Microsoft is running an online Small Business Summit this week : “… a nationwide event that provides small businesses with the tools and information they need to help their business soar”.

I think they’ll try to sell some proprietary software off the back of this. It will be interesting to see which products they are pushing. Windows Vista and Office 2007 are sure to be included.

Of course, Microsoft was a small business once. It began as a startup in a garage by two geeky kids called Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Bill even dropped out of Harvard to do it. That’s the motor of all entrepreneurial activity.

More than 30,000 small-business owners and partners from around the country are expected to participate in this free event held online with a first-day event in Redmond, Washington. The summit features more than 58 sessions covering small-business topics including branding, sales and marketing, security, business efficiency and mobility, and participants have the flexibility to join online from their home or office. In addition, small-business owners can go to their local participating CompUSA store to watch the webcasts, network with peers and have a direct dialogue with Microsoft and CompUSA representatives who understand their unique technology and business needs.

Here’s yesterday’s transcript of keynote remarks by Kevin Turner, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Small Business Summit 2007.

Former Microsoft evangelist and blogger, Robert Scoble, says Microsoft’s CTO, Ray Ozzie is planning a similar service to Amazon S3 :

“Amazon S3 charges right now about $.15 per gigabyte of stuff delivered. Watch what happens after Ray Ozzie jumps into the market. I bet that by late 2008 the cost per gigabyte delivered will be about 1/10th that.”

Dave Winer agrees — from a “future-safe” perspective : “The more the merrier. I’ll use them both. What are the chances that both Microsoft and Amazon go out of business? We’re starting to approach future-safeness.”

There’s nothing quite like an overkill of riches, it seems. Except, perhaps, a little peace once in while.