Launch Central for U.S. Partners

On November 18, the availability of Office 2010 betas was announced at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC09), and soon after that, we updated the U.S. partner portal home page to provide you with links to the betas as well as to other partner resources for Office 2010.

The betas give you the opportunity to experience the Microsoft Office 2010 suites, Microsoft Project 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010, and Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for yourself, and to give us feedback about how you think we can refine the products before they are released to manufacturing. Your input helped us make Windows 7 a great product, and we hope you’ll continue to help us deliver the best possible experience to our customers (which includes you) with our Office 2010 products.

After you’ve downloaded the betas, take a moment to become a fan of the Microsoft Office 2010 Partner Challenge on Facebook. The Challenge is a fun way for you to test your knowledge of Microsoft Office 2010, take on other Microsoft partners, and get a chance to win some great giveaways. Along the way, we’ll also keep you informed about the partner resources, such as training, sales and marketing materials, and more as we move towards the launch in 2010.

Resources

• 2010 Partner Beta Center: https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40124112
• Partner Opportunities and Information: https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40113273 (hint: like the content here or have a suggestion about what else we should include? Click the feedback link at the bottom of the page; it’s anonymous and helps us make the partner experience better!)
• Office 2010 Sales Training on the Learning Plan Tool: http://www.microsoftlearningplans.com/PackageDetails.aspx?packageId=464

Enjoy the betas!

The Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) has been in market for several months now, so it might seem strange to talk about it in the Launch Central blog. But we think many partners still don’t know about the great business opportunity you have with Microsoft Online Services, and I’d like to highlight some resources and information that can help.

• BPOS Reloaded Multi-City Tour. There’s still time to attend one of these live 2.5-hour events, which are offered at no cost to Microsoft Partner Network members.  Read what the U.S. Partner Learning team said about these in their blog. Their post includes the list of cities (events are coming up in TX, KS, OH, IL, FL, GA, MI, NJ, PA, DC).
• U.S. Online Services Events, Training & Offers. This partner portal page is comprehensive, and lists in-person and virtual courses, partner offers and incentives.
• Up to 250 BPOS Internal-Use Licenses for BPOS Resellers.  You can’t sell what you don’t know. Enroll to resell Microsoft Online Services, and qualify for internal-use license benefits.
• Microsoft Online Services RSS Feed. Stay on top of the partner resources and information about Microsoft Online Services.

Looking for a particular resource about Microsoft Online Services or BPOS and nothing above fits the bill?  Send us an e-mail at grpvine@microsoft.com or direct a tweet to @msuspartner.

Windows Azure is the Microsoft operating system in the cloud. Azure is a whole new way for Microsoft partners, including Systems Integrators, ISVs, and Web Developers, to offer a wide range of Internet services that can be accessed from both on-premises environments and the Internet.

Here are some recommendations for you to explore the Windows Azure Platform services:

• Windows Azure Platform on the Microsoft partner portal: https://partner.microsoft.com/US/productssolutions/psazure
• Sign up for your own Azure account under the no-cost Community Technology Preview (CTP): http://www.microsoft.com/azure/register.mspx
• Visit the Azure Partner Quickstart community, The Hub: http://hub.digitalwpc.com/WindowsAzure
• Watch video presentations about Azure: http://msdev.com/Directory/SearchResults.aspx?keyword=azure 

Want to experience Windows Azure firsthand? We’ve created a simple step-by-step document that will guide you through creating and uploading your own "Hello, World" Azure application on a single Web page. The whole process takes only 45 minutes. Register for the Community Technology Preview, then go through the tutorial at http://www.msdev.com/Directory/Description.aspx?eventId=1550, presented by Tony Bailey.

Attendees at this year’s Professional Developers Conference in November will have the opportunity to go deep on Azure and leave the Conference ready to go beyond “Hello, World”.  Visit the PDC 2009 site at http://microsoftpdc.com/.

Starting next Friday, October 2, U.S. partners have the opportunity to attend the Windows 7 Loadfest In-Person Learning. The cost is just $49, and you'll walk away with:

• Your own copy of Windows 7, installed on your PC
• Materials that you can use to host your own Windows 7 Launch event for your company and customers

Windows 7 opens new development, sales, and services opportunities for your business. At the Loadfest, we will start by installing Windows 7 onto your PC (see minimum requirements below and when you register). We will run through some of the key improvements that have been made from the user perspective and explore the new features in Windows 7, to better manage computers in the corporate environment.

Ready to Register?

Cities Featuring Windows 7 Partner Loadfest Events

System Requirements

Make sure your desktop or laptop meets these minimum requirements:

•          1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor

•          1 GB of system memory

•          16 GB of available disk space

•          Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)

•          DVD-R/W Drive

You are invited to attend a seminar to learn why and how to sell Microsoft Online Services suite of services. This 100-level seminar is designed for Microsoft partners interested in understanding more about Microsoft Online Services and the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS).

