New Zealand ISV Blog

New Zealand Featured Startup: Secured Signing

Thiago Almeida [MSFT] — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:43:48 GMT

In the next few weeks we will be featuring promising and successful New Zealand BizSpark startups and ISVs on this blog.

This week’s featured startup is Secured Signing. Secured Signing is one of the first members to graduate from our BizSpark program, and here are more details about their secure digital signature solution and how they have used Microsoft products to implement it.

Signing provides a comprehensive and secure, web-based, digital signature service that delivers a full range of signing capabilities combining advanced user-based PKI technology and an easy-to-use, simple-to-deploy, compliant solution. Secured Signing enables its users to capture their graphical signature online, sign and seal documents, and verify them anywhere, anytime, on their desktop. By using Secured Signing, companies and organisations of all sizes are able to streamline business processes, cut back on expenses, expedite delivery cycles, improve staff efficiency, and enhance customer service. The Green technology saves paper and storage space while cutting back on power consumption and dependence on carbon-producing services.

More information available at http://www.securedsigning.com

We use the following Microsoft Products

· Windows Server 2008 R2

· Windows Server 2008 Web Edition

· SQL Server 2008

· Visual Studio 2010

· Team Foundation Server 2010

Secured Signing wouldn’t have been possible without the subsidised use of these Microsoft products. They allowed us to develop a system using the latest techniques and products that can compete on a commercial scale and make us very competitive. Having used Visual Studio for a number of years, the access to updates make developing a pleasure compared to other options.

Microsoft’s continued focus and efforts on fixing bugs and security issues gives us peace of mind by putting the Secure into Secured Signing.

We find the amount of developer support for the ASP.Net platform second to none after experiencing other platform providers support.

Our Windows based systems just keep on ticking as they should and provide us vital stability.

We love having access to the Team Foundation Server platform which makes versioning control a breeze. SQL Server along with the LINQ-SQL framework is great for development.

Stay tuned for more startups and ISVs to be featured here in the coming weeks!

Thiago Almeida
Technology Evangelist
Microsoft New Zealand
Blog | Twitter | Email

New Zealand DEMO Asia 2012 Alpha Pitch Scholarship Startup Announcement

Thiago Almeida [MSFT] — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:13:28 GMT

The BizSpark program gave startups in Asia Pacific an opportunity to be chosen to pitch at DEMO Asia 2012 in Singapore at the end of February.

The BizSpark New Zealand team would like to thank all the applicants, notably:

Startup	Description
Avancert Limited http://www.avancert.com @TeamAvancert	Avancert.com makes it easy and affordable for organizations of all sizes to undertake computer based assessment. Applications range from video recruitment right through to examinations for private pilot’s licenses. We have some of New Zealand’s largest organizations using the system, and running on Windows Azure.
Digital Retail Systems Ltd www.synaps.co.nz @DigitalRetail	Digital Retail’s Synaps solution is a powerful cloud-based business system that you can use to run your entire operation. The benefits of a having products synchronized across all channels and a central store of orders to be processed are huge. If you spend time updating products in multiple places or have to copy & paste details from one place to another, then you need to take a look at Synaps
Greenwood Online Ltd http://www.greenwood.co.nz	Greenwood Online KeepCurrent product is a multi-tenanted booking, scheduling, job management, time recording, invoicing system that has broad market appeal for small to medium size businesses across many sectors.
IPSafe Ltd http://www.ipsafe.co.nz	Imagine New Zealand exporting the perfect model for technological creativity to the entire world; a world that has been at turmoil with regard to intellectual property protection since the inception of the internet. IPSafe has designed and developed a solution that will bring all relevant stakeholders on board to maximize innovation.
TranscribeMe http://www.transcribeme.com/ @transcribeme	This startup was created at the Auckland Startup Weekend event last year. The solution converts voice to text, allowing customers to easily share and search through valuable voice recordings. The voice-to-text conversion of complex audio is done perfectly by a team of crowd-sourced expert transcribers, delivering vastly higher quality results than automated speech recognition, at a fraction of the cost of traditional transcription services. The smartphone application makes it easy, fast and affordable for our customers to record and transcribe meetings, interviews and dictation.

