Microsoft Empower Programme

This one day seminar is designed to present you with an overview of the features and benefits of Office Live Small Business and is presented through eight course modules and a series of live demonstrations and discussions.

DELEGATES WILL LEARN

·         The main features of Office Live Small Business

·         The benefits available to Office Live Small Business customers

·         How to manage the public web site and business applications provided through Office Live Small Business

·         How developers can leverage the power of Office Live Small Business web services

·         How sources of business-relevant data can be managed within an Office Live Small Business site

SEMINAR OUTLINE AND TIMINGS

·         9.00 Registration

·         9.30 Module 1: Introducing Microsoft Office Live Small Business

·         10.00 Module 2: Creating and using business application

·         11.00 Break

·         11.15 Module 3: Customising the public web site

·         12.00 Module 4: Customising business applications with the SharePoint Designer

·         13.00 Break

·         13.45 Module 5: Deploying solutions and performing site analytics

·         14.15 Module 6: Developing with Office Live Small Business web services

·         15.00 Break

·         15.15 Module 7: Working with documents on an Office Live Small Business site

·         15.45 Module 8: Building business mash-ups on Office Live Small Business

·         16.30 Close

Date: 27th June 2008

Venue: Microsoft UK, Thames Valley Park

Level: 200 Intermediate

Cost: Free of charge (lunch provided)

Trainer: Adrian Jakeman, Xpertise

To register, please use the link below:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/search_adv.aspx?ssid=10020b67-e4e6-45a4-91bf-6320bb265e6d&site=UK&lang=en-uk  

Registration problems ? Call 0870 8509442 or email ukplcsup@microsoft.com

The Developer and Platform Group at Microsoft UK are pleased to announce the availability of a limited number of free “Fasttrack” Architectural Reviews specifically for ISVs. A fasttrack review is an opportunity for an ISV to lay out their technical, business and architectural problems in front of some of the Microsoft ISV technology team, and gain advice and guidance on choosing the best path for their future development. These are interactive, conversational engagements which typically last for a half day, and have proved very successful and useful for participants in the past, especially at critical junctures in their product planning and evolution.

Partner Bot – download and you could win £1,000 in Capital Bonds vouchers (https://partner.microsoft.com/UK/40043201)

Partner Bot is an Instant Messenger 'data digger', which quickly retrieves partner-related information and shows you where you can find the answers you need. Add Partner Bot as a buddy in your Windows Live Messenger contacts and it will always be available whenever you're logged in. Simply type in your question and Partner Bot will bring back an instant response.  Whether you're looking for support options, searching for competitive information or want to learn more about competencies, ask Partner Bot and it will point you in the right direction.

Currently, if you add Partner Bot to your contacts and then type this question in the conversation window: 'I want to ask Partner Bot the £1,000 question', you could be in with a chance to win £1,000 in Capital Bonds vouchers. Follow the link and submit your question.

Or simply enter here: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/botchallenge. The closing date of this promotion is April 28 2008.

Just wanted to take five minutes to tell you about the new release of the Microsoft Innovate On portal. Innovate On ties in nicely with the Empower program and is a great resource for helping you build, test and market your solutions based on Microsoft technology. Its also FREE to sign up so check out the link below now!!

http://www.innovateon.com/

Now the roadshow is coming to a city near you

This is your opportunity to meet the MSDN team and find out all about the latest developer tools and technologies from Microsoft.

The MSDN Roadshow is a series of full day, demo-heavy events where you can find out more about Visual Studio 2008 and future Microsoft technologies. It's also your opportunity to meet the MSDN team and discover the latest developer tools.

Now that Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework V3.5 have been launched, the MSDN Roadshow will also focus on other products of interest for .NET developers. We'll look at Silverlight, ASP.NET, ADO.NET and Visual Studio Team Suite to create sessions that are all about code, not PowerPoint.

Places are limited so register today

- Cardiff, 21 April 2008
- London, 25 April 2008
- Manchester, 1 May 2008
- Glasgow, 13 May 2008
- Newcastle, 16 May 2008

Now the roadshow is coming to a city near you

Following the 2008 Launch event in Birmingham on 19^th March, TechNet will be going out on the road.

The roadshow will be heavy on demos and light on PowerPoint. We'll look at various scenarios, such as managing Windows Server 2008 and how Windows Server 2008 works alongside Windows Vista.

You'll have the opportunity to meet the Microsoft Community, our user groups and Most Valued Professionals, as well as experts with top technical information and real-world scenarios.

Places really are limited due to a high number of pre-registrations so register today

- Cardiff, 22 April 2008
- London, 24 April 2008
- Manchester, 30 April 2008
- Glasgow, 12 May 2008
- Newcastle, 15 May 2008

MSDN Southern Events

Date: 26 February 2008

Location: Reading

MSDN Northern Events

What's new in Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Fx 3.5 for the Web Developer

Date: 21 February 2008

Location: Manchester

Building Dynamic Web Applications with Microsoft Silverlight

Date: 26 February 2008

Location: Bradford

MSDN Scottish Events

Building Dynamic Web Applications with Microsoft Silverlight

Date: 19 Februaury2008

Location: Edinburgh

Building Dynamic Web Applications with Microsoft Silverlight

Date: 20 February 2008

Location: Edinburgh

Find out about all MSDN events

Email: ukmsdn@microsoft.com

So… what is it?
Designed exclusively for partners, the Partner Learning Centre is a database which allows you to search for all of the training that we have available on Microsoft products and technologies. It searches for all different types of training deliveries, classroom sessions, seminars, online webinars, books and mock MCP exams. The PLC offers you the opportunity to:

