Redmond View
July 13, 2010
Crossing the Chasm: Turning Cloud Opportunity Into Reality for Partners
Today I will speak to Microsoft’s global partner community for the first time in my new job as corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Group. This is my 13th day in this role, and while each of those days have given me a new chance to see the capability and power of Microsoft’s partners, nowhere is that more clear than at the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Washington D.C. this week. I’m amazed by the energy here!
It’s clearer than ever that our partners are integral to Microsoft’s success. I’ve seen it again and again throughout my 17 years at Microsoft. Partners are the connection between Microsoft and our customers, and I’m excited to be the new champion for our partners. Without our partners we could never serve customers on the ground in communities around the world the way we do today.
Yesterday you heard Steve Ballmer, Bob Muglia, Tami Reller and Stephen Elop talk about how the technology industry is transforming with the emergence of the cloud, and share their vision for how Microsoft and our partners will lead that transformation. Today, I will show you how we will help our partners adapt and find the right cloud opportunities so we can continue to grow and succeed together.
You’ll hear me talk about new tools and resources that will help our partners pave a path to profitability in the cloud, including the new Microsoft Cloud Essentials and Microsoft Cloud Accelerate, Business Builder for Cloud Services, and Cloud Profitability Modeler. I’ll also share new Microsoft Partner Network sales and marketing resources to help partners attract customers and close deals. Review these key resources to get you started:
- Value of Earning a Microsoft Competency Guide
- 5 for 1 WPC Exam Pass for WPC attendees
- List Your Company on Microsoft Pinpoint
- Microsoft Partner Network Sales Specialist Accreditation
The opportunity in the cloud is tremendous, and it’s an opportunity we want to continue to pursue hand-in-hand with our partners. I hope that at the end of this week every one of our partners is as excited as we are about the huge potential in the cloud, and the opportunity it offers to leapfrog computing innovation forward, and serve customers even better than we have before.
Before I wrap up, I just want to say thank you to our partners who have joined us here at WPC and online at DigitalWPC.com this week, and all the partners around the world who continue to help make Microsoft the company we are today. I’m so excited to meet you face-to-face here at WPC this week, and I hope you’ll continue to share your feedback about the vision, innovation and resources we’ve shared with you this week. –-Jon Roskill
June 30, 2010
Small Business Specialist Community Update
| Recently, we have been getting questions from many of you about the future of the Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC). The community was designed especially for partners that focus on small business, who typically have less than ten employees themselves. Today, I’d like to clear the air and assure you that SBSC remains a vibrant community with approximately 20,000 members worldwide. |
Based on continuing dialogue with the community, SBSC will remain intact to address the unique needs of SMB Partners, offering tailored requirements and benefits to fit their size and Small Business segment focus. The Microsoft Partner Network will also offer additional resources for smaller partners in new market areas.
Here are some of the questions we’ve been getting from partners:
Q: “I am a technology provider focused on small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs), what opportunities do I have to partner with Microsoft?”
A. Throughout the MPN evolution process, you’ve told us how you want to partner with Microsoft, and we’ve listened. Now, there is more opportunity for you to engage with Microsoft than ever before through the following options:
- Small Business Specialist Community – available today
- Midmarket Solution Provider Competency – available today
- Midmarket Solution Provider Advanced Competency – launching October 2010
For our small business customers, we provide a simple and clear call to action. We want to ensure they are supported by partners who have demonstrated expertise in Small Business technologies and are focused on working with small business customers. SBSCs are best positioned to serve the needs of small business customers, and we want to continue to build and enhance that offering.
Q: “What is happening with Small Business Specialist Logo?”
A: We understand that building the value of the brand is good for both customers and partners. The SBSC Brand remains our brand for small business partners and is being strengthened with a deeper focus on “partner currency”. This will ensure only partners with demonstrated expertise on the latest small business technologies retain the brand.
As you move up the continuum from small business toward midmarket customers the sophistication and requirements of the customer’s IT change. To better address the needs of midmarket customers and partners, we are adding the “Midmarket Solution Provider” competency to the Microsoft Partner Network. This competency provides partners with the additional resources to meet the higher levels of sophistication found in midmarket IT organizations.
With SBSC and Midmarket Solution Provider, we will be able to more precisely match the right customer opportunity with the right partners.