The chosen company from New Zealand will join 9 other BizSpark Startups from Asia Pacific to attend and deliver an Alpha Pitch on stage.

BizSpark provides its members with free software and Windows Azure access, exclusive access to events like DEMO Asia and BizSpark camps, as well as technical support, marketing visibility from Microsoft, and support through a select group of network partners. We also have several complimentary offers to BizSpark startups and partnerships with local business incubators who provide advice and support.

Interested?

Thiago Almeida
Technology Evangelist
Microsoft New Zealand
Blog | Twitter | Email

Microsoft BizSpark Sponsors Christchurch Start Up Weekend

Thiago Almeida [MSFT] — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:23 GMT

Startup Weekend has seen success with hundreds of events across the globe. Since its inception in 2008, the program has expanded to help more than 45,000 startups in 100 countries. The idea of Startup Weekend was first conceived with entrepreneurs getting together and developing a business plan and forming startups over the weekend which can be taken further after the event.

Microsoft BizSpark are delighted to support Startup Weekend in New Zealand, fostering innovation and strengthening the local technology ecosystem. Our involvement ranges from the global sponsorship to local hands-on engagement.

We were there for the Wellington Startup Weekend in November 2011, and are delighted to announce that we are a Premier Sponsor for to the upcoming Christchurch Startup Weekend, happening on 24-26 February 2012. Startup Weekend worldwide CEO Marc Nager will be attending, so come along and meet Mark and the BizSpark team during the weekend.

Microsoft are offering a limited number of Windows Phones to startups who will build their businesses around them during Startup Weekend. If you’re an interested, email Thiago Almeida, Microsoft NZ’s BizSpark Champ.

Microsoft provides great business value to young technology companies around the world through the Microsoft BizSpark programme. At no cost, the programme provides a wide range of Microsoft technology, technical and business expertise, and raised market visibility. Microsoft BizSpark celebrated its third anniversary in December.

The Startup Weekend organisers would like to thank Microsoft BizSpark and Microsoft NZ for their generous support.

NZ Hi-Tech Awards 2012: Enter Now

Thiago Almeida [MSFT] — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:19:04 GMT

This blog post is brought to you on behalf of the NZ Hi-Tech Trust.

Entries for the 2012 NZ Hi-Tech Awards close in just over six weeks. You can now enter the Hi-Tech Awards online. Register once and then choose the categories you want to enter. It is the single best opportunity in 2012 to get your business in front of some of the biggest names in the industry.

Not sure of which category to enter? Then register your interest now and we will make sure someone contacts you.

Make sure you also visit our website to find:

Why you should enter
Critical entry and event dates
Entry categories
Tips on making the most out of being an entrant, finalist and winner.

Entering also gives you the opportunity to take part in three outstanding events:

The Entrants cocktail events (to announce finalists) held simultaneously in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch on 22 March 2012.
The Gala Awards Dinner, at the SkyCity Ballroom in Auckland on 11 May 2012.
And the exclusive NZ Hi-Tech Awards Alumni Event for entrants from 2011 and 2012 only. You have to enter to be invited to this event.

If you haven't already, start your entry now – entries close 5.00pm, Monday, 5 March 2012

Note: The NZ Hi-Tech Trust is a not-for-profit organisation.
We sincerely thank and acknowledge all of our sponsors who have made this possible including:

New Zealand BizSpark Members – Pitch at DEMO Asia 2012!

Thiago Almeida [MSFT] — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:43:15 GMT

DEMO Asia, Singapore, 29 Feb – 2 March 2012

In conjunction with our partners Startup Weekend and Founder Institute, Microsoft BizSpark is offering ten startups from the APAC region scholarships to deliver a ninety-second Alpha Pitch on stage and space in the BizSpark Pavilion at DEMO Asia 2012 in Singapore (Feb 29 – March 2). This will include one lucky startup from New Zealand!

