December 2008 - Posts
From Microsoft Presspass. Great read!
Happy Holidays!
Mike
"Q&A: Tony Scott, Microsoft Chief Information Officer, says smart IT decisions can help a business cut costs now, prepare it for recovery
REDMOND, Wash, (Nov. 7, 2008) - During the past few months, astonishing changes have shaken the global economy. The world has witnessed the bankruptcy of financial stalwarts such as Lehman Brothers, and the forced takeover of Washington Mutual in the biggest bank failure in U.S. history. In the midst of all this, stock markets around the world have gyrated wildly and governments have taken unprecedented steps to loosen frozen capital markets. Consumers have taken note of this turmoil, and have reacted by reducing spending on cars, retail items, dining out and more.
Tony Scott, Microsoft Chief Information Officer
Clearly, this is a time when business leaders must demonstrate some caution and savvy business acumen. Yet, it’s also important to maintain business momentum. Microsoft Chief Information Officer Tony Scott believes that innovative technology can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve business ability to respond to changing business conditions. Microsoft uses an array of technology tools to achieve those goals, enabling growth even in this challenging economic environment.
To learn more about how technology can help companies navigate a stormy economy, PressPass recently spoke with Scott:
PressPass: We are clearly in uncertain economic times. What do CIOs say to you about this?
Tony Scott: Most fall into two camps – their glass is half full or half empty. There are those CIOs who are kind of fearful. But the more exciting conversations are with those CIOs and business owners who say, now is the time for us to figure out what it means. The companies that emerge at the end of an economic downturn are those that made great decisions. In good times it can be difficult to get somebody to focus on some of the opportunities that we have. Now, it’s a much easier conversation. Taking money invested in operations and putting into new capabilities. CIOs and companies are using this as a time to make dramatic and focused changes in their businesses. Some of the best innovations came out of critical thinking during an economic downturn. So for us to be leaders and point the way is really important.
PressPass: How can technology help businesses weather current conditions?
Scott: It falls in the area of responsiveness and the ability to adapt to business change. For instance, I think we could make IT more dynamic with virtualization technology. In our own space, we've gone from eight percent to 25 percent in terms of virtualization in our data centers in just a year. Next year, we think we plan to achieve 50 percent virtualization. It has been great for us in terms of agility and flexibility that we have. So far the savings top $10 million. And today it takes only four people to manage the group’s 3,500 servers.
PressPass: What else can a company do?
Scott: Take the collaboration space. It’s all about making business decisions faster and more efficiently. In this economic climate in particular, where folks are going to be asked to cut travel budgets using collaborative technologies will enable faster decision making…not waiting for people to go somewhere on a plane.
Here at Microsoft, we’ve deployed unified communications technology that uses software to bring voice, e-mail, instant messaging, and video conferencing together. That allows companies to replace traditional phone and voice mail systems with integrated corporate messaging, calendaring, and directories. Unified messaging is saving us $5 million each year through reduced hardware and maintenance costs. Combining phone and e-mail communications also increases productivity and decreases the administrative workload for our IT professionals.
Today’s communication systems also mean that face-to-face meetings can sometimes be replaced with “virtual” meetings. Sure, getting together with peers and partners is important, and always will be. But sometimes it’s prudent to ask if boarding a jetliner for a half-day meeting is really the best use of a company’s resources. Microsoft Australia, for instance, uses Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft RoundTable (a collaboration and conferencing device) to conduct a virtual regional meeting. That’s saved the group 160 hours in travel time, and reduced travel expenses by $18,000 AUD.
PressPass: Can these technologies do more than just save money?
Scott: Without a doubt. Technology helps companies spent more time on their businesses and less on managing basic infrastructure. A good example of how poor IT design can cost money was our own Microsoft Human Resources Web. We had more than 20 highly customized sites and applications. That created extra work managing and understanding the site. We move that content to SharePoint Server 2007, which helped us consolidate all those different sites in a single location that has a common interface. We anticipate a return on investment of more than $10 million over three years. But perhaps more importantly, it’s also easier to train people to use the new system, and they’re more productive more quickly. The site also is much easier to manage and keep current, so the people who rely on it have the most up to date information.