Q: “How do the Small Business Specialist Community and the Midmarket Solution Provider Competencies benefit SMB customers?”
A: We have also requested and received extensive feedback from our mutual SMB customers about what they desire in a technology provider and current skills and expertise are at the top of their list. For this to happen, the exam requirements across all designations and competencies will align with our most up-to-date products and technologies. Exam requirements will therefore be updated on an ongoing basis as new product and technology exams become available. Upon re-enrollment each year, it will be mandatory to have met the current requirements for the designation, competency, or advanced competency you’d like to attain.
If you or your teams are attending WPC 2010 in Washington D.C., you can take advantage of the WPC 5-for-1 Exam Pass which is exclusively available to conference attendees. It lets an individual take up to 5 exams until October 2010 for the regular price of one exam in your home country. Each partner can purchase up to four of these passes, which would mean a potential savings of up to US $2,000. This offer starts July 11, and is available worldwide at Prometric Testing Centers for all IT Pro, Developer and Dynamics exams.
Q: What has changed from the Small Business Specialist Community and the new MPN Competencies?
A: Under the new Microsoft Partner Network, the Small Business Specialist Community allows you to engage in a community - take advantage of news, content, and exclusive tools and resources to help you build your small-business offerings based on Microsoft technologies.
By earning a competency, you will be set apart from the competition with proven higher levels of expertise and demonstrated capabilities for small-to-midsize business (SMBs) customers.
The top tier of the new program is the advanced competency level. By earning an advanced competency you gain credibility and recognition for your “best-in-class” Microsoft product-based technology solutions as demonstrated by the highest, most consistent capabilities, and commitment within the small-to-midsize businesses area.
You can learn more about the SMB changes in the Microsoft Partner Network by attending WPC in Washington D.C, July 11-15, checking here on the Redmond Blog, and reviewing the Value of Earning a Microsoft Competency Guide.
As the Microsoft Partner Network evolves, we are actively listening to partners. If you have other questions or comments, please post them below. – Judy Kolde
June 25, 2010
Letter from Allison L. Watson to the Global Microsoft Partner Network
It is with emotions of excitement, nostalgia, and pride that I announce a leadership change. Today, Microsoft announced that I will take on the role of corporate vice president of the Business & Marketing Organization (BMO) for North America, reporting to Robert Youngjohns, senior vice president of North America Sales & Marketing. Jon Roskill, corporate vice president of the North America Business & Marketing Organization will take on the leadership role as corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Group, reporting to Vahé Torossian, corporate vice president of the Worldwide Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners (SMS&P) Group.
This new challenge is energizing and exciting, particularly at such a pivotal time in our industry. Helping customers capitalize on the products and services Microsoft and our partners have to offer is going to be a great endeavor, and continuing my leadership role in driving the Microsoft brand with cloud computing is a unique opportunity. Connecting customers, partners, and Microsoft in a three-way dialogue on how to best deliver innovation and efficiency remains a core mission. Thanks to my eight years of learning from you, the best sales professionals and marketers in the industry, I feel confident and ready for this challenge.
Jon has the opportunity to take over the helm of the largest, most diverse partner network in the industry. Having worked closely with Jon over the past six years, I have witnessed his leadership, passion, and energetic advocacy for partners and customers. He is an outstanding leader and brings a deep understanding of our mutual customers and a keen eye for innovation in the sales and marketing process. I look forward to continuing our partnership from our new roles.
As we finalize this transition, my mind is filled with fond memories and gratitude for my eight years in this role, and I am proud and humbled by what we have accomplished together:
- We have grown the Microsoft Partner Network to more than 640,000 partners across 170 countries. With your help we have expanded Microsoft’s reach to provide local presence and support to customers in more than 249 countries.
- At 640,000 partners strong, the network employs approximately six million skilled workers and generates an estimated US$537 billion in local revenues, fueling economic growth across the globe (IDC 2009).
- We improved our mutual satisfaction and most importantly achieved superior satisfaction ratings from our collective customers around the world.
- Together, we established a strong voice to help address local policies and software initiatives. We grew our International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (IAMCP) chapter from a few hundred pioneers to a global force of almost 5,000 passionate industry leaders and 60 chapters worldwide; Voices for Innovation has more than 15,000 members effecting change and impacting policies locally across the globe.
- Together, we drove multiple waves of successful software launches, including the Windows 7 operating system, the most successful launch in Microsoft history.
