In The Know - Charles Van Heusen's Weblog

The Big Easy Offer is Back!

The Big Easy Offer 2.0

Partner feedback about the original “The Big Easy Offer” that ended in June 2008 was so positive that we are pleased to announce “The Big Easy Offer 2.0”. The Big Easy Offer 2.0 covers most of the core Microsoft products and solutions you sell to your small and midsize customers. When your customers make a qualifying purchase they will receive partner subsidy dollars to be used toward purchasing more products and services for a more complete solution.

Please read on for the details of The Big Easy Offer 2.0 for partners. When talking to your customers about this offer, please refer to the information on our Microsoft Incentives site at http://www.MicrosoftIncentives.com/bigeasy.

Promotion Dates:

August 25, 2008 through December 31, 2008

Target Customer Audiences:

Small and midsize organizations, both commercial and government

Products Included:

• Designer and Developer Tools (Microsoft Expression, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Visual Studio Team)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM
• Microsoft Exchange Server
• Microsoft Forefront Security Products (ISA Server, Forefront Security for Exchange, Forefront Security for SharePoint)
• Microsoft Office Communications Server
• Microsoft Office System (Small Business, Professional Plus, Enterprise)
• Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Microsoft Systems Center (Configuration Manager, Essentials)
• Microsoft Windows Server System (Windows Server, Small Business Server)

Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs and License Agreement Types:

This promotion is available for the following Volume Licensing programs and license agreement types:

• Open License: Corporate and Government (specific products)

• Open Value: Corporate

Software Maintenance Options:

Software Assurance is required for this promotion.

Microsoft Software Assurance for Volume Licensing provides upgrades, new versions of software, and technical support to customers. Software Assurance benefits vary with each Volume Licensing program. In addition, server licenses come with benefits that are different from those for desktop licenses.

Customer Eligibility Requirements:

Customers must make a qualifying purchase as defined in the offer Terms and Conditions, which are available at http://www.microsoftincentives.com/bigeasy.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 Released To Manufacturer Today!

If you have heard the good news by now, well here it is!   The Gold Code is on its way to Manufacturers to start burning to those precious DVDs and CDs!

On August 21^st, Windows® Small Business Server 2008 was released to manufacturing (RTM) so now is a great time to get ready to sell the newest release of this award-winning productivity suite for small businesses.

Windows Small Business Server 2008 is the first suite of the Windows Essential Server Solutions family to RTM and will be followed by Windows Essential Business Server 2008 in the near future. Designed and priced specifically for small and midsize businesses, Windows Essential Server Solutions are the right choice for customers that are growing out of their peer-to-peer networks, upgrading hardware and software, migrating from older, legacy platforms, or needing to unify disparate IT infrastructure.

With Windows Small Business Server 2008 the developers have listened to your feedback and made significant changes in the technology that not only enhances the customer experience (improved Remote Web Workplace, Exchange 2007, SharePoint Services 3.0), but also provide you more opportunities make more money (Terminal Services remote solutions, building websites with Office Live, deploying Mobility solutions, etc). This is the best version of SBS for customers, and this release is Partner-Ready too!
The official product launch is November 12, 2008 so don't wait. Your first opportunity to learn more will be at the upcoming free SBS Partner Group Tour. During September we’re taking the developers on the road to fifteen cities to show you the new product and answer your questions. You don’t want to miss this one!

So get ready to take advantage of the new sales and service opportunities Windows Small Business Server 2008 will provide. For more information on:

· 30+ Technical Webcasts (virtualization, migration, terminal services, etc)

· Demos highlighting key enhancements

· Sales & marketing resources

Simply visit the Windows Small Business Server 2008 Partner Portal to get started today.

Designed for small businesses with up to 50 employees, Windows Small Business Server 2008 is an affordable, integrated server solution that helps protect business data and increase productivity. With features like e-mail, Internet connectivity, internal Web sites, remote access, support for mobile devices, file and printer sharing, backup, and restore, Small Business Server 2008 gives customers the tools they need to help grow their businesses. Learn more

Designed for midsize businesses with 50 to 250 employees, Windows Essential Business Server 2008 combines software for management, messaging, and security features into one integrated affordable server solution designed to dramatically reduce IT complexity and improve efficiency across the business, putting IT in control. It’s the perfect combination for midsize businesses wanting to run an enterprise-class network without the complexities associated with an enterprise-class network. Learn more

Help protect your PC from viruses, spyware, and future threats at www.microsoft.com/protect

SBS2008 Licensing change! Premium Edition will contain a full version of Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition!

This is some great news coming out of the product team that is worth sharing.   

Today, we closed on a change to the POR for Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition:

Instead of including Windows Server 2008 “Small Business” Edition,  SBS Premium now includes Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition.

We will be shipping the exact ISOs that Windows Server RTM’ed.  The only noticeable difference to the end customer will be the label that’s printed on the disc itself as part of packaging.  Additionally, Standard Edition does not contain technical enforcement that requires the 2^nd server to be joined to the SBS domain;  However, the customer will still legally be required to join the server to the domain as part of the EULA. 

This is a great thing for the SBS ecosystem:  it makes our end customers scenarios around virtualization and app compat stronger, and it’s also a big win from a long-term engineering strategy.

This change is driving the following changes into the product --  all are in progress and will not affect our RTM date.

- The core EULA displayed in SBS Server #1 is changing (that’s going into tonight’s build)

- We will be adding a paper copy of the EULA into Premium box (that happens during manufacturing)

- The Product Use Rights (PUR) agreement is changing (kicked off this morning; will be complete before the PUR goes live).

