Tartan Tech: Microsoft Scotland Insight : Event

UK Partner Licensing Roadshow – Edinburgh 18th November

jhenders01 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:30:49 GMT

Following on previous Partner licensing workshops, the Scotland Partner team have secured another Licensing Roadshow to visit Edinburgh next month.

With the recent release of new products from Microsoft such as Windows 7 and the ever increasing interest in the world of Virtualisation from customers and the associated licensing implications this event is great way for Partners to get a valuable update on the various licensing programs.

The roadshow is open to all partners and is suitable for all licensing and sales roles. The presentations cover both licensing and technology and are level 300, so relatively in-depth.

The 2009 line-up includes:

· Windows 7

· Virtualisation

· Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

· Unified Communications

· Enrolment for Core Infrastructure

· Agreement Refresh 2009 – PSA09, Corporate and Academic, SPLA

· Software Asset Management

And much more!

The event runs from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

· Edinburgh: Wednesday 18 November, Microsoft Waverley Gate

Please click here to book your place. You’ll get the option to select Edinburgh once you’ve clicked on “Register”.

Microsoft Gold Partner Forum – 4th November, Edinburgh

jhenders01 — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:29:50 GMT

Microsoft Forum with Gordon Frazer, MD UK, Bob McDowell, VP Microsoft Corp & Derrick McCourt, Regional Director Scotland

Venue: Conan Doyle Room, Microsoft Scotland, Edinburgh

Date: 15:00-17:30, 4^th November 2009

The Scotland Partner team are pleased to announce announce that we have Gordon Frazer, Microsoft’s UK Managing Director in Scotland and Bob McDowell, Vice President, Microsoft Corp, from the US joining our Regional Director for Scotland, Derrick McCourt for the first Gold Partner Forum of FY10!

This will be a forum to discuss your key business issues, future business in Scotland and the challenges ahead in the Scottish marketplace. We have a special guest speaker David Lonsdale from the CBI Scotland to give an update on the Scottish economy. Given the changes in the UK and Scottish economies since we last met, the focus for this meeting will be for Microsoft to get your feedback on doing business in Scotland / UK during 2009, and your views on the challenges ahead.

15:00 Welcome / Introductions

Business Update – FY10 Plans

Britain Works Initiative

Break / Networking / Refreshments

16:15 Partner Sharepoint Initiative

Scottish Economy Update

Art of the Story, Successful Selling

Q&A Session

17:30 Drinks Reception / Networking

Please email Morag MacFarlane – v-moragm@microsoft.com to confirm your attendance by Friday 30^th October. Spaces are limited to 2 per Partner.

A confirmation note and a confirmed agenda will be distributed in advance.

Microsoft in Healthcare – Partner Event – Edinburgh 29th Oct

jhenders01 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:49:17 GMT

Please join the Microsoft Scotland Healthcare team to better understand our areas of focus and how by working closer together Microsoft and our Partners can deliver Health specific solutions successfully and profitably, whilst ensuring that our Customer receives value for money offerings that have a positive effect for all concerned.

Proposed Agenda.

09.30 - Arrival and Registration

10.00 - Introduction from Derrick McCourt – Regional Director, Microsoft Scotland

10.20 - NHS Scotland, Focus areas for Microsoft in FY10

10.40 - Microsoft Healthcare Partner Programme and value to Partners

11.10 - Break

11.30 - Microsoft Health Solutions overview

12.00 - Microsoft Services offerings and value to Partners

12.15 - Customer perspective on how best to engage

12.45 - Questions and close

13.00 - Lunch and networking opportunity

Official registration will be available soon, but to reserve your place, please email Peter Askew (peter.askew@microsoft.com) with the full contact details of all proposed attendees

BPIO Platform Strategy Update & Partner Opportunity – 30th Sept, Edinburgh

jhenders01 — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:54:00 GMT

The Scotland Partner team just wanted to highlight a one day Partner workshop being run next week at the Microsoft Edinburgh offices which will be of interest to Partners looking to deliver solutions based upon the Business Productivity Infrastructure Optimisation (BPIO) stack – Microsoft Office Sharepoint Server (MOSS), Business Intelligence, Enterprise Content Management and Unified Communications.

