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I would classify myself as a technical chap, yet when I’m out and about with Partners and Customers, I regularly engage in licensing discussions, usually around Windows Server, Virtualisation, and more increasingly, VDI.  I’m by no means a licensing expert, but I can hold my own, and can articulate...

A heads up for most of you with regards to more licensing changes afoot! For those of you who have been reading this blog over the past few weeks and months, you’ll have heard me mention System Center Service Manager, which is a new ITIL/MOF Process & Change Management solution , which will be part...

…This tool could be very useful to you indeed!  The interactive benefits tool helps you to understand which Software Assurance benefits you’re entitled to with each of our licensing agreements – the easy way.  A new, user-friendly comparison table shows at-a-glance which of the sizeable suite...

If you are, read on :-) As you know, one of my passions right now is providing video content that showcases Microsoft technologies in an accurate and fair way (no mythbusting :-)) through my Virtualboy TV site.  So far, this has gone down really well with Partners and Customers alike, and is being...

I received a funny email the other day, via my blog, which, on first glance, said one thing to me.  SPAM.  It went on about viral videos and spoof setups, but I clicked the link anyway – it was only linking to a YouTube video, so, what would the harm be? Turns out, the video ain’t half bad...

Are you in IT?  Thinking about getting into IT?  Where do you start?  How do you develop in the future?  If you’re already in IT, how do you build on your investments so far? These are just some of the questions that are answered at ‘ Thrive ’; a new website from Microsoft, designed...

Whenever I deliver a presentation with Partners and Customers, one of the requests I receive is, can I have the deck.  So, through the power of my blog, and a bit of jiggery-pokery with SkyDrive , I’ve uploaded my latest deck up onto the web, for all to access.  If you haven’t seen me present...

Following on the theme around licensing, I thought I’d take the opportunity to explain, in detail, for anyone who doesn’t already know, how to license Windows Server Operations Systems in a Virtual Environment. Now, I’m not a licensing expert, but I’ve been through this enough times to understand it...

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again.  Microsoft licensing is a complicated topic to understand.  Those who do understand it fully (yes, there are a few!) will agree that’s it’s a black art in many cases.  For many Partners in the Microsoft Ecosystem, having a dedicated employee...

We’ve just announced a day for all you Microsoft UK Partners out there, who want to understand, from a sales and licensing perspective, some of the Microsoft technologies that are currently available. This session is aimed to equip new starter sales people with the knowledge and skills that will enable...

A couple of months back, Mike and I sat down and recorded a series of 6 short videos showcasing the Microsoft Virtualisation Sales Opportunity.  Introduction (2:25) Virtualisation Overview (37:35) Analysis Tools (11:39) Microsoft Virtualisation Solutions Overview (37:40) Licensing (16:25) Resources...

For those Microsoft Partners among you who are interested in learning more about the Microsoft Virtualisation stack of technologies, and the opportunity around them, we’ve consolidated a number of the webcasts that have been produced over recent months and placed them in one easy to find place – on the...

If you’re a Hosting Partner, your licensing is quite different to the regular type of licensing that most Partners/Customers fall under, and in some instances, the licensing is actually more complex for Hosters! How does the complexity increase further? Virtualisation, as per usual! Well, a whitepaper...

This would be it: WNS37AAL:  Understanding Microsoft’s Licensing in Virtualised Environments Presented by Gordon Gazaway and Michael Cooper Tuesday, July 31, 2008 8:00 – 9:00 AM Pacific Time or 15:00 – 16:00 GMT Level 100 PLC Registration Link – Register using this link (You’ll need to be signed...

Microsoft Licensing is complex.  I think most people accept that! Since September, the licensing and response management teams have been working together to publish the answers to your top licensing queries. Every month, these FAQs are put together based on calls and emails to our customer service...

Emma has just emailed this information through, and it's a useful addition to any Partner's arsenal, big or small.  For those of you who aren't familiar... What is the Sales Toolkit? The Microsoft Sales Toolkit is your partners’ source for driving sales. It is the licensing and sales 'product...

There's a couple of new useful FAQ's that have been released for the UK audience, aimed to answer some of the common questions that you have around licensing.  Both the licensing and response management teams are committed to keeping this information fresh and relevant, so check back regularly with...

Licensing can sometimes be a bit of a difficult concept for even Microsoft employees to get their heads around, however, from time to time, something comes along which really does try to help you solve those sometimes-cryptic licensing conundrums. The licensing guys are regularly asked " Licensing...

I'm going to start with a statement that will probably resonate with a lot of you out there; Licensing is confusing sometimes.  I say sometimes, because it isn't always confusing - not when there are cool tools to help, such as the Virtualisation Calculator we released a few months back , for those...