DEMO Asia is one of the most important conferences for emerging technology product launches so this is a great opportunity for one New Zealand startup to get exposure at a global level.

Recipients of the scholarship will receive…

· One exhibition kiosk in the BizSpark pavilion

· Two individual DEMO conference passes

· Video of your pitch posted on www.demo.asia

· Backstage 3-minute interview on www.demo.asia

Note: Travel and Expenses are not included in the scholarship.

To qualify for the scholarship you must be…

· Located in New Zealand (click here if you are from other countries in Asia-Pacific)

· A current member of the BizSpark Programme

· Pre-revenue stage (and have raised less than SGD$100K funding)

Note: Priority will be given to Startup Weekend and Founder Institute teams and recipients will be chosen by the BizSpark lead in each country in combination with our partners.

And the timelines are...

· Applications opened 10th January 2012

· Applications close 20th January 2012

· Recipients will be announced 30th January 2012

Already a BizSpark member? Then it’s simple, you just need to complete a simple form.

Not yet a BizSpark Member? Do you qualify?

Are you…

· Developing software?

· Privately held?

· Less than three years old?

· Making less than US $1M annually?

If so…

Are you part of one of these classes? If yes, click on the appropriate logo to apply:

If not…

Apply to BizSpark directly.

Good luck!

Thiago Almeida
Technology Evangelist
Microsoft New Zealand
Blog | Twitter | Email

We have spaces left for the ICEHOUSE and Microsoft BizSpark Innovation Academy event 20th June

NZ ISV Blog Team — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 05:23:18 GMT

If you are based in Auckland, New Zealand and are a new software startup you may be interested in attending this:

Microsoft BizSpark in association with Forbes.com World Top 10 Technology Incubator The ICEHOUSE, is running the latest in a series of day long, Innovation Academy events.

This event will give you an introduction to the knowledge, tools and contacts that you need to fast-track your start up business.

Overview:

Successful, high performing businesses have the three components of clear and effective Leadership, smart Strategy and outstanding Execution aligned and working together. In many businesses the people responsible for all three of these areas are the same person (the owner or owners).

The Innovation Academy day on Monday 20th June will focus on the Leadership component of the Hatchery Programme offered by The ICEHOUSE.

The session will cover the What, When and Why of your business so that the owner(s) can work on the right things in the right order and engage the right resources to help them achieve their goals.

Outcomes and Outputs for the Innovation Academy Attendees:

Every attendee will leave the day with:

1. A clear sense of personal aspirations, goals, and ambitions.

2. A collective and aligned view of the company goals.

3. A clear and invigorated sense of direction for the company and its shareholders.

4. Documented high-level company goals across all areas of the business that the management team needs to deliver in order for the company to achieve its goals.

5. Documented and tested priorities and measurement and role clarity for the business.

6. A personal Leadership Plan tailored to your business and your role as a leader.

7. An Action Plan for the business, a Communications Plan for the owners, and an Accountability Plan for the reporting and governance functions of the business.

Agenda:

9:30am	Introductions
9:45am	Leadership – who, what, when, why, how
10:00am	Situational Analysis
10:30am	Leadership Goals and Strategies
11:30am	Priorities, Measurement & Reporting
12:30pm	Break for lunch
1:15pm	Role Clarity
2:15pm	Creating a Leadership Plan
3:30pm	Action Plan; Communications Plan; Accountability Plan
4:30pm	Q&A
5:00pm	Close

Facilitators:

The day will be facilitated by Nick Egerton from The ICEHOUSE and Peter Wogan from Top Box Leadership. Nick and Peter established the ICE Hatchery Programme and are the foundation facilitators of the programme working with a wide range of businesses from ideas through to growing businesses.

Cost

These events are brought to you by Microsoft BizSpark and The ICEHOUSE – at no charge to you.

To register, email me by clicking this link.

TechEd New Zealand 2011

NZ ISV Blog Team — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:11:42 GMT

TechEd New Zealand 2011 will run from Wednesday 24th August until Friday 26th August, once again at SkyCity Convention Centre, Auckland.

