In true Web 2.0 style I thought I’d turn to Wikipedia to see what they say on the subject. Quite a lot as it happens. One of our own guru’s at Microsoft, Director of Emerging Technologies – Gurprit Singh – says that Web 2.0 “refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web, made possible by XML, web services APIs, AJAX, RSS and other related technologies that enable a richer client experience primarily via a browser”. Gurprit presented at the recent MediaTech event which showcased some innovative solutions built on disruptive technologies.

One of Gurprit's team told me to check out the J K Rowling site built by Lightmaker as an example of a 'next gen' website utilizing some of the very latest Microsoft technology.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) represents a fundamental shift in the software market – from the delivery of products to the delivery of services. As a go-to-market business model, SaaS is already well established and IDC forecasts that its use will grow significantly over the next four years (over 20% CAGR to be worth $11bn worldwide by 2009 in fact). This very rapid growth is being driven “by a combination of strong end-user demand and software provider competitive positioning”. Download the recent IDC paper on the SaaS opportunity for partners here

“Live” is the Microsoft brand for our online service offerings which include Windows Live (e.g. live.com, messenger.live.com, mail.live.com and more) and Office Live (allowing small businesses create a professional online presence without the expense of IT).

Our software developer partners are already building solutions on top of Office Live to add greater functionality and relevance to customers. Check out the offering from Nitrosell.

Another partner doing some cool stuff is AWS - as their recent awards confirm.

Ray Ozzie, our Chief Software Architect, says the move to Software + Services represents a profound change in the way services are developed, delivered and consumed. Read more about his view of the Web 2.0 world on his blog.

At our Worldwide Partner Conference last summer, Ballmer described Windows Live as "all about using the Internet to remake the software business itself” and said Microsoft would continue to build out new services on the search, content, collaboration, communications and business services fronts. He described Live as epitomizing the "transition our industry will make in next five to ten years” and encouraged Partners to get involved.

"Don't expect impact from Live in the next year," Ballmer said [in 2006] "but now is the time to build out the (Live) platform and define the business model for how we work together." We formed a Live Partner Advisory Council of 22 members comprising 8 UK Partners. This PAC will shape how we go to market with our Partner community. Read more about Ballmer’s thoughts on Web 2.0 here

A few months ago Microsoft announced a program to help ISV’s investigate SaaS – you can read more about that and our Incubation Centre partners here – check out SaaS On Ramp which gives partners access to discounted licenses too. We’ve had a great response from UK partners.

What kind of partners are working with us? ExpressHR, Nimbus and Impaq to name a few. And not just the more established companies either - we are also helping young companies and start-ups such as Sunergeo and Zebtab.

And before you ask….we’re not just aiming to enable partners from a business strategy, technical and a licensing perspective – we are also hoping to have a direct impact on our partners' sales potential by providing new routes-to-market in partnership with companies like BT. This is all part of our Partnering for the Future vision. Get a sneak preview of the opportunity for partners here. Lots more to come on that subject in the coming weeks.