Microsoft is investigating how it can help businesses with the all-important issue of cash flow: how to finance a purchase of some of its higher-powered financial systems, such as those bought from Great Plains a while back. Senior vice president Doug Burgum, himself ex-GP, confirmed that the company has started setting up financing for companies in the US through third parties, to include purchasing hardware as well as software, and would be working through the regulatory issues in other territories, including the UK, in the hope of setting up similar schemes. This would lead to Microsoft joining a number of other companies helping customers to spread the cost of product acquisition: IBM, Siemens and others have financing or leasing arms. The American system, called MS Capital, has backing from GE Capital and the idea should hit Europe by the end of 2003.

· Is all of your software legal? Can you reassign unused software to someone in your company to make better use of it, or record the fact that you have a "dormant" licence? And did you know that a couple of years ago the law started to insist that directors of companies using unlicensed (in other words illegally copied) software can be liable to jail sentences? It was this impetus that led Richard Palmer, founder of Integrated Solutions, to set up a product through which, using simple dragging and dropping, business owners can track and account for exactly who has which software in their machines. It costs £49.99 plus VAT and is downloadable from www.softwarelicences.co.uk. Palmer confirms that the underlying database is configurable to keep track of any business asset and anticipates selling versions for fleet management and for HR by the end of the year. A second version, which will cost more, will also be out later in the year; this one will inspect your system and report any illegal software to you rather than relying on your keying in the details of what you have installed.

· Creative Labs has released a new cut-down external soundcard for laptop computer users. Aimed at the professional giving presen-tations on the road, or simply for people who are not comfortable opening their computers to upgrade their sound system, it is called the SoundBlaster MP3+, costs £39.99 including VAT and is smaller than the average PDA. The company boasts that the product offers everything a mobile user is likely to want including support for multiple formats and industry standard outputs; it attaches to com-puters through the USB port.

· SAP UK and Ireland is refining its approach to the small business market again. The company, traditionally associated with enterprise planning systems for multinational companies, has launched SAP Business One, which aims to address businesses with between ten and 150 employees. Its existing product in the SME market, MySAP, was aimed at companies with 150 and more employees. It integrates financial and management functions so saves on time to market and underpins customer relationships. It will be sold only through business partners and details will be available on the company's website; you can register your interest at www.sap.co.uk.

· Polycom has moved the bar up on telephone conferencing quality with the release of the SoundStation VTX1000. It uses wideband technology but comes through an ordinary phone line, so you can hear all the participants as if they were in the same room. This should enable people to walk around the room while voice conferencing if they wish, over to the whiteboard, wherever - users of predecessor products will be aware that the position of the person speaking could be an issue. Pricing had yet to be announced as we went to press, but it was scheduled for release by the end of the second quarter of the year, or "by the end of next month" in non-corporate English.

· UK Online for Business, the government's body for promoting electronic business, is launching a couple of video diaries to show companies thinking of going the electronic route the benefits. They're not in the form of video cassettes, however: they can be viewed online at www.ukonlineforbusiness.gov.uk/videodiaries and will be updated every month for a year so hopefully viewers will get a realistic impression of what can and can't be done.

Meanwhile, the same organisation is looking for entries for the E-Business Awards this year. You can enter if you have up to 250 employees. The total prize fund amounts to £182,000, of which £40,000 will go to the overall winner. There are regional heats first. Take a look at www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk; anyone without the nous to get to the website is looking at the wrong award scheme!