NZ SBSC Update : Events

Windows 7 Roadshow!

nzsbsc — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:33:00 GMT

Hi All,

The Unplugged guys are doing a roadshow starting later this month, covers Windows 7 & Server 2008 R2, definately not to be missed! Details below.

UNPLUGGED Roadshow: Windows 7 Special - 25 May to 5 June 2009

Join us for the May - June 2009 UNPLUGGED Roadshow as we visit locations around New Zealand presenting technical sessions for Developers and IT Pros. Choose from either the MSDN Stream for Developers or TechNet Stream for IT Pros.

MSDN Stream: Developing for Windows 7 and Silverlight 3
Find out how to get started developing rich applications for Windows 7 and Silverlight 3. Two sessions, presented by Microsoft New Zealand Developer Advisors, Mike Zeff and Nigel Parker. More information and details.

TechNet Stream: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
Join Microsoft IT Pro Advisor, Nathan Mercer as he presents these technical sessions demonstrating the essential features of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. More information and details.

Dates and Location
25 May: Palmerston North
26 May: Tauranga
27 May: Hamilton
28 May: Auckland
3 June: Christchurch
4 June: Dunedin
5 June: Wellington

Sessions 9 - 12.30pm. Level 300 for IT Pros and Developers. Register on the Microsoft UNPLUGGED website.

Cheers,

Brad

2009 New Zealand Partner Awards!

nzsbsc — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:32:00 GMT

Hi All

The New Zealand Microsoft Partner Awards are back for the third year running. Again we’re looking to honour those Microsoft Gold partners, Certified partners and Small Business Specialist partners who have delivered exemplary, innovative solutions for their customers.

To ensure you’re all in the know regarding the awards – arm yourself with the following:

The Awards site and call for nominations opens 1^st of May
All entries my reach us by 5pm Friday 26 June 2009
19 award categories for 2009 (see below)
We have introduced a number of new categories, and some categories from last year have evolved. Entry forms will be available on this site after midday on Thursday May 7th.
We urge you to start promoting this to your partners.
Click here to let us know the category or categories you wish to enter and we will send the forms when they are available.
For category descriptions go here.
The 2009 Partner Awards Black Tie Dinner will be held on the 27^th of August at the Auckland Museum
Partner Awards Black Tie Dinner tickets will go on sale 1^st of July

Award Categories:

Business Productivity – Enterprise Content Management Solution of the Year

Business Productivity – Portals & Collaboration Solution of the Year

Business Productivity – Unified Communications Solution of the Year

Core Infrastructure Solution of the Year

Application Platform Solution of the Year

Software Solution of the Year

Microsoft Software + Services Solution of the Year

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Solution of the Year

Microsoft Dynamics ERP Solution of the Year

Learning Solutions Partner of the Year

Community Impact Solution of the Year

Partnering Award of the Year

Platform Partner of the Year

Reseller of the Year

Deployment Partner of the Year

Solutions Star of the Year

Licensing Star of the Year

Small Business Specialist of the Year

Microsoft Services Ready Partner of the Year

Cheers,

Brad

TechNet UNPLUGGED: Windows 7 Technical Overview and Installfest! April 2009

nzsbsc — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:12:00 GMT

TechNet UNPLUGGED Event: Windows 7 Technical Overview and Installfest - April 2009

Come along and learn about Windows 7 and get the opportunity to install the beta on your PC too.

The Windows 7 beta is out and everyone is excited about it. In this TechNet UNPLUGGED update we'll feature what the new Windows 7 release means for the IT Pro in NZ. We will cover off both the new business and consumer technologies in this jam-packed-demo-filled session. At the end of the learning session, stay around and load Windows 7 beta onto your machine. Presented by Microsoft Technical Advisor, Nathan Mercer. More information and details.

Note: This is a 300 Level event for IT Pros. Registration is free, dates and locations below.