As more news filters down, I'll make sure I pass it along....

Charles

TS2 August Event Line up!

TS2 is excited to launch a new series of events in August that are focused on getting Partners prepared to sell Microsoft solutions. Overall, we will be hosting 40 of our “traditional” events as well as 4 “Technology Week” pilot events (Dates an locations to be announced shortly). For those coming up in August, see below to register and attend the event!

Partners – Attend a TS2 event!

Join us at the next TS2 event in your area, where we will focus on exciting Microsoft technologies that will broaden your portfolio of customer offerings and boost your ongoing revenues.

Our TS2 team will discuss solutions to help you promote the following products:

·         Windows Server 2008

·         Small Business Server 2008 & Essential Business Server 2008

·         Response Point VoIP Phone System

·         Software + Services

Register now! Make sure you www.MicrosoftTS2.com to meet the team, view educational webcasts, and more!

Watch the Olympics on MSN, your Zune, Media Center PC, or Xbox!

On the eve of 08.08.08 and the excitement around the XXIX Olympiad, Microsoft and NBC Sports have teamed to deliver event coverage on a scale never seen before on the Internet, let alone on TV.  NBC and Microsoft will be streaming more than 3,500 hours of Olympics video to millions of online viewers in the United States, including LIVE coverage of every minute of competition from 25 sports. This is the largest media event ever done on the web, an unprecedented moment in the history of the Internet.  MSN is providing distribution of NBC Olympics video content --  which lives exclusively on the MSN network -- to all of our US visitors. The site itself is designed to handle more than 2.3 terabytes/second of traffic and will provide a flawless viewing experience for customers.  Silverlight 2 is the core technology behind the Olympics video player and provides the high-quality, interactive experience. The combination of this unprecedented amount of video coverage from NBC and Microsoft technology will change the way people experience live sports.

Here are all the ways you can experience the 2008 Summer Olympics from Microsoft and NBC:

· Click http://www.nbcolympics.com/video to jump right in and experience high-quality, interactive video using Silverlight.  This could even be better than being in Beijing! Get amazing, crisp HD video quality on the web that’s always optimized for your connection using Silverlight’s new adaptive streaming capability, watch up to four live streams simultaneously in the same player, and get expert commentary (hot-linked so you can go back right to the exact moment that Michael Phelps touches the wall for gold) all within a rich Silverlight application running within the browser.

· Beginning tomorrow and throughout the Games, the MSN homepage will prominently feature a dynamic Olympics module which will enable people to see results (or hide them if you don’t want any spoilers), get the latest news and see exclusive video coverage. Our partnership with NBC and the world-class editorial team in MSN will make MSN the best portal for up-to-the-minute Olympics coverage.

· Get the latest medal counts by sport or by country, or find out about all 10,000 of the athletes competing in the 2008 Summer Games using the Live Search Olympics Instant Answer

· Install the new MSN Toolbar that gives you one click access to the medal tally and many other highlights.

· Beginning August 9th, Zune Marketplace will kick off a series of daily 2008 Olympic Games videos from NBC Sports, giving viewers special on-the-go access to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. For approximately 99 cents–$1.99 per episode (with post-Games content TBD), footage will include memorable highlights from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, “best of” compilations, “best match” replays and a post-Games wrap-up feature. Users will be able to download each episode onto their Zune device for viewing whenever and wherever they go.

Additionally, XBOX users will be able to purchase and download a daily wrap-up of the day’s events from NBC Sports, with a complete wrap-up at the end of the Games. And as you saw earlier today, from Windows Media Center, head for NBC Olympics On the Go service in the Online Media strip.

This was a strong cross-company effort, with many people and teams working together to make Microsoft’s and NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games a reality.  For a behind-the-scenes look at what was involved, check out the Olympics channel on onTen and CNET’s take here, along with press coverage of Microsoft’s participation in the Games, including yesterday’s Seattle Times and today’s Seattle P-I.

Check it out, tell your friends & enjoy.

Aastra Response Point Solution - It's Here and there is a Discount for Partner Kits!

Aastra Response Point Discount Demo Program for VARs Announced

To promote the launch of Aastra's Response Point solution AastraLink RP, and provide you with a system to help you and your customers become more familiar with our product, Aastra is offering special first come, first serve limited quantity pricing of an AastraLink RP™ Startup Bundle kit through our distributor, Wesbell Technologies.

The startup bundle consists of:

Regular Price:

• 1 AastraLink RP 500 Base Unit
• 1 AastraLink RP 540 Gateway
• 1 Aastra 6751i RP Entry Level Phone
• 1 Aastra 6753i RP Full Featured Phone
• 1 Aastra 6757i CT RP Advanced Feature Phone with Cordless Handset

$ 2,399.00 MSRP

Aastra is offering this startup bundle for a price of $1,399.00, a savings of $1,000.00 over regular MSRP pricing! This is a great opportunity to obtain a demo system to help you in your sales efforts!
This offer is available to resellers whom have completed their application to become an authorized AastraLink RP™ Reseller and signed and returned the Terms and Conditions package from Aastra. If you have not yet joined the program, please visit www.aastralinkrp.com and click on "How to become an AastraLink RP VAR Partner" to submit an online application form.
Contact Wesbell Technologies at www.wesbell.com/responsepoint to set up your account and place your order today.

If you have any questions, or require further information, please contact Aastra (905-760-4165) or Wesbell Technologies (1-888-937-2355).

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