 - Easily identify training promotions applicable to your partner level, competency focus, role, country, and language

 - Choose from hundreds of training resources through expanded search capabilities

 - Track your learning experiences each step of the way with a view of in-progress, scheduled, and completed training

The PLC also allows you to set ‘Training Preferences,’ this is a filter that runs in the background of all your searches in order to filter out the information that is not really relevant to you. Your Training Preferences include questions like – What competency are you interested in? What type of Partner are you? What region in the UK you are located? What language you would prefer to learn in? And finally what role you undertake within the partner. In practical terms if you are a partner who would like some training on Security Solutions and a search returned with Dynamics Products this might not be very useful.
This is why setting up your Training Preferences is really important and saves a huge amount of time and frustration in the long run.

How do I access the PLC?
You can access the PLC via your Microsoft Partner Program Portal Page's Training Link (https://partner.microsoft.com/) or access the PLC at (https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/).

Signing up for the PLC is quick and easy and should take you about 10 minutes. The first thing that an employee at a Partner needs to do is sign up for a Live ID. Once you have done this you will need to associate the Live ID to the unique Partner ID that the Partner has in order to fully associate. We have a team of people on hand to help with anything just in case anyone runs into problems. They can be contacted on 0870 850 9442 or by e-mail at ukplcsup@microsoft.com

The MSDN Evaluation Centre is the central location for all Microsoft developer product trials and beta evaluations. Try a product before you buy it or test the latest beta to see what is in store for the next release. Start at the beginning of the evaluation process and follow the new products as they go through to the final releases. Remember to check back often as new products will be added as they become available. As you evaluate your software, we'll provide you with comprehensive and relevant insights and information delivered to your inbox. Resources like: Webcasts | Virtual Labs | Community insight | White papers | E-Learning Events

Have a look at the current set of featured Evaluations: BizTalk Server, Office System, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Windows Server. Please visit http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/aa972637.aspx

Here's some useful information, from our Emerging Partner Team, on applying for government funding for R&D support.

Within the Emerging Partner Team at Microsoft we are constantly looking at ways in which we can support the Innovative Partners of tomorrow. We have a whole host of benefits and resources available, depending upon your business model, but the question we get asked most (and probably find hardest to definitively answer) is ‘can you help me get some funding?’ J

The answer is ‘yes’ we can help but of course we can’t guarantee.

One route that is often overlooked is applying for a Government grant.

I have recently been chatting with a friend at PNO Consultants who help with these applications for businesses, they take away some of the administrative hurdles and help you reach a decision quicker. Mark has sent me the table below for a quick glance at what is on offer for Software Companies for R&D support. If you want more info you can contact Mark Clayton at - Mark.Clayton@pnoconsultants.co.uk

Microsoft also have an awesome tool within the Small Business Community for finding a grant - http://www.microsoft.com/uk/smallbusiness/euga/default.mspx

and yet more dates....

 - 25 October 2007, Reading: MSDN: Demand Good Service
 - 06 November 2007, TVP: MSDN: Developing on the Windows Live Platform
 - 08 November 2007, London: MSDN: Building Dynamic Web Applications with Microsoft Silverlight
 - 20 November 2007, Edinburgh: MSDN: SharePoint for Developers 
 - 21 November 2007, Edinburgh: MSDN: SharePoint for Developers 
 - 22 November 2007, Bradford: MSDN: SQL Server 2008 
 - 27 November 2007, Reading: MSDN: An Introduction to the Microsoft Web Platform (and how do it for zip, nvada, zero cost to you) 
 - 28 November 2007, Birmingham: MSDN: Web, Web, Web: Visual Studio 2008, ASP.NET 3.5 and Silverlight
 - 29 November 2007, Bristol: MSDN: What’s new in Smart Client Development
 - 04 December 2007, Reading: MSDN: SQL Server 2008
 - 06 December 2007, London: MSDN: What’s new in Visual Studio 2008 and .Net Fx 3.5 for the Web Developer

For all MSDN events click on this link: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/msdn/events/default.aspx or alternatively give me a call on 0118 9097836 for more information.

Cheers,

Danny 

Hi All,

More dates booked in for the nationwide MSDN Events. If you have any questions please email me (Danny!) v-dcale@microsoft.com or ukmsdn@microsoft.com

2 Oct 07, Reading: MSDN: What's New in Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Fx 3.5 for the Web Developer 
4 Oct 07, London: MSDN: Overview of Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 
8 Oct 07, Manchester: MSDN: What's New in Smart Client Development 
16 Oct 07, Edinburgh: MSDN: What's New in Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Fx 3.5 for the Web Developer 
18 Oct 07, Bradford: MSDN: What's New in Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Fx 3.5 for the Web Developer

...and here's some more MSDN events being held in September:

 - 19 September, Edinburgh: MSDN - Introduction to .NET Framework V3.0 (& sneak preview of v3.5 changes)

 - 20 September, Bradford: Introduction to .Net Framework V3.0 (& sneak preview of v3.5 changes)

 - 26 September, Birmingham: OVERVIEW OF VISUAL STUDIO 2008 AND .NET FRAMEWORK 3.5

 - 27 September, Bristol: OVERVIEW OF VISUAL STUDIO 2008 AND .NET FRAMEWORK 3.5

Follow the links for more detail on each event.