- First with the Microsoft Partner Program and most recently with the evolution to the Microsoft Partner Network, we have worked together to develop a predictive partnering framework that optimizes performance of partners of all types, across the broad product scope, and throughout the diverse global markets we jointly serve.
As I shift into my new role, one thing that will not waiver is my passionate dedication to partners. My commitment to strengthening and evolving our engagement, and the collective learning you’ve imparted, will be a toolset I will continue to employ. Jon and I are eager to hear from you about how we can best serve Microsoft partners and customers.
In closing, I am honored and humbled by the confidence and trust you have given me in leading our collective business efforts. I look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C., hosting my last Worldwide Partner Conference, introducing you to Jon, and personally thanking you for your support of Microsoft and our customers. Thank you for an amazing eight years.
All the best,
Allison
June 23, 2010
Microsoft Partner Network Opportunities for Small and Midsize Businesses (SMB)
| There have been a lot of changes to the Microsoft Partner Network lately, and I wanted to let you know about the great opportunities that Microsoft has for SMB partners. We continue to be committed to the SMB space and are deeply invested in all of our SMB partners and customers. Today, I want to talk to you about Cloud Services and other product opportunities. |
SMB and Cloud Services
Everyday my team talks with partners who want to know more about Cloud Services, as this is a great growth opportunity. In the US alone, IDC forecasts broad adoption by all businesses, up to 38% by 2012, with revenue growing to $45B by 2013 at a compound annual growth rate of 28%. And according to IDC, SMBs show the highest propensity for moving to the Cloud of all segments.
How can you get started in the Cloud? Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS) brings enterprise class solutions to SMB customers – at affordable subscription based prices. For every $1 of BPOS sales, there are $6 of services attached. Get started today with these great options for partners.
Partner Services Opportunities include:
- Planning and needs assessment services
- Design and migration services
- Business productivity consulting services
- Security and infrastructure planning
Reselling Opportunities include:
- Sizing, selection, and pricing – helping customers to buy/procure
- Share in the contract with Microsoft
- Reduce your selling costs and speed up your sales cycle
Product Highlights for SMBs
For SMB partners, Windows 7, Office 2010, and Windows Server 2008 R2 present great business growth possibilities.
You can drive software revenues by upgrading customers’ existing PC-installed base to Windows 7. There are 156 million Windows 7 upgradable PCs worldwide - 117 million PCs with a legal OS and another 39 million unlicensed, Windows 7-capable PCs.
Partners can offer highly replicable desktop migration and deployment services. Windows 7 is an ideal platform for recurring “tech desk” services, including data backup, configuring hardware and accessories, and optimizing network settings. There are also maintenance services partners can deliver to give customers confidence and peace of mind through regular “checkup” services.
Partners can also cross-sell Microsoft Office 2010, opening the door to discuss the various Microsoft Office system workloads including messaging, collaboration (workspaces and sites), authoring, and the associated partner services.
SMB penetration of servers and networks remains very low (< 10%) worldwide. Windows Server 2008 R2 offers SMB customers the benefits of server virtualization such as consolidating hardware, software, and energy costs at a price point that is appealing to SMB customers. Microsoft virtualization offerings are highly cost effective, leaving the SMB customer with more IT budget available to spend on value-added services from partners.
You can learn even more about SMB business strategies by attending WPC 2010 in Washington D.C. on July 11-15. I hope to see you there! – Judy Kolde
May 26, 2010
Microsoft Partner Network Launches New Competencies and Subscriptions
Partners! Today we’ve hit a major milestone as we evolve to the Microsoft Partner Network. I’m happy to announce we’ve officially retired our previous competencies and specializations - and launched new competencies, a new subscription, and enhanced a long-time favorite subscription.
Registered partners – check out Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider and Microsoft Action Pack Development and Design, which provide access to the latest Microsoft technology and resources to help you be at the top of your game.
Gold Certified and Certified partners - while we changed the competency structure (you can see it here), your current benefits will continue until you re-enroll. After October 2010, the new competencies will offer a range of tailored benefits (software, learning, marketing, and sales assets) along with to the ability to create a customizable logo to articulate your strengths to your customers.
