Microsoft Takes Aim At Business Market

Microsoft Corp. wants to change the way U.S. businesses do their heavy-duty computing.

Led by Chairman Bill Gates, Microsoft on Tuesday launched a marketing blitz to spread the word that its Windows NT operating software is ready to tackle the jobs now done by mainframes - from processing huge numbers of transactions to tracking inventory information.

Its assault on the lucrative business market was backed by some of the biggest names in computing, including Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Inc. and Digital Equipment Corp.