Workshop Summary:

Microsoft offers you a tremendous opportunity to grow your business by offering Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office solutions to your customers. Partners that specialised in these solutions have experienced strong customer demand, are realising the benefits of significant investments in sales and marketing by Microsoft, and can look forward to strong cross-sell opportunities. Join Hayley Rixon and Tony Cocks Channel Development Managers at Microsoft UK for this informal, workshop-style session, which will take a look at the partner opportunity. You’ll also get to see some of the Microsoft technologies first hand, with detailed technology demonstrations.

To Register - Click Here to Register

Windows 7 Partner Training Courses – Scottish Dates

jhenders01 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:37:57 GMT

The Partner Readiness team are running a series of Partner Training courses focussed around Windows 7 over the next few months, with a Scottish date(s) for each course confirmed.

Updating Your Technology Knowledge of Microsoft Windows XP to Windows 7 – Various Dates and Locations

This two-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills to work with the new technologies in Windows 7. £100 per delegate. Click here to Register

Glasgow 14^th Sept, Leeds 21^st Sept, Wokingham 24^th Sept, London 5^th Oct, Coventry 19^th Oct, Edinburgh 5^th Nov, Wokingham 23^rd Nov, London 14^th Dec

Installing and Configuring Windows 7 Client – Various Dates and Locations

This 2 day instructor-led course is intended for IT Professional who are interested in expanding their technical knowledge of Windows 7 Client. In this course Students learn to install, upgrade and migrate to Windows7 client. Students then configure Windows7 client for network connectivity, security, maintenance and mobile computing. £100 per delegate.

This course will provide knowledge to take Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7 Configuring. Click Here to Register

London 19^th Oct, Edinburgh 28^th Oct, Altrincham 3^rd Nov, Birmingham 4^th Nov, London 9^th Nov, Edinburgh 18^th Nov, London 2^nd Dec

Windows 7 Application Compatibility Briefings for ISVs – Various Dates and Locations

This 1 Day briefing will discuss and demonstrate the remediation techniques for Windows 7 compatibility issues, the common symptoms, how to test and debug them, and best practices for developing Windows 7 applications. FREE

Click Here to Register

Manchester 3^rd Sep, Reading 7^th Sep, Edinburgh 23^rd Sept, London 29^th Sept, Reading 12^th Nov, Stockport 17^th Nov, Birmingham 26^th Nov, Edinburgh 3^rd Dec, Reading 10^th Dec, London 17^th Dec, Bristol 11^th Jan, Reading 25^th Jan, Reading 15^th Feb

Virtualisation & Management Workshop – Edinburgh – 29th Sept

jhenders01 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:11:50 GMT

One of the hot topics that customers are seeking Partner assistance on is virtualisation. The Microsoft Partner team recognise that we have a number of Partners who have well established virtualisation capabilities, however there are also a lot of Partners who would like to develop capabilities within in this area and understand what the business opportunites

The Virtualisation & Management Workshop workshop later this month, is targeted at Partners who currently have no virtualisation practice but who are interested in building one. Attendees should be the Business Decision Makers (those able to make the decisions on where their business is going over the next 12 months) and we have capacity for max 14 people.

The workshop will be held at the Microsoft Edinburgh Office, Waverley Gate, 2-4 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG, on Tuesday 29th September 2009. We would like to ask you to be there from 9.45am for a 10am start and it will run until 5pm.

http://www.bing.com/maps/#JndoZXJlMT1laDErM2VnJmJiPTkuMjMyMjQ4Nzk5NDE4NjklN2UxNi4xNDk5MDIzNDM3NSU3ZS05LjIzMjI0ODc5OTQxODY5JTdlLTE2LjEyNzkyOTY4NzU)

At this workshop we will help you to understand what is needed to develop a practice around Microsoft’s Virtualisation & Management technologies and finally help you to build this business case.

If you wish to attend, please email Paul Craft v-pcraft@microsoft.com as soon as possible and we will have confirmation details sent out to you nearer the time.