In this 2 ½ hour seminar, you will learn how the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) fits into Microsoft’s Software-plus-
Services cloud computing vision and see the products in action, plus:

• ­ Understand how you can profit by becoming a BPOS reseller;

• ­ Discover how to target customer traits and handle their objections.

Register today to attend this seminar in a city near you, with dates throughout October and into November. Once you have signed in to the Partner Learning Center, choose the “Register” button in the top left hand corner to view all cities and dates. All seminars are hosted at a Microsoft facility and run from 1:30pm to 4:00pm. You may have the chance to win a great prize for attending!

The Windows 7 Loadfests are your opportunity to install Windows 7 on your own PC (registered attendees receive a free copy of the RTM version, before the General Availability date), plus learn about the improvements made for increased usability and better management in a corporate environment. You'll walk away with presentations on the Windows 7 business value as well as all the materials needed to host your very own Windows 7 Launch event for your company or customers.

Register today for the Loadfest nearest you; be sure to read the Important Notes and System Requirements information.

Microsoft reached a significant milestone today in delivering Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 as Steven Sinofsky, President of the Windows Division, signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (RTM).  General Availability (GA) to all customers is October 22, 2009. In preparation for GA:

• OEM partners can now begin testing and building PCs
• Software development partners can test their applications
• IHVs can perform final testing on their new hardware

Read more about when Microsoft partners will have access to the Windows 7 RTM on the Windows Team Blog.

On September 1, Windows 7 will be on the price list and partners can begin to sell Windows 7 via Open and Select Volume Licensing Programs. Volume Licensing (VL) customers with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 7, via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC).  Volume License customers without a SA license will be able to purchase Windows 7 through Volume Licensing starting September 1.

Visit the Microsoft Partner Network portal for information about how to prepare for Windows 7 General Availability on October 22.

In today's The Learning Curve newsletter, our training-focused communication to U.S. members of the Microsoft Partner Program, we included some tasty information about Windows 7, in preparation for the Release Candidate, which will be available on 4/30 to TechNet and MSDN subscribers and broadly available on May 5, per the Windows 7 Team Blog.  Here are some other things you can do to prepare:

• May 7 - Attend our Virtual Partner Readiness Day. At this free virtual event, partners will have the opportunity to learn about Windows 7 from Microsoft executives and product experts and can take advantage of the readiness and marketing tools available to help prepare them for Windows 7 business opportunities. Register to attend on the Partner Learning Center.

• Windows 7 Training Opportunities

• Featured Training Partnercast: Windows 7 in 7 Minutes -- Enterprise Demo (Sales, 7 minutes) Partnercast: Desktop Optimization and Windows Vista (Sales, 11 minutes) The Road to Windows 7: Part 1 (Sales, 1 hour) The Road to Windows 7: Part 2 (Sales, 1 hour) Windows 7: Application Compatibility (Technical, 1 hour) Find more training on Windows 7 on the U.S. Learning Plan Tool: Windows 7 Sales Training and Windows 7 Technical Training.

In preparation for the upcoming launch of Windows Internet Explorer 8 (currently available as a release candidate, downloadable at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/beta/worldwide-sites.aspx), we are encouraging Microsoft partners to help ensure that their websites, and those of their customers, are IE8-compatible. Unlike previous versions of the Microsoft web browser, IE8 renders content to be standards-compliant. This means that web pages will be displayed in Internet Explorer 8's standards mode by default. Why? The decision was driven by our Interoperability Principles and our desire to help developers by allowing them to write one set of code to run on all platforms. Read more about Microsoft Interoperability at http://www.microsoft.com/interop/approach/default.aspx. 

What are we asking you to do? Please take a moment to check your own website for compatibility with IE8. If you have a few more moments, look at your customers' websites to see if they are compatible. If not compatible, here are a couple of courses of recommended action:

Preferred: Revise site content to support the standards-compliant default view for web pages in Internet Explorer 8. Visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc817575.aspx and read the guidance, "Standards by Default: What Does It Mean?".

Alternative: Tell Internet Explorer 8 to display your site in Internet Explorer 7 mode. Visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc817570.aspx and follow the guidance, "How Do I Fix My Site Today?".

To make it easy to find this information, we've updated the U.S. partner portal page for Internet Explorer to include a link about website compatibility: https://partner.microsoft.com/US/productssolutions/psinternetexplorer.

Cheers,

Diane Golshan, Sr. Marketing Manager, U.S. Partner Team

Yesterday I touted our refreshed Ready-to-Go Campaigns, "First Server, Right Server" and "Security and Reliability", which now include materials for SBS, EBS, and Windows Vista. This morning I got an e-mail from the marketing manager here in the US Partner Group who shepherded the changes to these campaigns, and he told me about this great offer available through December 31.