The list of tracks is available now and we have opened the Call for Topics so you can submit a session or two that you would like to present (Terms and Conditions here).

I am going to take a couple of paragraphs to explain our TechEd conference levels (well actually I’m going to borrow a good description from Mike Hall’s Blog):

100 level (Intro level content)

No previous knowledge of this subject required
May contain roadmap and general overview of product features
May or may not contain code/demos

200 level (generally anchor and overview sessions)

Focuses on broad technology overview
Emphasises capabilities, scenarios and value
Simple code samples to make a point

300 level (generally scenario sessions)

Focuses on demonstrating how to implement a solution
Detailed code samples and architecture to show how it all fits together

400 level (generally deep technical internals sessions)

Focuses on internals, the how and why
Emphasises internal architectural considerations and decisions and how they impact real-world usage
Code samples that illustrate the behaviour of the component

Or if you prefer it in terms of chocolate, have a look at John Howard’s blog post.

Tips for successful submissions:

Write a descriptive, fun and enticing title. This should sell your session.
Target 300-400 level technical content; 100 and 200 level content is in low demand. If you say your talk is level 400 then make sure it is or be prepared for a barrage of feedback in your evaluations!
Describe content that is new, unique or significantly refreshed from a previous presentation.
Take a solution oriented approach
Ensure there is minimal marketing talk in your content
Showcase your speaking experience
Focus on currently released technologies, technologies in beta or technologies that will be released within 12 months of Tech·Ed
Include one or more live demos. Historically, sessions with strong demos receive higher audience scores
Include personal experience of using a technology (or technologies) to build a solution. This goes down well with an audience of your peers. Everyone likes to learn from other’s mistakes before having to make it themselves.

Refer to the list of tracks to find which one your proposed session will fit with, best. The Call for Topics will remain open until 31st May 2011 and then we will have our Track Owners work through the submissions to select the sessions they want.

Now get your thinking caps on and start submitting. If you have questions, use the ‘Email Blog Author’ link on the right side of the page.

Windows Azure Platform Training Kit and Windows 7 SP1

NZ ISV Blog Team — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:06:08 GMT

If you are trying to install the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit on Windows 7 Service Pack 1, make sure you have downloaded the February 2011 release of the training kit. The February release includes bug fixes to a number of labs as well as updates to the Dependency Checker to allow it to work correctly on Windows 7 Service Pack 1.

Microsoft UNPLUGGED Update March 2011

NZ ISV Blog Team — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:55:57 GMT

In a couple of weeks time we are on the road with our latest Unplugged developer and IT Pro sessions. This time round we are covering ASP.NET MVC 3, Razor, Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Azure in the developer sessions. In the IT Pro sessions Nathan will be covering Hyper-V, RemoteFX, Dynamic Memory in the recently released Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2, Office 365 and Small Business Server 2011. More details below.

MSDN UNPLUGGED: Developers Sessions (9am – 12:30pm)

Session 1: The Unnamed Package of Web Love
Session 2: Windows Azure what’s new and what’s in it for you

Come to morning Developer sessions to learning about new web technologies including ASP.NET MVC3, Razor and Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate which provide new ways of creating and consuming web content. Also, learn about the latest features of Windows Azure from the most recent update to the platform. We will also show you how you can use Windows Azure to compliment your mobile applications (Windows Phone 7 and iOS based applications) and how to synchronise data across multiple clients. More details

Level 200 for Developers, Web Developers

TechNet UNPLUGGED: IT Professional Sessions (1:30pm – 5pm)

Session 1: Deploying Hyper-V with RemoteFX & Dynamic Memory in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
Session 2: Office 365 for the IT Professional
Session 3: Migrating to Small Business Server 2011

