September 2008 - Posts

Big Question – How can Microsoft better support you?
25 September 08 09:54 AM | ronaldg

This is an important opportunity for you (my blog readers, and presumably Microsoft partners) to make some fairly direct and hopefully actionable feedback on how we can improve the Microsoft partner program.  Most of my readership should already be familiar with Eric Ligman, and may well have already seen this on his blog, but if not, please “read and heed”.

-----------------------------------------[Excerpt from Eric’s blog]-------------------------------------

Big Question – How Can Microsoft Better Support You, Your Way?

At Microsoft, the relationship we have with our Partners is a top priority for us. I publish this Blog and share my thoughts and insights with you here in the hope that many of you find value in these pieces of information. But I also know that Microsoft can do more to make it easier to engage with us, to help you squeeze more efficiency out of the day, and to meet the demands of your customers…I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we are doing – and where we could improve.

To do this, I have posted a three (3) question survey asking for your input…If you could please take just a few minutes to provide us with this input, it would be most appreciated and will hopefully provide us with some better insights into how to make our relationship with all of you even stronger than it is today.

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs

and Eric’s blog is: http://blogs.msdn.com/mssmallbiz/

Windows Essential Business Server RTMs (9/18/08)
19 September 08 12:22 PM | ronaldg


Well, you saw in an earlier post that SBS 2008 RTM’d several weeks back, now EBS has also RTM’d.  As I noted in the previous post, GA (general availability) and a joint Launch (for the Windows Essential Server Solutions, which encompasses both of these products) is scheduled for Nov 12th.  And, btw, we will be discussing and showing the WESS in the upcoming SB2@TS2 series (OEM/SB focused) seminars as well as the regular TS2 events.

Just to briefly refresh, EBS is an integrated server stack (3-4 servers) designed to meet the needs of medium-size businesses. The server bundle, available in two editions, can be configured and supported by Microsoft's channel partners for companies that don’t have full time IT staff.

The Standard Edition of EBS includes Windows Server, Exchange, SQL Server, System Center Essentials, Forefront Security for Exchange and Forefront Threat Management Gateway, delivered as Management, Messaging, and Security servers, with a 4th LOB server option in the Premium Edition all managed thru a single console view.

As an interesting note, Microsoft's Forefront Threat Management Gateway has been released to manufacturing for the very first time with this EBS release. It replaces Microsoft's ISA firewall product and adds "unified threat management" capabilities. For example, the TMG solution provides network edge security that can support a company's headquarters, as well as its branch offices, according to Microsoft's Forefront TMG blog.

EBS has been almost 2 years in the making and has undergone significant testing and customer trials.  Of course, all the components are based on the latest Microsoft technology, such as Windows Server 2008, which has come out very strong. (from a quality perspective)

The EBS suite is focused on bringing enterprise-class resources to medium-size organizations with few or no IT support staff.  In that vein, it comes with best practices and enterprise-grade security built-in. And, like it’s close relative, SBS 2008, it also features fast and easy set-up and migration capabilities, as well as centralized IT administration and lot’s of integration and automation.

For those of you with customers between 50-300 computers, I think this will potentially be a compelling solution.

I’m a PC, no apologies necessary
18 September 08 06:26 PM | ronaldg

Unfortunately, as many of you are aware, we (Microsoft) have let Apple essentially define what a “PC” is via their clever commercials over the past some time.  Recently, in some of their ads that I’ve seen, they’ve gone what I call “political” and generally taken on a more negative tone and played a little loose with the facts.  Well, as some would suggest, it seems they have “woken the sleeping giant”, but actually this is less about countering Apple (I believe after all that ad campaigning, they still only enjoy single-digit market share) than it is about reminding folks what a PC really is, and can be, and why the Windows-based PC is still the overwhelming choice of the average computer user (for both business and home).  And, in fact, it IS about choice, which, incidentally, you have very little of on that other platform.

All that to say this – as you may have also already noticed, Microsoft has begun a long-term media campaign (leveraging TV, online, newspaper, outdoor, print, and other media, as well as events) to help celebrate the Windows-based PC and remind folks that it’s not really the stereotype that Apple has tried to depict in their ads.   Stay tuned and hopefully some of this will help you re-excite your customers, clients, and friends about the Windows platform.

There are two sites I want to call out…

I heard many partners at the recent WW Partner Conference mention that they thought Microsoft should be more proactive in “telling our story” to the public, and frankly, not let Apple continue to drive PC perception by being the only voice.  Well, I hope this campaign helps to reinvigorate our partners’ desktop-oriented install and upgrade business.