For every US$1 you invest (up to US$400) in one of these two Ready-to-Go Campaign, receive US$2 in matching funds. This means that for a $400 investment on your part, you can have a marketing budget of US$1,200 to help you:

• Pull a prospect list of new contacts for mailings and telesales;
• Send a customized postcard of business letter with your company logo and text;
• Print flyers to pass out during your event;
• Any and all of the above!

Full details and official rules are available from either of the eligible campaigns: http://www.mspartnerdirect.com/fsrs (First Server, Right Server) or http://www.mspartnerdirect.com/secrel (Security and Reliability).  You will need to Sign In with Windows Live ID to access our Ready-to-Go Campaigns.

Cheers,

Diane Golshan

Sr. Marketing Manager, Microsoft US Partner Group

Our "First Server, Right Server" and "Security and Reliability" Ready-to-Go Campaigns now include messaging for both our Windows Essential Server Solutions family as well as for Windows Vista.  With the launch of Windows Small Business Server 2008 (SBS) and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 (EBS) last month, these campaigns were refreshed and you now have a comprehensive set of materials to help you market and sell these solutions.

If you're already familiar with our Ready-to-Go Campaigns, go to http://www.mspartnerdirect.com/fsrs (First Server, Right Server) or http://www.mspartnerdirect.com/secrel (Security and Reliability) and check out what's new.  You may need to Sign In with your Windows Live ID for access.

If you aren't familiar with our Ready-to-Go Campaigns, visit the Sales and Marketing tab of the Microsoft US partner portal at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/salesmarketingsection to read more about them. 

Cheers,

Diane Golshan

Sr. Marketing Manager, Microsoft US Partner Group

The Windows Essential Server Solutions launch event website is now live at www.thedreamserver.com.  Comprising Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 (for mid-size customers), implementing Windows Essential Server Solutions can help you secure your position as a trusted advisor by helping your customers reduce costs and increase productivity by streamlining their IT infrastructure. Invite your customers and prospects to the Windows Essential Server Solutions launch webcast--we are offering you materials for download at https://partner.microsoft.com/40082139 (guidance) and https://partner.microsoft.com/40082316 (invitation e-mail template).

Visit our Windows Essential Server Solutions page for partners at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/salesmarketingsection/smcampaigns/40080617, and see our information about offering your customers "sneak peeks" of these solutions at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40079924?PS=95000124. 

Cheers,

Diane Golshan, Sr. Marketing Manager, Microsoft US Partner Group

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/cc984277.aspx

At a recent team offsite, I was thrilled to see the words "Launch Central" in a slide presented to us by a partner of the resources he considered to be critical for his company's success. A colleague and I came up with the Launch Central idea almost three years ago in preparation for the launch extravaganza of Vista, Office, and Exchange.  We wanted to create a memorable phrase that we could use on the partner portal and in our newsletters; I added the blog a few months ago as yet another touchpoint. Today, it's become second nature for people to ask how to add information about their launch so that partners are aware of the resources. 

Lately, though, I feel like we aren't quite toeing the line in utilizing Launch Central as well as we can. Sure, we have information about Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) and Windows Essential Server Solutions, both families of products launching later this year.  We have retained the information about our Unified Communications Launch and our recent "Heroes Happen Here" launch of Windows Server 2008, SLQ Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008.  We have content in our Monday morning partner newsletters and in this blog.  But it still feels like we may not be meeting your needs for staying informed, aware, and active when it comes to our product launches.

I'd like to ask your advice. If Launch Central were yours to maintain, and you just wanted to keep the information flowing through the partner portal via the home page (https://partner.microsoft.com/us), Launch Central page, newsletters, and blog, what would your game plan be?  What's missing that you'd like to see?  Are there other vehicles or efforts you'd leverage?  You are welcome to post your comments on this blog, or you can send me e-mail through the blog.  If you want to be truly anonymous, you can use our Rate This Page functionality on the Launch Central page (https://partner.microsoft.com/US/salesmarketingsection/smcampaigns/launchcentral) and tell us your thoughts there.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Diane Golshan, Sr. Marketing Manager, US Partner Group

I just received an e-mail from our West Region Solutions Specialist for CRM Online, which we just launched a few months ago. Response has been great, but we've had a lot of questions from partners about how they can obtain licenses for CRM Online for their internal use. So now, do we have a deal for you! 

http://offers.crmchoice.com/crmforpartners

Eligible members of the Microsoft Partner Program may obtain licenses for CRM Online for just $19 per seat.  "Eligible" includes Microsoft Gold Certified and Certified Partners, Small Business Specialist Community members, and CRM Software Advisors (learn more about CSA at https://partner.microsoft.com/US/productssolutions/dynamics/microsoftdynamicscrm/400126630.  Refer to the link above for full details about eligibility and how to sign up. 

Cheers,

Diane Golshan, Sr. Marketing Manager, US Partner Group