Come to afternoon IT Professional sessions to learn about the Hyper-V introduction of Dynamic Memory and RemoteFX in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. We will also dig into the technical details behind the forthcoming Microsoft Office 365, which delivers the power of cloud productivity to businesses of all sizes. Lastly, we will cover Small Business Server 2011 installation and migration options, including migrating and upgrading SBS 2003 and SBS 2008 to the latest version SBS 2011. More details

Level 300 for IT Professionals, IT Managers

Location and Dates:

Wellington: 14 Mar
Dunedin: 16 Mar
Hamilton: 17 Mar
Auckland: 18 Mar

Questions:
Email msdnnz@microsoft.com

Windows Azure Deep Dive Hands On Labs Training

NZ ISV Blog Team — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:53:53 GMT

We still have some space available for our 3 day Windows Azure Deep Dive Hands on Lab training next
week in Auckland (Wednesday 23^rd– Friday 25^thFebruary).

Abstract
The Microsoft Developer & Platform Evangelism team is pleased to announce a Metro Workshop event focused on Developers covering the Windows Azure Platform, for Microsoft partners and customers. Delivered through workshop style presentations and hands-on lab exercises, the workshop will focus on three key services of the Windows Azure Platform – Windows Azure, SQL Azure and .NET Services.

Audience
Developers, Architects and Systems Designers

Attendee Prerequisites
This workshop is aimed at developers, architects and systems designers with practical experience using Visual Studio 2008/2010 and C#.

Agenda

Day 1 Introductory Day

Windows Azure Platform Overview Presentation

Windows Azure Compute Presentation

Windows Azure Storage Presentation

Intro to Windows Azure Hands-on Lab

Intro to SQL Azure Presentation

Lab Intro to SQL Azure Hands-on Lab

Intro to the Windows Azure AppFabric Presentation

Intro to AppFabric Labs Hands-on Lab

Day 2 Architecture Focus

Scalability, Caching and Elasticity Presentation

Asynchronous Workloads Presentation

Asynchronous Work and Azure Instance Control Hands-on Lab

Storage Strategies and Data Modelling Presentation

Exploring Windows Azure Storage Hands-on Lab

Day 3 Development Focus

The Azure Platform Application Lifecycle Presentation

Deploying Applications in Windows Azure Hands-on Lab

Windows Azure Diagnostics Presentation

Building ASP.NET Applications for Windows Azure Presentation

Building Web Forms/MVC Apps with Windows Azure Hands-on Lab

AppFabric Deep Dive Presentation

Service Remoting with Windows AppFabric Service Bus Hands-on Lab

Fees
This event is free of charge. However, delegates are responsible for booking and paying for their own travel and accommodation. Lunch will be provided for session days.

If you bring along your own laptop, we’ll help you set up the Azure development environment and training kit to take away with you.

Date
23 – 25 February 2011

Time
8:30am – 4:00pm

Venue
Clifton’s
Level 2, Tower Building,
45 Queen Street,
Auckland

Registration
Click the link below to register

The ICEHOUSE and Microsoft BizSpark Innovation Academy Event

NZ ISV Blog Team — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:10:19 GMT

We still have space available for this Innovation Academy Event for start ups and entrepreneurs on Monday 21st February in Auckland.

The Innovation Academy is packed full of tips from experts and
entrepreneurs who know the steps to success when commercialising
fresh ideas.

Brought to you by Forbes.com World Top 10 Technology Incubator
The ICEHOUSE, and Microsoft, the Innovation Academy is a series
of interactive day-long workshops, aimed at entrepreneurial
software developers.

We will give you an introduction to the knowledge, tools and
contacts that you need to fast-track your start up business.

Topics Covered
Financials: Find out about the key financial issues in launching a business.|
Market Validation: Identify your target market.
Raising Capital: Discover where to go and what to do.
The Sales Pipeline: From qualifying an opportunity to closing the sale.
Technology: Cloud computing for startups.