PressPass: People talk a lot about “business intelligence.” What’s happening on that front?
Scott: There are some really exciting things going on there. Software innovations are providing new ways to track and analyze the key variables in a complex business environment— people, material, and data—and discover hidden relationships, explore new opportunities, and uncover potential problems before they become significant issues.
For example, new analytical technologies make it possible to mine audio and video streams for relevant data that can be used to extend the power of traditional business intelligence tools. Today visualization applications can help users see patterns in complicated environments at a glance. And as computers continue to become more powerful and software more sophisticated, we’re seeing the emergence of affordable simulation solutions that can mimic complex systems—both natural and manmade—enabling companies to test theories and more accurately assess risks and opportunities without committing significant capital and employee resources.
PressPass: But isn’t this a time to focus on saving cash rather than making new investments?
Scott: Clearly, the current economic climate demands that businesses become more frugal. But there’s a danger in slashing too much from budgets. Technology isn’t only an expense – it also fosters innovation and sharpens competitiveness. Companies that continue to pursue innovation position themselves to survive difficult economic time, and really thrive when the business climate improves. What I believe is this: Companies should work to save money, but not at the expense of the future.
There is another reason why this is a particularly important time to invest in innovation. Right now, technology is revolutionizing the role that computers and computing play in our live. Just look at mobile phone – those little gadgets that fit into our pockets but have the power of a desktop from the 1990s. Just think about the way they help us stay connected and get more out of our days. And that’s just a small example, as really, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what mobile telephones can do. In the years to come technology will open the door to new experiences that connect us to each other and the things we value at work and home much more easily. For those of us in the technology business, these are very exciting times.
PressPass: It’s easy to think of a slowing economy as uniformly bad. Is that really the case?
Scott: Absolutely not. In any business cycle, up or down, not every business gains or losses ground in the same way. So many businesses still will be moving forward and making good profits.
Also, keep in mind that when times get a little tougher, that’s really an opportunity for business executives to demonstrate real leadership when it comes to improving business processes. So right now is a time when company CIOs can really show the value of technology. They can find quick wins, such as working with business units to standardize they way the execute specific tasks, such as recording sales. The can focus on new technology that delivers real cost savings and improves metrics such as customer satisfaction. And they can use this time to think strategically about the business, so when the economic climate improves their company is ready to leave competitors behind.
PressPass: A year ago businesses all were taking about “going green.” Now they’re more worried about survival. Is the green business movement dead, at least for now?
Scott: No – not at all. In fact, this is a time when businesses should accelerate any green push the have underway. It’s about being responsible from a sustainable IT perspective. Just from an architectural perspective, how we build applications is one of our big challenges going forward. As an example, we work hard to understand the total cost of applications in an organization – the cost of new development, maintenance, operations, things like. But if you get asked what the carbon footprint for that application is, few of us can accurately answer that. I think we will be asked that going forward, and we will be looking for answers.
You can read about many of our own green initiatives at Microsoft.com/environment. We’re doing everything from composting flatware in our lunchrooms to moving employees around our Redmond campus in Toyota Priuses to slashing energy use in our data centers. It’s what our customers expect of an industry leader.
PressPass: Any final thoughts?
Scott: Just this: We’re feeling many of the same pressures as our customers. We know what they’re going through, and believe we can offer some relief to cost pressures while still keeping them sharp competitively. We’ve all seen downturns, and all know they don’t last forever. What’s important is to be in the right position when the upturn comes, as it certainly will."
Big Easy Offer Boosted to Include More Savings
Customers can receive up to 20% off of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 or Office Small Business 2007 Open Business L-Only licenses acquired from December 8, 2008 to January 31, 2008. Eligible customers may also take advantage of The Big Easy Offer 2.0 before it ends on December 31 for incremental partner subsidy funds.
