UK SBSC

I work closely with Cliff Evans who is one of our security experts at Microsoft. Recently, he was interviewed by the Guardian on our latest Security Intelligence Report. Full article from today’s paper here.

Separately, do you get enough security related info from us? Can we provide more? If so, let me know: sbscuk@microsoft.com

Hopefully you should have all received via email an update on our Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).

We’ve reduced the price and mailbox storage has now been increased from 5B to 25GB.

As of 3 November 2009, the new price structure for Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite is as follows:

If you’re not already a BPOS Authorised Reseller, check out the following:

Here’s an overview of the various Windows 7 training options which are currently available:

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. Only £50 per delegate.  Click here to Register

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.  This course will provide knowledge to take Exam 70-680 TS: Windows 7 Configuring.  Only £50 per delegate. Click Here to Register

Birmingham 4^th Nov, London 9^th Nov, Edinburgh 18^th Nov, London 2^nd Dec

In this 4-day course, partners will learn how to sell and deploy the System Center Client Management Suite to address the most common customer scenarios. Also covers Client Virtualization, Optimized Client Architecture and Planning, Operating System Deployment, Application Deployment, Management and Optimization of Win7, Management and Optimization of Applications, How System Center Service Manager implements MOF and ITIL processes. Only £150 per delegate Click Here to Register

Don’t forget that if you can’t do classroom-based training, there are also bite-sized video tutorial options as follows:

Bite-Sized Series

Windows 7 - Introducing Windows 7 - Part 1

Windows 7 - Features and Functionality - Part 2

Windows 7 - The Optimised Desktop - Part 3

Next Business and Technical School Live Meetings have just been announced via our newsletters. If of interest, please sign up.

If you have a recommendation for a topic that a future School should address, email us.

A number of partners have asked for an insight into what we’re doing to promote Windows 7 directly to SMB customers. FYI for the source of some of the collateral associated with that campaign: http://www.microsoft.com/uk/Windows7forBusiness/default.mspx

Any comments/feedback, as always do email us.

What is it?

Have you any SMB customers who have benefited from Windows 7 Professional and would be willing to participate in a Microsoft case study? What benefits have those customers experienced? Have they saved more time? Lowered operating costs? Increased reliability? Do you want to publicise your business and your work for this customer?

Are you interested? 

If so, email sbscuk@microsoft.com if your suggestion meets all of the following criteria:

· Your customer has NOT participated in the Ignite early adoption program

· You have deployed more than 10 PCs with Windows 7 Professional in their business

· The customer must be a small Business with 10-25 PCs or are a midsize business with 26-250 PCs

· The customer must be willing to fully participate in the case study process

Unfortunately not all suggestions can be progressed but please email a short description of your customer example by the end of November. If it is to be progressed, we will be in contact to confirm.

Don’t forget that tomorrow we have the first of our Business School sessions, an initiative which SBSC PAL, Andy Trish is leading – if it’s of interest and you have the time, do listen in please.  Reminder as follows:

Business School Live Meetings: how to create and keep new customer relationships

Business School are a series of monthly Live Meetings for our Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) and Registered partners that specialise in targeting the small to medium size business market. Each month, a business expert will provide business guidance. Taking place on 27 October at 16:30 (GMT), the first Business School, led by marketing expert Julie Simpson, will discuss how to create and keep new customer relationships.

Well it’s official – Windows 7 has launched.

Earlier this week you should have received a Windows 7 newsletter rounding up all the resources available to you as partners. But for those who are interested, the official press release announcement plus the Steve Ballmer key note from the launch event can be found here.

One resource in particular that I’d like to highlight is this excellent marketing toolkit which contains customizable e-mail templates, postcards, online banner ads, a to-customer sales presentation, and telesales script. If you haven’t already had a Windows 7 conversation with your SMB customers, then this toolkit may help.

And as always, if you can’t find what you need to help you have those Windows 7 conversations with customers, let us know and we’ll help you find it – we’re always happy to help :-).

FYI: short, new fact sheet available which provides tips on making sure that your customers are properly licensed. Download it here.

We’ve just published a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) which addresses how the Small Business Specialist designation will evolve as a result of the Microsoft Partner Network. This FAQ will be updated regularly as further detail is made available.

To review the full FAQ: see here. But in brief:

New competencies

- The Small Business Specialist designation will become two competencies in summer 2010 - the Small Business and the Medium Business Solution Provider competencies.

- The Small Business competency will be ideal for partners who focus on supplying a range of technology solutions to small business customers.

- The Medium Business Solution Provider competency will be for partners who provide solutions to medium-sized customers. It allows the existing Small Business Specialist who sell to medium-sized business to obtain the new Medium Business Solution Provider competency.