Agenda

8:40	Welcome – Ken Erskine
9:00	Financials – Leith Oliver
10:10	Market Validation – Duncan Ledwith
11:20	Morning Tea
11:50	Raising Capital – Ken Erskine
1:00	Lunch
2:00	Sales – Nick Egerton
3:10	Afternoon Tea
3:40	Cloud Computing for Start ups – Mike Zeff
5:00	Workshop wrap up – Ken Erskine
	Drinks and networking

Note
We are repeating the same agenda as the Innovation Academy event that
we ran in October last year so, if you couldn’t make the October event,
come along to this one.

Cost
These events are brought to you by Microsoft BizSpark and The ICEHOUSE
at no charge to you.

Venue
Microsoft New Zealand
Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Avenue
Auckland

Registration

Monday 21st February 2011

Windows Azure Discover Event for ISVs and Start Ups

NZ ISV Blog Team — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:52:03 GMT

The Windows Azure Platform Discover Event is specifically designed for Independent Software Vendors
(ISVs) and software start ups interested in learning more about the Windows Azure Platform.

These are one day events being held worldwide with the goal of helping ISVs understand Microsoft’s Cloud
Computing offerings with the Windows Azure Platform, discuss the opportunities for the cloud, and show
ISVs how they can get started using Windows Azure and SQL Azure today.

The target audience for these events includes BDMs, TDMs, Architects, and Development leads.
The sessions are targeted at the 100-200 level with a mix of business focused information in the morning
and technical information in the afternoon.

The day will run like this (exact timings will depend on discussion and Q & A on the day):

Morning Agenda – Business Focus

9:00	Microsoft Partners and the Cloud: How the Windows Azure Platform Can Improve Your Business
10:00	Cloud Business Scenarios for ISVs
10:45	Break
11:00	Windows Azure Platform Technical Overview, Pricing and SLAs
12:00	Lunch

Afternoon Agenda – Technology Focus

1:00	Getting Started Building Applications using the Windows Azure Platform
2:30	Break
2:40	SaaS Solutions on the Windows Azure Platform
3:45	Break
4:00	Action Plan and Resources
4:30	Evaluations and Closing

Fees

Windows Azure Platform Discover Events are brought to you by Metro; Microsoft’s Acceleration Program.
The events are provided free of charge.

Level

100 – 200

Audience

Business Decision Makers, Technical Decision Makers, Architects, Development Leads and Developers.

Questions?

Email: nzeditor@microsoft.com

Locations & Registration:

Venue	Date

AUCKLAND	Mon 7 February
Microsoft Auckland Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Ave

Venue	Date

WELLINGTON	Tue 8 February
Microsoft Wellington Level 12, 157 Lambton Quay

BizSpark Members–Register Your Developers

NZ ISV Blog Team — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 02:46:33 GMT

If you are a start up that has joined our BizSpark programme hopefully you are enjoying your access to current full-featured Microsoft development tools, platform technologies, and production licenses of server products (including Windows Azure Platform) while developing your world changing solution or service.

Did you know you can (and should) register all the developers in your start up so they have access to both the MSDN software and the Windows Azure benefits that come with the MSDN subscription?

I have stepped through the process of registering additional developers in your organisation. This assumes you have registered for BizSpark and you are the primary contact for your BizSpark account. Here are the steps.

Open your web browser and go to http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark. Click on the link in the top right that says “My BizSpark”.

This will take you to the sign in page where you can enter your Windows Live ID (this is the Live ID that you entered when you signed up for BizSpark). Click on the “Sign in here” button.

Once you have logged in you should see a page that looks very similar to the picture below but with your start up’s details. Click on the “Manage” button near the top left.

Click on the “Manage Members” link in the menu on the left side.

Add the name and email address of the developer you are registering and click the “Add” button.

The user you have just added will then appear in a list of members assigned to your company. This is also where you can remove any members that are no longer with your company:

The user you added will receive an email inviting them to register on the BizSpark programme. The link in the invitation email includes a code which associates them with your company automatically:

Your new user will need to click the link in the email and they will be taken to the BizSpark login page. They will need to sign in with an existing Windows Live ID or create one before proceeding (the Windows Live ID will be used to access their MSDN subscription):

Once your new user has signed in they will need to accept the Terms and Conditions of the BizSpark programme by clicking the “Agree” button and then clicking the “Next Step” button.

