More than 12,000 small-business customers and partners are expected to participate in Microsoft Corp.’s inaugural Small Business Summit taking place today in Bellevue, Wash., and via more than 40 webcasts this week on subjects important to small businesses, including financial management, sales and marketing, computer security, productivity, and mobility. Themed Take Your Business to the Next Level, the summit brings together small-business experts — such as well-known entrepreneurs Maxine Clark, CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Keith Ferrazzi, CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight Inc. — to discuss best practices for small businesses to thrive.

The event demonstrates Microsoft’s passion for listening to customer and partner feedback and responding with solutions and resources that help meet the needs of small businesses. In addition, several other announcements Microsoft is making support the strategy, including a new financing option to make it easier than ever for small businesses to purchase technology solutions, and the availability of Microsoft® Point of Sale, a solution for small-business retailers now on shelves at Best Buy that is part of an expanded relationship with the Minneapolis-based retail company.

“We have an exciting year ahead of us, with major new products and services that we think will delight and surprise our small-business customers,” said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft and a presenter at the summit. “By putting people at the center of our software design and delivering software solutions that drive business value and work the way our customers work, we are furthering our efforts to help small businesses reach their full potential in today’s economy.”