Dell is offering small and medium-sized businesses in the United States 0% interest and 36-month financing on its energy-efficient Latitude laptops and PowerEdge Energy Smart servers.

The offer is an extension of a similar deal Dell has for its EqualLogic storage hardware for SMBs. With companies cutting back on capital spending in the economic downturn, Dell is hoping to generate business with its 0% lease promotion, which lets customers buy the equipment when the lease is up for $1.

"What's great about the $1 buyout offer is that most customers refreshing their technology infrastructure will qualify," Erik Dithmer, VP and general manager of Dell's SMB business in the United States, said in a statement released Tuesday.

The deal also offers quarterly billing, which means less paperwork for customers, compared with monthly billing.

The financing promotion is available for Dell's Latitude E5500, E6400, and E6500 laptops and PowerEdge 1950 and 2950 servers. Organizations have to spend at least $25,000 on equipment to qualify. The promotion ends May 1, which is the end of Dell's fiscal first quarter.

Dell is apparently hoping that such promotions will help it deliver better financial results than it did in its latest earnings report. For the quarter ended Oct. 31, Dell reported a drop in profits as revenue fell 3.1%. Dell blamed the decline on slowing demand for servers and PCs across the globe as a result of the economic downturn. The company did not offer a forecast for the quarter running through January, but said it believed that demand for its products "will continue to be challenging."

The economic crisis will make or break the reputation of business technology leaders. The InformationWeek Analytics report "You vs. The Downturn" looks at how some are working to stay a step ahead (registration required).