AM Sessions: 9 - 11.30am

Wellington 2 Apr: Register
Auckland 14 Apr: Register
Christchurch 16 Apr: Register

Live Meeting 9 - 10.30am 21 Apr: Register

PM Sessions: 4 - 6.30pm

Wellington 2 Apr: Register
Auckland 14 Apr: Register
Christchurch 16 Apr: Register

Note: If you are unable to make it to a session in Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch please attend the Live Meeting Session online on the 21st of April

Event - Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite with Lee Hickin

nzsbsc — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:44:00 GMT

Hi all,

Play a key role in bringing together powerful technology with domain expertise, innovative capabilities, and value added services to New Zealand customers with Microsoft Online Services. By offering and building on Microsoft Online Services, you are able to easily develop and deliver customer fit solutions that help your customers to realise their full potential, while generating predictable and recurring revenue for your organisation.

Join Lee Hickin, Senior Technology Specialist for Microsoft Online Services, for an overview of the newly released Microsoft Online Services strategy and offering, and let him show you how to partner with Microsoft in offering this productivity solution to your customers.

Presentation Agenda

Microsoft Onlince Services: Overview, Vision, Functionality and Platform
How to position the BPOS solution to your customers
Customer Value Propositions
Licensing and the provisioning process

	To Register for this free presentation click the appropriate link below
	Wellington: Tuesday 17th March, 10am - 12:00noon Register here Auckland: Wednesday 18th March, 3.30pm - 5pm Register here Thursday 19th March, 10.00am - 11.30am Register here Friday 20th March, 9:00am - 11:00am Register here Microsoft Online Services Resources Microsoft Online Services Website Try a Microsoft Online Service FREE for 30 days here Microsoft's Software plus Services Vision website
	Cheers, Brad

SBSC Session Presentations now on Partner Portal

nzsbsc — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:31:00 GMT

Hi all,

Just a quick note, the presentations from the first three SBSC partner sessions that were held in Auckland are now availalbe for download from the partner portal here.

Make sure you check them out!

Cheers,

Brad

Happy New Year! Upcoming technical deep dive with Nicholas King, Worldwide Technical Manager for SBS and EBS

nzsbsc — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:19:00 GMT

Hi all,

Happy new year and welcome back. I hope everyone out there had a great Christmas/New Year break. I'm sure you will all agree it's great to back in the office while the sun shines down outside! Or maybe not so great?!

On Thursday the 12th and Friday the 13^th we are running separate 3 hour technical deep dive sessions on SBS and EBS.

These sessions will be run by Nicholas King, the Worldwide Technical Product Manager for SBS and EBS and will provide a great opportunity for you to meet and chat with someone involved in the development of these solutions.

The sessions will be of a highly technical nature and it is recommended that attendees have a core understanding of Infrastructure prior to registering.

Unfortunately due to Nick's tight schedule sessions will only be held in Auckland.

Session 1: Thursday February 12^th, 1-4pm, MPC room Microsoft NZ, Auckland. Register here

Session 2: Friday February 13^th, 1-4pm, MPC room Microsoft NZ, Auckland. Register here

Technical Event: Take your applications to the cloud and beyond: PDC Visual Studio, Azure, Office 14 and Windows 7

nzsbsc — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:23:00 GMT

Hi all,

An event for all you developer types out there. In December we are running more MSDN Unplugged sessions throughout the country.

These sessions will share principles, practices, patterns and tools announced at the Professional Developers Conference in October.

Presented by Microsoft Developer Advisor Mike Zeff, and Microsoft Architect Mark Carroll, all attendees will recieve a PDC 2008 Top session DVD.

Registration is free. Dates and Locations below.

Auckland 8 Dec: Register

Hamilton 8 Dec: Register

Tauranga 9 Dec: Register

Hawkes Bay 10 Dec: Register

Palmerston North 11 Dec: Register

Wellington 12 Dec: Register

Note: This is a 300 Level event for Developers

Cheers,

Brad

Technical Training: EBS 08 Installation and Migration, Application and Windows Client Deployment

nzsbsc — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 23:25:00 GMT

Hi All,

A couple of great training events coming up, particularly for those looking to deploy EBS 2008.

