Care in the Community

There's a lot that IT can do for a small business. It can be a godsend in getting the work done -- think of how mobile tech can keep things moving when you're out on client calls -- and it can also be a real driver of growth.

But it can also throw up a whole new handful of problems. For a start, there's working out what exactly would give you the boost you're looking for. Then there's identifying what software and devices fit those needs best. Vendors are eager to jump in and suggest -- of course they are -- but they're maybe more attuned to bigger enterprises and not as flexible as they could be in recognising the particular demands of small businesses.

Next week we're launching a group blog dedicated to IT for small business, called Small Business blog (it actually took us a while to come up with that name -- don't ask.) We hope that by sharing experiences and ideas, you'll be able to get a better picture of what you need and what you could be doing with tech.

So give us your war stories, share your problems and suggest solutions. Just make sure to check the box that says "Small business blog" when you make your post. It's hard for smaller companies to connect with each other, yet your peers are the best people to give you advice. This is where you can tap into all that knowledge.

As promised, ZDNet UK is hosting a get-together where we give you a chance to meet industry experts and get their views on an IT issue of the day. We're inviting folks to come along to a breakfast briefing in London on virtualisation, with a panel discussion, question-and-answer session, the opportunity to network -- and a groaning buffet of food, of course.

Execs from Intel, Dell, VMware and Elinea will talk about whether virtualisation is living up to its promise, and about what can be done to make it more useful for businesses. The discussion will cover issues such as manageability and benchmarking -- and whatever you'd like to bring up.

Anybody who's interested is welcome to come along to the briefing, on 8 October at Andaz in Liverpool Street. Click here to sign up, and I'll see you there.

*UPDATE I'm told that every attendee will get a CERN Supra key ring, containing superconductive material from the Large Hadron Collider. If you want to know what that looks like, take a look at David Meyer's blog