As you may have read, we officially launched Exchange 2010 today!
What’s great to see is that not only are we talking about the features and benefits of the new product, of which there are many, but we are also talking about the different delivery options available to customers. That means a lot of airtime for Online Services and as the other Wave 14 / product launches occur I am sure the delivery message will be a consistent theme.
Old news you might say, but when speaking to partners, I would always try to encourage you to take advantage of Microsoft launches. I think its more sensible to talk about the technology and then the delivery choices than to just focus in on Online Services. It increases your chances of appealing to as many prospects as possible and for those of you who want to have both OnPrem and hosted customers, its not filtering people out before you get a chance to speak to them.
IT Pros and business decisions makers will be hearing about Exchange 2010 and will want to know more - running seminars, Live Meetings or customers briefings are great way to build credibility with customers and prospects – even if they don’t buy from you there and then :)
There is a lot of content out there on Exchange 2010, for example at www.microsoft.com/uc but there are a couple of resources that are available that I wanted to highlight:
Joint “Launch-in-a-Box” now Available for Partners!
The Joint “Launch in a Box” (LiaB) for partners is a comprehensive set of content and guidance that enables partners to hold local launch event for Microsoft’s new product releases including Exchange Server 2010, Windows Client, and Windows Server 2008 R2. The LiaB includes:
· Breakout session presentation decks
· Demand generation marketing materials
· Demo environment and description
· Reference for additional partner resources
I would encourage you to download the LiaB from the Partner Marketing Centre (PMC), ride the “New Efficiency” * marketing wave of the joint Microsoft product launch and create new business opportunities by running local launch events with customers.
* If you haven’t seen it yet, have a look at the New Efficiency website too – its one of our primary campaigns based around some of our current key launches.
In addition there is great content on the Exchange launch site, available in the booth area of the Virtual Launch Experience. The content includes: key note speakers, customer case study videos, five top customer case studies along with a guide outlining all new case studies, a demo on Exchange 2010 Web Services and an Exchange 2010 Overview whitepaper.