizInSite).

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T | DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine. 

© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.  

SOURCE AT&T Inc.