Partner BPOS Training – 3rd September, Edinburgh

jhenders01 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Given the level of interest in the new Microsoft Online Services offerings from Scottish Partners your local Partner team have arranged for a BPOS Partner Training session to be held at the Microsoft offices, Waverley Gate, Edinburgh on the 3^rd of September from 1000 – 1300. Registration will be available from 0930, and refreshments and lunch will be provided.

The session will be run by Andy Clark, the UK BPOS Sales Lead, with the session covering the following areas:

BPOS Training Agenda

· Microsoft Online Overview and Vision

· BPOS service overview

· Pricing and licensing

· Selling BPOS

· Partner opportunity

· Dealing with BPOS competitors

· Q & A

Click here to go to the Microsoft Online Services(BPOS) free trial site

Places at this event will be limited so If you would like to attend this session next week, can you confirm your attendance to – james.henderson@microsoft.com ASAP.

Andy is also available to Partner 1:1 sessions on the afternoon of 3rd Sept, to discuss in more details Partner specifics re: BPOS, and if you wish to have a 1:1 again please contact James Henderson.

Partner Training - Windows Small Business Server – 4 days – Edinburgh 31st Aug

jhenders01 — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:14:29 GMT

The Partner Readiness team have arranged for a 4 day hands-on workshop which provides Partners with the necessary knowledge to plan, implement and manage Windows Small Business Server 2008. Attendees will gain first-hand knowledge on topics such as installing, migrating, monitoring, securing and backing up data.

This course is intended for technology consultants, system integrators, and in-house technology staff that serve small and medium- sized businesses.

The subsidised costs for this training is £200 per delegate – which works out at £50 a day which is a bargain!

For more information - Implementing and Administering Windows Small Business Server 2008 (4 Days) – Edinburgh 31^st August

Technet goes Virtual – 19th June 2009

jhenders01 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:43:00 GMT

Following on from your feedback from earlier Technet events, we have announced the first ever TechNet UK Virtual Event taking place live on 19^th June. It features a dedicated IT Management auditorium, including sessions on How IT will change over the next 10 years and Growing Business and Managing Costs, as well as sessions on Windows 7 and other Microsoft technologies and product overviews from the experts.

Event title: TechNet Virtual Conference 2009

Date: June 19^th 2009

How to Register: For the full agenda and to register visit www.microsoft.com/uk/technet/govirtual)

Competition – Enter the free prize draw to win one of 500 goody bags, which is a snazzy laptop bag with some great event swag, terms and conditions apply.

The Technology sessions, selected by the readers of the UK TechNet Flash, feature key products including:

Windows 7 – Deployment and Management
Windows Server 2008 R2 – 10 Things to Make life easier for IT Pros
An Overview of Office Communication Server R2 and Office Capabilities
The trials and tribulations of Sharepoint Implementation

We are also really pleased to announce an exclusive Keynote featuring Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Technical Fellow specialising in the Windows platform.

And that’s not the only difference this year. In addition to Microsoft technology news and product overviews from the experts, the TechNet Virtual Conference will also feature a second auditorium focused on IT Management, including:

How IT will change over the next 10 years and why you should care – an exclusive session delivered at TechEd EMEA
Growing the Business and Managing Costs at Microsoft – An Insider’s View, presented by Asif Jinnah, IT Manager, Microsoft UK

Partner Academy Live dates

SmallCountry — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:43:49 GMT

Need to keep up with technology developments? Struggle to find the time?

Partner Academy is a series of 1 hour overview sessions on topical Microsoft matters, available to all Microsoft partners, and delivered over t’Internet using the wonders of Live Meeting.

The sessions are generally scheduled first thing in the morning Redmond time, meaning that they form an ideal learning opportunity towards the end of the working day in these parts. Details of all these sessions are on the PLC Catalog

The program for the next 3 months has just been announced…keep up with developments by subscribing to the newsletter here..

Coming Partner Acadamy Live sessions:

Azure:

What is Azure?

