Published at LXer:

The greatest hindrance to the adoption of Linux and Open Source software stacks in Small and Medium-sized Businesses are the employees, and it's almost entirely due to their dependence on Microsoft Office. How do we solve this problem?

Read More...

1. Instead of advertising anything "free" (because that's misleading... labor and retraining costs money) advertise the benefits, and a price reduction over time (you're not going to be pushed to Vista, no spyware/adware, etc.)

2. Provide a comprehensive solution - train them! Offer training to employees on OpenOffice and Linux. I would venture to say that it would be easier to pick a desktop and stick with it when you're training... either go with GNOME or go with KDE. Don't jump back and fourth, that will freak non-technical people out (the technical people will think it's cool and go play with it themselves)