MasterCard and Microsoft: A Dream Team for Small Businesses

By PYMNTS | December 20, 2011

Giovanni Mezgec | December 20, 2011

(From MasterCard’s “The Heart of Commerce” Blog)

There is positive change in the air for small businesses. For years, they have been forced to rely on older technologies to run their businesses because technology upgrades have been so capital intensive. The cloud changes that. Now, small businesses can get the latest technology at a predictable monthly price.

This is change I’m extremely excited about. In June 2011, we introduced Office 365, an always up-to-date cloud productivity service that gives people access to their e-mail, documents, contacts, and calendars, from anywhere on almost any device – all starting at $6 per user per month. The service is available for a business of 1 to 100,000, but it really is appealing to small businesses who are flocking to the service at record rates. This is because small businesses want to invest in the future. According to the National Small Business Association, 98% of US small businesses believe keeping up with technology is important or very important to the success of their business. Unfortunately, over half of those businesses also said the cost of upgrading was a significant challenge. With Office 365, that challenge is obliterated, and small businesses are keeping up with the latest technology, cutting costs and improving results thanks to world-class services that are backed by Microsoft and some of the best partners on the planet, like MasterCard.

Today, we announced a new strategic initiative between Microsoft and MasterCard that extends our shared commitment to deliver technology and payment services to small businesses. With this announcement, MasterCard has joined the Office 365 partner program, and MasterCard will provide a 10 percent savings to eligible small business cardholders when they purchase Office 365 through the MasterCard Easy Savings Program. For terms and conditions, go to easysavings.com.

MasterCard is recognized as a service provider small businesses know and trust—they know they deliver great value and trust them to provide exceptional customer service. With this news, MasterCard and Microsoft are the dream team for small businesses.

Giovanni Mezgec is the General Manager of Microsoft Office and Office 365

Click here for more details from Eugene DeSilva, Vice President, Small and Medium Enterprise Global Products, MasterCard Worldwide