Forefront:

Building a Safer Web Surfing Experience: Preview Forefront Threat Management Gateway Beta 3

Identity:

Introducing Microsoft Code Name Geneva, a Next Generation Identity and Access Platform

Management:

Client Management Futures

Public Sector:

Connected Health - Common User Interface | Improving Patient Care Through Patient Safe and Clinician Empowered User Interfaces

SAM Webcast Series:

SAM Webcast Series: Conducting a SAM Engagement

Windows Server:

VMware Compete: Why it matters, Where we are and where we are going

Selling Business Value of Windows Server 2008 R2

What's New in Active Directory for Windows Server 2008 R2

VMware Compete: Understanding and winning in the VDI space

Windows Server 2008 Foundation - Addressing Server Needs for Small Businesses

Introducing Windows Server 2008 Foundation-New Product Overview - in Spanish

Windows 7:

Values of Windows 7 Professional + Virtual Windows XP for Partners

An Overview of the Windows Troubleshooting Platform in Windows7

Other Announcements:

Now available for download - Infrastructure Planning & Design (IPD) guide for DPM 2007 SP1

Become a System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) Partner Hero

Windows Server 2008 Foundation is coming

jhenders01 — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:58:00 GMT

Microsoft has just announced a new members of the Windows Server family - Windows Server 2008 Foundation.

This is a server aimed at small businesses of 15 users or less who do not necessarily require the whole suite of features supplied with Windows Small Business Server (SBS) or Essential Business Server (EBS). We are yet to officially launch this in the UK but you can join a Live Meeting on 30 April 2009 at 16:00 - 17:00 here.

At the end of the Live Meeting Partners will:

Be familiar with the low end Server market
Understand Windows Server 2008 Foundation
Be able to sell Windows Server 2008 Foundation in this New Market

There will also be opportunity to ask questions directly to the Corporate Product Management team.

Link: Click here to register for the Live Meeting

Citrix IForum in Edinburgh - MS Partner Discount extended to 30th April

jhenders01 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:22:00 GMT

Many of our Scottish Partners who also work with Citrix attend their annual IForum conference which is held annually in Edinburgh. This year the event is taking place on 15-17 June at the Edinburgh International Conference Center (EICC).

This year Microsoft is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the Citrix iForum 2009, and Microsoft Partners wishing to attend can take advantage of the early bird discount and a saving of £80, which has been extended until 30th April, by registering at:

http://www.citrixiforumedinburgh.com/?VOUCHER_CODE=MSFT1

Reducing costs, improving efficiencies and increasing performance is a challenge for any business…but Microsoft and Citrix can help.

Citrix and Microsoft have decades of experience working together to provide customers a range of solutions which deliver choice, flexibility and cost savings. Our joint solutions to dynamically deliver desktop service and applications to uses wherever they are is based on tight integration of Citrix solutions with Window Server 2008, Hyper-V server virtualisation and terminal services / presentation virtualisation, and with the System Center management tools especially Virtual Machine Manager.

Worldwide Partner Conference 09- Registration Now Open

jhenders01 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:11:00 GMT

Last year over 30 Scottish Partners made the trip to Houston to attend WPC 08. The general consensus was that this was a great investment of their time, and attending WPC really helped them understand Microsoft priorities for the year ahead.

This years WPC is being held in New Orleans, from July 13 - 16, and registration is now open. Previous attendees will be aware that registering early gives the best choice of hotels etc, which can avoid the need for bus transportation to the conference center, so worth thinking out if you are planning to attend.

Full information about WPC 09 is below, and how to register.

By attending Microsoft WPC 2009, Partners will gain exclusive access to the latest information and insights about upcoming Microsoft strategies, cutting-edge technologies, and programs—directly from Microsoft leadership. Partners will learn about innovative ways to harness these technologies, tools, and resources to help them capture new business, sustain customer loyalty, and grow market share. And connect with other partners to create new relationships, explore mutually beneficial opportunities, share best practices, and identify new ways to address current and future business challenges.