I want to highlight a major change for partners earning a competency or advanced competency. New requirements state that you must be current on the latest Microsoft technology. Why? Because customers and partners requested we raise the bar. As partners, you are our voice and advocate to customers on the latest technology, so it is critical that you deeply know and use the latest technology yourself. To help, we will provide hands-on experience with beta releases and early adoption programs, and offer training for your staff with role-based learning paths, as well as online and in-person classroom training.
I encourage you to review the specifics of the new competencies and requirements and make sure that you understand the changes we’re making. To see the latest information, download and review the Value of Earning a Microsoft Competency Guide. We update the Guide regularly (usually monthly), so make sure you review the latest edition.
Take Advantage of Exclusive Partner Offers
We’ve created a couple of great offers to help with passing the latest exams. If you are re-enrolling now through June 30, take advantage of the Microsoft Learning Second Shot offer. Until June 30, 2010, you can register to retake any IT Pro or Developer exam for free if you don’t pass on your first attempt. To help you prepare, you also get free access to Safari books’ vast online technical book library for 30 days. Visit Prometric, Microsoft's official testing partner, to get started today.
As a special bonus, the “WPC 5-for-1 Exam Pass” is exclusively available to WPC 2010 attendees. It lets an individual take up to five exams until October 10, 2010 for the regular price of one exam in your home country. Each partner location can purchase up to four of these passes. This offer starts July 11, 2010, and can be redeemed worldwide at Prometric Testing Centers for all IT Pro, Developer, and Dynamics exams. Whether you are looking to maintain your existing competencies or upgrade to an advanced competency, this is the best offer you’ll find to help you meet the new requirements. Visit the Microsoft Partner Network booth at WPC 2010 to purchase your passes.
Join Us at WPC 2010 and Digital WPC
Finally, we encourage all of you to attend WPC 2010 from July 12-15 to learn more about the changes to the Microsoft Partner Network. This is the must-attend event of the year for partners to hear about the latest Microsoft products, innovations, and solutions. If you can’t attend the event in person, check out Digital WPC.
And for those looking to profit from the cloud, we are offering over 200 sessions at WPC this year to help you understand Microsoft’s cloud offering. It’s a great opportunity to build new partner relationships and enhance the ones you already have with partners and Microsoft. There are so many great reasons to attend. I hope to see you there!
For even more information about the recent changes, check out my new video, Infinite Possibilities with the Microsoft Partner Network. Questions? We value your input, so please let us know what you think by leaving a comment. –-Julie Bennani, General Manager, Microsoft Partner Network
May 19, 2010
Schedule Meetings with WPC Connect
If you’re attending WPC, (and I hope that you are), we’ve got some great tools to enhance your experience. You can schedule meetings in advance using WPC Connect and the new Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) Connect Wall. The wall allows you to see a large number of photos in a single screen - making it easy to search for a particular person. Be part of this unique networking opportunity, and get your profile on the WPC Connect Wall today! --AW
May 18, 2010
Microsoft Releases Virtualization Partner Profitability Toolkit
Every partner knows about the great opportunity to sell virtualization technology and services. For a while, that meant one thing: working exclusively with VMware.
Times have changed.
Microsoft’s virtualization technology is more affordable and seen by many as technically comparable, and the company is gaining market share. Indeed, Microsoft Hyper-V continued its ascent in Q409, growing 215 percent year over year, according to the market research firm, IDC.
Nearly every VMware partner we talk to recognizes that Microsoft is a major player in virtualization and tells us they would like an opportunity to build a virtualization practice that includes both VMware and Microsoft. They recognize that having a dual practice allows them to become more trusted advisors to their customers. But they want a way to better understand the economic model.
To that end, Microsoft today is announcing a new virtualization partner profitability toolkit. The kit, available here on the Microsoft Partner Network, contains a profitability modeling tool that partners can use to see exactly how much adding a Microsoft practice can mean to their business. It’s basically an interactive spreadsheet, built with midsize business customers in mind, to help partners visualize the economic differences of doing project work around technology from one vendor versus being technology agnostic and building a virtualization practice that makes use of technology from multiple vendors.
What will you find when you use the tool? As much as we’d like to tell you otherwise, if you plug in the numbers to look at your work on a project by project basis, the numbers could favor VMware. But if you take a practice-level view and look at the numbers over the long term, the tool is likely to show partners making far more money with Microsoft. The logic here is pretty simple. Microsoft virtualization offerings are 3 to 5 times less expensive than VMware so partners can sell more of it, and there are some great follow-on project opportunities to add value for customers in security, integrated management, operating system and application upgrades, moving toward desktop virtualization and the cloud, and so forth.