Server setup.exe

This session will cover the basics of installation and migration onto Essential Business Server 2008. It is targeted at IT professionals who are deploying EBS 08 and who need to understand the migration process for a successful Small Business Server 2003 migration. Topics covered include:

EBS 08 Feature Overview
EBS 08 Migration from SBS 2003
Managing EBS 08 with System center Essentials

This session will be run by Miguel Rojas, one of our partner technical specialists, and will visit:

Christchurch: Tuesday 25^th November, 1pm-4:30pm register here
Nelson: Thursday 27^th November, 1pm-4:30pm register here
Wellington: Tuesday 2^nd December, 8:30am-12pm register here
Auckland: Thursday 4^th December, 1pm-4:30pm register here

Client setup.exe

This session will cover the basics of application and Windows client deployment technologies. There will be a focus on Office 2007 and Windows Vista deployment as well as the maintenance of the applications and operating systems. The session is ideal for IT professionals who have been deploying single applications in Windows domains but are interested in reducing their workload and moving their customers to the standard quadrant of Gartner's IT maturity model. Topics covered include:

Windows Easy Transfer and User State Migration Tools
The Windows Automated Install Kit
Office Customisation Toolkit
Terminal Services Deployment
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)
Office Migration Planning Manager
Windows Deployment Services
Using Group policy to manage applications

This session will be run by Sean Dring, our Technical Specialist, and will visit:

Christchurch: Tuesday 25^th November, 8:30am-12pm register here
Nelson: Thursday 27^th November, 8:30am-12pm register here
Wellington: Tuesday 2^nd December, 1pm-4:30pm register here
Auckland: Thursday 4^th December, 8:30am-12pm register here

Regards,

Brad

Windows Essential Server Solutions launch: IMPORTANT RESOURCES!

nzsbsc — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:46:00 GMT

Hi All,

With the official launch of WESS upon us I though I would give you an overview of some of the key resources available to you right now.

The most comprehensive would have to be the WESS page on the partner marketing centre which has a number of brilliant resources including:

Training: Product Overviews, Quick Reference Sales Cards
Campaign Builder: Direct Marketing Resources, Event Kit
Sales Accelerators: Sales presentations, Case Studies, Demos, Promotions, Business and technology assessment toolkits
Success measures: Measurement worksheet

All of these sections contain a wealth of resources on both EBS and SBS 08 and I HIGHLY recommend checking them out!

Also, early tomorrow morning (5am NZ time) there will live launch webcast on the official WESS site. This will be available for viewing at any time so you don't need to be up early to be able to see it! The webcast will be an excellant resource to show customers and will feature Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Finally, we are running four Server setup.exe sessions on Essential Business Server covering EBS features, migration from SBS 03, and managing EBS with System center essentials.

These sessions will be run by Miguel Rojas, one of our partner technical specialists and will visit:

Christchurch: Tuesday 25th November, 1pm-4:30pm: Register
Nelson: Thursday 27th November, 1pm-4:30pm: Register
Wellington: Tuesday 2nd December, 8:30am-12pm: Register
Auckland: Thursday 4th December, 1pm-4:30pm: Register

Just click the links above to register!

As always I am here to help answer any queries you may have or help you out with something so email me on t-bradmc@microsoft.com anytime.

Cheers

Brad

Reminder: Tecnnet UNPLUGGED Events begin next week!

nzsbsc — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:56:00 GMT

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder that the Technet and MSDN unplugged events are running next week. Details below:

Note: These are Technical sessions, Level 300 (Technet) and Level 200 (MSDN)

TechNet Update

Key Audience: Technical

Topics: Windows Vista Deployment, Deploying Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and System Centre Virtual Machine Manager

Session Times: 9:00am-12:30pm

Christchurch: Tue 11th Nov: Register

Wellington: Thu 13th Nov: Register

Auckland: Tue 18th Nov: Register

MSDN Update

Key Audience: Developer

Topics: Next generation Client Windows and Web, Visual Studio Tips and Tricks

Session Times: 1:30pm-5:00pm

Christchurch: Tue 11th Nov: Register

Wellington: Thu 13th Nov: Register

Auckland: Tue 18th Nov: Register

Cheers,

Brad

Full Day EBS Technical Event

nzsbsc — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:17:00 GMT

Hi All,

This has just come through from the partner team. We are running three full day EBS technical sessions this month covering:

Planning, design, Installation and Management
Support and Troubleshooting
Tips, Tricks and Best Practices

Sessions will be held in:

Auckland

Wednesday 5th November, 9am-5pm (I UNDERSTAND THIS IS VERY LATE NOTICE FOR A FULL DAY EVENT BUT THOUGHT I WOULD PUT IT UP ANYWAY)

Venue: Auldhouse, 338 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland

Register

Wellington

Wednesday 12th November, 9am-5pm

Venue: Auldhouse, Level 8, Lumley House, 11 Hunter St, Wellington

Register

Christchurch

Wednesday 19th November, 9am-5pm

Venue: Auldhouse, Level 7, Anthony Harper House, 47 Cathedral Square, Christchurch

Register

$10 Lunch Vouchers will be provided at each of these sessions, places are limited so register now!

