THE launch of the latest Microsoft Windows product -- Windows XP -- is expected to take the small business world by storm.

Windows XP outperforms Windows 98 by 46 per cent, offering small businesses increased security, reliability and performance.

Windows XP Professional is said to be the new standard in reliability and efficiency, providing the tools to make businesses more productive.

It is easy to use and manage, with more security and reliability than any other version of Windows, and ensures that businesses stay connected with effortless Wireless Networking, Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance.

Outperforming Windows 98 by 46 per cent on leading commercial benchmarks, and 27 per cent at start-up, Windows XP is designed to be faster, more powerful and stable and to help small businesses feel more confident with their technology.

Microsoft claims that the crashing problems associated with earlier versions of Windows have been solved simply by starting with a clean sheet of paper.

Windows XP has also done away with incompatibility problems associated with the "professional" system used in the workplace -- Windows NT -- and the "home" system used by most workers -- Windows 9x.

Tim Kimber, small business product manager at Microsoft said: "With the extra security measures, such as the ability to encrypt and restrict access to files and folders, companies can rest assured their most sensitive records are kept private and their invaluable data is always at their fingertips".