The takeaway from all of this is pretty simple. If you’re just selling VMware today, then you are in the VMware business. If you want to be in the virtualization business, look at building a virtualization practice where you’re technology agnostic and offering more choice to customers. The new virtualization partner profitability tool can help you see the advantages in this approach. Download it today! --David Greschler, Director Virtualization Strategy, Microsoft
May 12, 2010
Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Global Launch Today!
What an exciting day at Microsoft! Today marks one of the biggest moments for Microsoft in 2010 – the global launch of our new productivity products including Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010.
This morning Stephen Elop led a launch event in New York to officially introduce these products to the world. They truly deliver the next generation in productivity software with numerous innovations that create a rich user experience across the PC, the browser, and the cloud – and the response so far has been phenomenal.
No other set of productivity tools can deliver such rich experiences across an array of formats. They empower you to best meet your customer’s needs and embrace the changing technology landscape featuring the cloud. The launch of Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 represents a huge opportunity for Microsoft partners, and to make sure that you are ready, you should start by taking the following actions:
1. Get more information and access resources about these products through the Virtual Launch Site and the Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 pages on the Microsoft Partner Network website.
2. Start using these products internally to take advantage of everything they have to offer and gain first-hand experience you can leverage when selling and creating solutions for your customers.
3. Take sales or technical trainings at the Partner Learning Center to ensure you are up to speed on the latest software.
4. Use the Partner Marketing Center to access sales and marketing resources through the various campaigns including the Office 2010 Launch-in-a-Box, Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimization, and Upgrade the Desktop among others.
5. ISV partners, make sure your applications are ready for the latest platforms at www.isvappcompat.com.
Thank you for your partnership with Microsoft and I hope to see you in two months at WPC in Washington, D.C.! --AW
May 5, 2010
SQL Server 2008 R2 Now Available to MSDN and TechNet Subscribers
I’m glad to share with you the availability of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 for MSDN and TechNet subscribers. For subscribers, SQL Server 2008 R2 is now available in the following editions: Enterprise, Standard, Web, Workgroup and Developer (English Language availability only). To get started, visit MSDN Subscriptions and TechNet subscriptions. Microsoft partners can also download the software from the Partner Portal.
And,if you couldn’t attend one of the many worldwide SQL Server 2008 R2 launch events, get a SQL Server 2008 R2 Digital Tour. --AW
April 28, 2010
Visual Studio 2010 Now Available
Now that Visual Studio 2010 is generally available, I wanted to highlight the opportunities for you. It’s a great product, enabling partners and their customers to realize new levels of efficiency and productivity. Please check out Bob Muglia’s launch presentation to learn more.
Many partners are taking advantage of the benefits of Visual Studio 2010 now. Don’t miss out! Depending what type of partner you are, you should take the following key actions:
Actions for Solution Partners: | Actions for Transaction Partners: | |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Use it internally when developing your own applications. Gold Certified and Certified partners can download Visual Studio 2010 now from MSDN. | 1) Use it internally so that you can share your experiences with customers. Gold Certified and Certified partners can download Visual Studio 2010 now from MSDN. | |
| 2) Learn to use it with technical training available through the Microsoft Partner Network Partner Learning Center. | 2) Learn to present it with sales trainings available through the Microsoft Partner Network Partner Learning Center. | |
| 3) Extend it by building tools, controls, and templates that integrate with Visual Studio 2010. Promote your extensions through the Visual Studio Gallery. | 3) Sell it to your customers by driving upgrades from older versions of Visual Studio or migrations from other IDEs. |
It is a great time to be a Microsoft partner! We’ve seen an amazing series of releases this year, and are looking forward to Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, and SQL 2008 R2 on the horizon. Questions? Comments? Please share them with us. --AW
April 2, 2010
Don’t Miss Out on WPC 2010, Register Today!