Cheers,

Brad

TechNet & MSDN Unplugged Events: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V deployment, Vista Deployment, Visual Studio Tips and Tricks

nzsbsc — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:48:00 GMT

Hi All,

In November we are running the final Unplugged sessions for 2008 with both TechNet and MSDN streams. These sessions will be heavily technical so suitable for any of you technical gurus out there! Sessions will be run in Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland, info and registration links below.

TechNet Update

Key Audience: Technical

Topics: Windows Vista Deployment, Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and System Centre Virtual Machine Manager deployment

Session Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Christchurch: Tue 11th Nov: Register

Wellington: Thu 13th Nov: Register

Auckland: Tue 18th Nov: Register

MSDN Update

Key Audience: Developer

Topics: Next generation Client Windows and Web, Visual Studio Tips and Tricks

Session Time: 1:30pm-5:00pm

Christchurch: Tue 11th Nov: Register

Wellington: Thu 13th Nov: Register

Auckland: Tue 18th Nov: Register

Cheers,

Brad

Technet UNPLUGGED Update: SBS/EBS, Hyper-V EXTRA SESSIONS: AUCKLAND & INVERCARGILL

nzsbsc — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:37:00 GMT

Just a quick announcement that there will be an extra SBS/EBS, Hyper-V Technet session in Auckland on the 10th of October and a new session in Invercargill on the 15th of October.

So if you missed out on the first Auckland session or are a partner based in the (mighty) deep south then register now for what promises to be a great session from Technical guru Nathen Mercer. Info on the content can be found on an earlier post here.

Auckland (Session 2) Fri 10th October: 11am-1:30pm, Microsoft Auckland: Register

Invercargill Wed 15th October: 12:30pm-3pm, Kelvin Hotel, Invercargill: Register

Cheers,

Brad

After 5's - FREE Technical Training!

nzsbsc — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:14:00 GMT

I just wanted to let you know about a fantastic new opportunity for you to up-skill your team in the latest Microsoft technologies. And the best thing about it is that it’s free! Not 100% SBS related, but definately worthy of mention.

Microsoft would love to have you join them at their first of a series of after 5’s. At this ‘Technical Tuesday’ you

will get a technical overview of the Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack and will cover the following

areas:

Asset Inventory Service (AIS)
Advance Group Policy Management (AGPM)
Application Virtualisation (AV)
System Center Desktop Error Monitoring (SCDEM)
Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT)
Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation (MEDV)
Introduction to MDOP licensing
In depth technical Overview of MDOP

Details of the event:

Date: Tuesday 7^th October

Time: 5.30pm – 7pm

Venue: Microsoft Offices, Level 5, Viaduct Harbour Ave, Auckland

Pizza and refreshments will be served.

Places are limited. To reserve your places please email Thiloma Patabendi.

Cheers, Ben

Unplugged MSDN update: IE8, Silverlight, Cloud based services

nzsbsc — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:53:00 GMT

UNPLUGGED MSDN Update: Get Ready for Cloud-Based Services, IE8 & Silverlight 2

The partner events roadshow starting on the 23rd will also inlcude a session on IE8, Silverlight, and cloud based services. If any of these impact on your business register using the link below to ensure your place at this great session

Key Audience: Developers
Key Topics: This UNPLUGGED session has been created specifically for web focused developers to “get ready” for what is coming next. Nigel Parker will discuss readiness and enhancements with Internet Explorer 8. Nigel will introduce Silverlight 2 and WPF 3.5 for developers focused on service enabled rich client development and then lead into a discussion on cloud based services including WCF, REST and JSON.

FOR MORE EVENT DETAILS AND TO REGISTER PLEASE CLICK HERE