Sales Reps Earn Amazon Gift Cards for Open Agreements
Close any net new Microsoft Open agreements Open Value (OV), Open Value Subscription (OVS), License (L), License and Software Assurance (L&SA) with a revenue amount of $15,000 and you could get $50 in Amazon Gift Cards. Promotion runs December 1 through December 26, 2008. You can combine multiple smaller deals together to equal $15,000. Visit your Microsoft US Region page (East, Central, West) for details and terms and conditions.
Close More Deals and Get Paid Up Front with the SmartPay Promotion
Microsoft can help you close more deals and get paid up front, while building your customers’ total IT solutions. SmartPay offers customers the tools to grow their businesses without paying anything for six months. Up-sell additional services—such as installation, training, and consultancy—and third-party software and hardware. Promotion runs through June 30, 2009.
Offer Low-Cost Yet High-Performance Solutions to Your Customers
Microsoft is continuing to invest in the research and development of technologies and products that will ignite business innovation moving forward. We have assembled a list of the ways you can save customers money today by helping to guide and leverage their IT investments. Read Allison Watson’s recent letter to partners about partnering to help customers.
Close More Sales Using the Competitive Sales Assistance Team
Free sales support is available from the Competitive Sales Assistance (CSA) team. Request a call back from the CSA team to receive help winning your next platform competitive sales deal.
Are you taking advantage of these? You are letting revenue slip out of your hands if you are not!
Happy Holidays!
Mike
Microsoft can help you close more deals and get paid up front, while building your customers’ total IT solutions. SmartPay offers customers the tools to grow their businesses without paying anything for six months. Up-sell additional services—such as installation, training, and consultancy—and third-party software and hardware. Promotion runs through June 30, 2009.
Ask yourself: Am I making the most of every sales opportunity? Am I offering my customers the best possible IT solution? Embedding Microsoft Financing early in your sales process gives you the tools and resources to enable organizations of all sizes to acquire and deploy the IT solutions they need—and realize the benefits of those solutions sooner. Unlike traditional financing, Microsoft Financing covers software, services such as deployment and training, partner products, and hardware. And offering affordable and predictable payment options enables you to sell more products and services, speed the sales process, and drive greater cash flow.
Tools, Promotions, Programs to Help You Make the Sale
You do not need to be a financing expert to offer customers a financed IT solution. In fact, it is virtually seamless, when you use the wealth of Microsoft Financing tools and resources available. And current promotions from Microsoft Financing help make selling your IT solutions even easier.
Microsoft Financing programs span 15 markets, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States—with more countries to come.
“Offering Microsoft Financing makes deals happen now, rather than in 12 months’ time. This means customers get to start using the technology they need to improve their businesses a lot earlier.”
—Gene Clewett, CEO, Hands-on Systems
We Want to Hear from You
Complete a brief comment card to let us know about your experience with Microsoft Financing so that we can better assist you in the future.
https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40044593
Do your customers need help deploying and managing their security baseline for Windows and Office? Attend this Live Meeting and check out “Project Sundance” - a new Security Solution Accelerator in Beta
This new Solution Accelerator promises some great features that will help you easily configure, automatically deploy, and maintain Windows and Office security settings across your customers’ organizations. Would you like a chance to talk directly to the team developing it? Have a favorite feature in mind? The Solution Accelerators team is having a Live Meeting to get your input and feedback on this project this Wednesday December 17 from 11am – 12pm Pacific. Be sure to join us! You’ll have a chance to provide feedback that can directly influence the final version!
The Event URL for this event is:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/InviteOnly.aspx?EventID=BB-58-A0-C3-FF-FA-47-36-95-02-66-D2-6C-86-A1-73&culture=en-US
This event (as always) is by invitation only. Code below:
Invitation Code : BEA304
To add this event to your calendar click here
Add a reminder to your calendar for this event
The software-plus-services strategy brings more flexibility to your customers—and to you. It lets customers use software-as-a-service capabilities in conjunction with traditional on-premises infrastructure and software. While you benefit from recurring revenue and from cost-saving delivery models.
Software-plus-services is an industry shift that unites software-as-a-service, service-oriented development, and Web 2.0. Leverage this shift to offer your customers the power of choice, together with more flexibility than software-only or services-only approaches. What’s in it for you? New, recurring revenue streams as customers choose the blend of software and services that best scales to their specific needs.