Registration for WPC 2010 is now open, and I strongly encourage you to join us at this year’s conference in Washington, D.C. on July 11-15. You’ll get valuable information to plan your business strategy for the coming year, make key connections with other partners and Microsoft leaders, and get the latest product information from the experts. There are so many great reasons to attend! The cloud is going to be big this year, as well as the release of Office 2010. Keep up with all the latest information at www.digitalwpc.com. I look forward to seeing all of you there! --AW
March 10, 2010
New Microsoft Cloud Strategy: We’re All In
I wanted to let you know about the new Microsoft Cloud Strategy -“We’re All In”- that Steve Ballmer announced on March 4. We estimate that there is a 3.3 trillion dollar opportunity overall, which will only continue to grow. And Microsoft is betting big - Ballmer said over 70% of our software development is focused on the cloud today, and soon 90% of our effort will be there.
These are the key principles fueling our cloud strategy:
- The cloud creates opportunities and responsibilities. New software investments are creating new business models and new opportunities to form businesses, as well as creating the need to protect the users.
- The cloud learns and helps you learn, decide, and take action. We are developing search technologies that seamless integrate information from the cloud.
- The cloud enhances social and professional interactions. We are creating new and meaningful ways for people to communicate from any place at any time.
- The cloud wants smarter devices. Browsers, GUI, and hardware are converging as smart devices become more common.
- The cloud drives server advances that drive the cloud. You can develop your applications once and be able to run them in any type of data center, public or private, hosted or on-premise.
Please take the time today to explore Microsoft Online Services, Azure, and all of our cloud offerings to see how they can help you transform your business into a profitable cloud business. I encourage your feedback, please add your comments. --AW
February 17, 2010
Momentum Keeps Growing for Microsoft Online Services
Welcome to my first Redmond View blog post. I’m also getting set up on Facebook and Twitter so I can get your feedback and chat with you about what’s going on in the marketplace and in your business. Today’s subject is Microsoft Online Services, and the momentum we’re seeing from customers and partners. People are starting to make money and transform their businesses. It’s an area where I’d love to get your feedback.
Microsoft Online Services is comprised of multiple individual projects including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting, Office Communications Online, CRM Online and with the new launch of Microsoft Office Wave 14, a series of products under the Office family as well. These offerings are packaged in a suite called Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) that is available for small business customers with one to five seats, as well as our largest enterprise customers.
We already have over a million seats running BPOS today, and over 450 million seats of our consumer-based Online Services as well. Interest is growing daily, and it’s important that you’re a part of the dialogue. We are providing tools and resources to help you understand the business opportunity, but it’s important that you internalize our offerings in your unique business requirements, and then give us feedback about what you need to capture the opportunity.
A lot of partners are asking me, “How do I make money in this deal?” It depends on whether you’re a reseller partner, an ISV partner, or an integrated partner. Based on all the deals we’ve done to date, we’re hearing that the average partner opportunity is about $167 a seat. That includes partner referral fees, the initial setup and migration fees, as well as factoring in some of your managed service fees. That’s a pretty big opportunity.
There are four key tools that partners are using to help build their businesses with Microsoft Online Services:
The first is the profitability modeling tool. Partners using it tell me it really helps them understand the revenue impact and the cost impact to their businesses to make the shift.
The second exciting feature is the partner link tool. This tool allows partners to embed direct quoting and trial capability into their outbound working efforts to their customers. Last month, we had so much excitement around this tool that we had over a thousand quotes generated, resulting in over 500 deals from partners.
The third tool is co-branded billing that allows you, the partner, and Microsoft to have names front and center on bills so that you maintain your partner relationship with the customer, a top-requested feature.
And finally, there’s a commerce dashboard you can use to understand how your sales and trials are going, and follow up with the customers that you have in your pipeline so that you can achieve your revenue objectives.
Partners become even more convinced about the value of BPOS for their businesses when they move their own business onto BPOS. So whether you’re large or small, we encourage you to take advantage of the internal use rights offered. You have up to 250 seats available for internal use as long as you’re committed to selling two customer deals per year. Every partner I’ve spoken to that has done it is raving about the benefits.
Additionally, as you may have heard in the press, Windows Azure has become available commercially in the marketplace. It’s an important time for you in the business of development, custom integration, and line of business to get involved with the cloud-based platform in the sky, and Microsoft Windows Azure is a great opportunity. It’s time for you to learn it, try it, and use it for yourself and your customers, and to take advantage of the benefits that are available through the Microsoft Partner Network.
Please catch up with me on Twitter, Facebook, and here on my blog. I encourage you to post comments below to let me know what’s going on in your market. I look forward to hearing from you. --AW