Here’s a few exciting reasons why you won't want to miss this year's conference:

Arrive Sunday to be a part of optional WPC events, including the Enterprise Partner Forum, MS 101 and the golf invitational.
Join Microsoft executives Steve Ballmer, Kevin Turner, and Allison Watson early Monday morning to hear about the latest Microsoft vision and insights.
Attend breakout sessions by solution area, customer segments, and business model.
Take advantage of a full day of regional sessions and events.
Experience the redesigned Expo Hall, where you can quickly find the solutions and people you want to connect with.
Gain exposure to the Microsoft executives who support your practice areas.

Also - If you have not yet applied for one of our Microsoft Awards, please do so now. The submission deadline is April 2 2009.

Learn more about the conference and register today to ensure your place.

*********************************

The Alumni promotional period and the Award submission now ends on April 9, 2009 at 11:59pm PDT.

Take Advantage of the special Alumni partner rate extension today.

If you attended WPC 08 in Houston, then the Microsoft Partner Program is offering you the special rate of *US$1,395. This reduced rate is available for partners that register before 11:59pm PDT on April 9, 2009.

ACT NOW! (*The rate will increase to US$1,795 after this promotional period.)

Resources from BPOS Partner Day - Monday 9th FEB

SmallCountry — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:47:56 GMT

Thanks to all who attended the Business Productivity Online Services session on Monday. We hope you found it an informative introduction and are now considering how the Online services opportunity.

The slides and resources from the day are downloadable here.

In addition, there is further 1 day "hands on" training event scheduled in Microsoft Edinburgh. Course 44CO107 - Implementing Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS) is free to partners, and is bookable through the UK Partner site.

Thanks to Peter King, Adam Khan for their hard work on the day. Thanks in particular to Ted Shultz who has posted a list of answers to questions raised on the day at the link above - I have included a picture of Ted in dynamic pose off duty enjoying the surf of his native California.

Devweek 2009 - March 09, London

jhenders01 — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:19:26 GMT

I know a handful of Scottish partners ventured over to Los Angeles last month for the 2008 Professional Development Conference (PDC), and found it an extremely useful investment of their time. For all the Scottish developers who did not make it, the good news is that the agenda for the Professional Developer's Day in London has now been set, and this is your opportunity to get an early preview of Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework v4.0 as unveiled at (PDC) in Los Angeles. The Early bird offer of £169 + Vat to attend the event ends 12 December 2008.

This event will be delivering lots of code and lots of demos using the very latest technologies from Microsoft, including samples and more for attendees to take away. With so much new technology to choose from the event is split into 10 self-contained sessions, each digging surprisingly deeply into what we believe are the most relevant changes in the .NET Framework and Visual Studio. The goal of the event is to ensure attendees finish the day able to identify which technologies will help them deliver better solutions in the future and hence focus their own research time in the right areas. And to add to the fun, we’ll be showcasing a range of ‘after hours’ technologies in the Expo area, including XNA, robotics, and Photosynth.

The Microsoft Professional Developers’ Day takes place on Monday 23 March at The Barbican and forms part of the DevWeek 2009 pre-conference sessions. You can choose to attend just the PDD or you may also register for all or part of the DevWeek 2009 conference.

Agenda:

09:30 – 09:45 Introduction

09:45 – 10:15 The New IDE and CLR Changes Mike Ormond

10:15 – 10:45 C# 4 and VB10 Language Changes Mike Taulty

10:45 – 11:15 Break

11:15 – 11:45 Parallel Extensions to the .NET Framework Eric Nelson

11:45 – 12:15 ASP.Net and Web Development Mike Ormond

12:15 – 13:15 Lunch

13:15 – 13:45 Windows Presentation Foundation Mike Taulty

13:45 – 14.15 Office Development Mike Ormond

14:15 – 14:45 Workflow Foundation V4 Eric Nelson

14:45 – 15:15 Break

15:15 – 15:45 Windows Communication Foundation V4 Mike Taulty

15:45 – 16:15 ADO.Net Entity Framework V2 Eric Nelson

16:15 – 16:45 Visual Studio Team System “Rosario” TBC

16:45 – 17:15 Close

For full details and to register for PDD please visit www.devweek.com/pdd/