Competency requirements

-  The requirements for the new Small Business competency will be similar to those for attaining the Small Business Specialist designation today.

- In summer 2010, if your Small Business Specialist status is active and you have met all the requirements of the Small Business Specialist designation, you will automatically qualify for the new Small Business competency.

-  The full detail of the requirements for the Medium Business Solution Provider competency will be shared before the end of December 2009.

- As the new competencies will retain many of the same requirements and benefits that partners are familiar with today, the transition to the new competencies should translate into limited impact for existing Small Business Specialists. We will fully support partners through the transition period.

Logos

- As long as your Small Business Specialist status is up to date, you can continue to use the existing logo (i.e. the ‘blue badge’).

- Existing logos will be retired six months after the new logo system is available. For Small Business Specialists, this means that the current 'blue badge' logo will be retired six months after the introduction of the new competencies.

For further information, see the FAQ. And if you have a question which has not been answered by the FAQ, email it to: sbscuk@microsoft.com.

A number of partners have expressed interest in finding out more about the Microsoft Partner Apprenticeship scheme.

Short description as follows:

“The Microsoft Partner Apprenticeship was designed for and developed with Microsoft Partners to improve the capability of the partner network and add a stream of new ICT recruits, particularly for SMEs who have struggled to recruit appropriately trained staff or apprentices in the past due to the perceived barriers to entry.

The concept focuses on Partners clustering together in regional areas, which will enable you to benefit from collective recruitment and purchasing power.

The programme aims to:
• Harness the power of collaboration to reduce total costs and provide a richer learning experience for the apprentices.
• Allow Microsoft Partners (particularly SMEs) to engage in ICT apprenticeships in a way that was not previously possible
• Allow all Microsoft Partners to actively recruit the apprentices as full-time employees on day one of the apprenticeship.
• Provide an intensive learning period at the start of the programme to ensure apprentices are up-to-speed sooner than in traditional one day per week apprenticeship models.

Details of the Programme
Apprentices will participate in a 7 month apprenticeship
which will involve:
• Classroom learning at Europe’s leading Microsoft IT
Academy, Zenos
• Vocational learning whilst in the workplace
This mix of a Work Based Learning and Programme-led
apprenticeship is unique. It has been designed to offer
Partners and Apprentices a fast-track into productive
employment whilst ensuring all of the necessary technical
and business skills are learnt. This will produce flexible,
rounded individuals able to follow a number of valuable
career paths – a huge benefit to the sector as a whole.

We are recruiting both Partners and Apprentices NOW!
Register your interest by signing up to the Employer
Charter which can be found at www.microsoft.com/uk/
partner/apprenticeships. You then have two options:
1. You are looking to take on and develop your own cohort
of apprentices (i.e. more than 10 apprentices from
one intake). Contact mspa@e-skills.com to register
your interest and you will be assigned to the most
appropriate Zenos Academy.
2. You are looking to take on and develop between 1 and
9 apprentices. Contact mspa@e-skills.com and your
requirement will be matched to others by both role
specification and geography so a suitable cohort can be
assembled. e-skills UK will manage the resulting cohort.
If you require more information, we will be holding a
series of road shows across the country, details of which
are available at www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/
apprenticeships.”

Our bite-sized training concepts provides product and licensing information in short ten-minute video interviews allowing you to study whenever best suits you.

We’ve just recently updated our bite-sized training options and it now features the following topics:

• Licensing: Licensing Fundamentals; Volume Licensing to SMBs; Software Assurance
• Product : Product Fundamentals; Windows 7; WESS including EBS 2008 and SBS 2008; and Virtualisation.

Let me know what you think of this bite-sized training approach; and if you have suggestions for further bite-sized training, let me know by emailing: sbscuk@microsoft.com

Earlier this year, Andy Trish and Steve Wright  were announced as the UK SBSC Partner Area Leads (PALs) for this financial year (which for Microsoft runs from July 2009 to June 2010). Andy and Steve would like your feedback on what they can do to best support you in the year ahead. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please email Andy (Andy@nci-technologies.co.uk) and Steve (swright@bmsnet.co.uk).

On the current Windows 7 roadshow that we’re doing via the SBSC user groups, there have been a number of questions regarding migrations from a previous version of a product in the Windows Essential Server Solutions suite to a newer version.

In response, Jamie Burgess has recommended the Solution Pathway – see his blog on the subject for further info.

In recent weeks and at various partner meetings, I’ve been asked to summarise the benefits that Microsoft provides for its Small Business Specialists.

To help you to quickly identify and choose those benefits that you want to utilise, we’ve created this slightly irreverent, double-sided one-page overview, which is available to download now.

Let me know what you think by emailing: sbscuk@microsoft.com – and of course this one-pager is entirely separate of the marketing we do to promote Small Business Specialists to SMB customers.