Explore Software-plus-Services
The Business Opportunity for Partners
Explore the business opportunity and all that software-plus-services offers you—including the potential for continual revenue and the capacity to reach previously underserved market segments.
The Microsoft Portfolio of Software-plus-Services Offerings
Learn more about Microsoft offerings. A combination of on-premises software, partner-hosted offerings, and Microsoft-hosted software and services offers rich applications that can increase your profitability while offering your customers more options to match their business models.
How to Market and Sell to Your Customers
Help your customers determine which licensing model or combination of models will work best for their specific situations. Access resources to help market and sell your solutions as your customers implement their software-plus-services initiatives.
The Windows Vista Business Assurance offer is now extended until June 30, 2009. This offering gives no-charge customer support-designed to complement the support you offer as an OEM partner-to small-business customers who buy a qualifying copy of Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Business.
Help your small-business customers move to Windows Vista with confidence
With Windows Vista Small Business Assurance, we’re not simply saying your small-business customers can make the move to the Windows Vista operating system with confidence—we’re backing it up.
When your small-business customers purchase a new PC pre-installed with a qualified version of genuine Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Business through June 30, 2009, Microsoft will offer FREE customer support designed to complement your service offerings. It’s also developed to open up additional sales and service opportunities by:
- Generating demand for Windows Vista. Microsoft is supporting this initiative with a significant marketing campaign designed to help drive small-business customers to local OEM partners like you.
- Adding value to Windows Vista. Free Microsoft transition support, in addition to your support offerings, can give your small-business customers the extra assurance they need to purchase new PCs preinstalled with genuine Windows Vista.
How the program works
When your small business customers purchase a PC pre-installed with qualifying Windows Vista, they will receive free phone support directly from Microsoft. If your customer faces any technical issues, they can rest assure they have you and Microsoft to support them.
What kinds of inquiries should partners continue handling directly?
- Hardware upgrades
- Downgrades on systems with no OEM-tested Windows XP Recovery Media
- Assistance with Windows XP, Windows Vista Home Premium, or Windows Vista Home Basic
- Free software or devices that came with the PC
What kinds of inquiries should be referred to Microsoft?
- Windows Vista feature education
- Hardware, device, and software compatibility inquiries
- Windows Vista configuration assistance
Which of my small-business customers are eligible?
Customers must meet each of the following requirements to be eligible for the Windows Vista Small Business Assurance:
- Businesses with fewer than 25 PCs
- Between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009:
- Purchase in the same transaction a PC pre-installed with some version of Windows Vista and a full-packaged product upgrade of Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate; or
- Purchase a PC pre-installed with Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Business.
- Businesses located in the United States
What should I tell my customers?
- Small-business customers need to know that they can move to Windows Vista quickly and easily.
- Microsoft listened to the concerns of small businesses. They want technology that fits their budget, meets the needs of their business, and is easy to implement. This new initiative offers customers additional support and one-on-one coaching to help ensure that each of those needs are met.
Where should I direct my customers?
Direct your customers to our Windows Vista Support Site.
Spread the word to your small-business customers!
Take advantage of our ready-to-use marketing materials and inform your small-business customers about the service offering that comes with the purchase of PCs pre-installed with Windows Vista.
To Partner Marketing Materials: These materials have been created with you in mind. They will help you get acquainted with the program and enable you to better articulate the value to your small-business customers.
Through Partner Marketing Materials: Use these materials to communicate directly with your small-business customers. They clearly communicate the value of the program.
Downgrade Rights
Downgrade rights refer to the ability of your customers to acquire the most recent version of Microsoft operating system software but continue to run a previous version until they are ready to move to the new one.
The OEM versions of Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate include downgrade rights to Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
Customers are not permitted to downgrade to Windows 2000 Professional from Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate.
Learn more about Windows Vista downgrade rights.
From now until December 31, Microsoft will reward your customers who purchase qualifying Microsoft Office system and server products. They'll receive partner subsidy funds, which can be used on future purchases from your company. Visit www.bigeasyoemredemption.com.