Your new user should now see a screen like the one below. From here they can click on the “Download Microsoft Software” link to access their new MSDN Subscription or activate their Windows Azure platform subscription benefits.

The MSDN home page looks like the page below. At the right hand side there are a number of options including links to download software. The Windows Azure Platform link is where you click to activate you access to the Windows Azure Platform for developing and testing your cloud applications. See the Resource section below for a link to a step-by-step guide to activating your MSDN Subscriber access to the Windows Azure Platform.

Now all the developers in your start up company can enjoy the benefits of the BizSpark programme while changing the world.

Resources

Step-by-step instructions for activating MSDN Subscriber Windows Azure benefits.

BizSpark Home Page

Windows Azure benefits for MSDN Subscribers

Signing Up for the Windows Azure Introductory Offer

NZ ISV Blog Team — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:06:47 GMT

If you have been following the latest Azure platform developments that were announced at PDC10 you may be keen to try Azure for yourself. Well the good news is that there is an introductory offer that allows you to have a tinker with Azure and get a feel for the development and deployment process. This offer is called the Windows Azure Introductory Offer (note prices on that page are in New Zealand dollars) and includes the following each month at no charge:

Windows Azure
- 25 hours of a small compute instance
- 500 MB of storage
- 10,000 storage transactions
SQL Azure
- 1GB Web Edition database (available for first 3 months only)
Windows Azure platform AppFabric
- 100,000 Access Control transactions
- 2 Service Bus connections
Data Transfers (per region)
- 500 MB in
- 500 MB out

This is enough to do some basic development and testing and get started with the platform.

The process to sign up for the Introductory Offer involves a few steps so I’ll walk you through it here (as announced during a couple of sessions at PDC10, this process will be simplified in the not too distant future but this is the process for now). If you have an MSDN subscription, the process is different, so these steps are only for those without MSDN wanting to try Windows Azure.

Before you start you will need a Windows Live ID and a credit card. While the Introductory Offer is free, a credit card is required to sign up. Any excess usage over the above allowances for the month will be charged to the credit card.

Steps to sign up:

Open your browser and go to this web page http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/offers/

If you would like to see the pricing of each offer in New Zealand currency, select New Zealand from the Currency drop down as shown below.

Below each offer (and you can see there is a range of offers) there is a Learn More link. Clicking this link will open a window with the pricing of the offer shown in whichever currency is selected in the Currency drop down.

Click the Buy button to take you to the Microsoft Online Services Portal.

At this point you will be prompted to either sign in using your Windows Live ID or alternatively you can choose to create one if you don’t have one already. I recommend you use a Live ID that is also a working email account, create a Hotmail account if need be. The reason is that Microsoft Online Services will send notifications of usage (as you approach your monthly limit, reach it and exceed it by a certain amount).

Complete the required fields (indicated with red asterisks). Make sure you select the correct country or region in the drop down. Note the warning next to the email address field.

The next screen confirms the offer you are signing up for. It should say Windows Azure Platform Introductory Special. You are required to give the Subscription a name. This is so you can identify this particular subscription on the bill and/or usage report when you have more than one subscription (e.g. if you are working in a company with different subscriptions for different departments).

The next screen is where you enter your billing information. Enter your credit card number and billing address as indicated.

Once your billing information is entered correctly, you will see the Online Subscription Agreement with Terms and Conditions. You’ll need to tick the check box to acknowledge you understand and agree to the agreement. Click the Purchase button to complete the process.

You should see a Confirmation screen, next. You should also receive a confirmation email to the address you provided as a Windows Live ID when you started the process. Click the Finish button to proceed.

Your account will take a few minutes to provision (possibly up to 15 minutes). The screen you see here is the confirmation that the provisioning process is underway.

Once the provisioning completes, you should see the Windows Azure Platform 'Console’. This page is where you can create or manage your Windows Azure or SQL Azure projects. You are now ready to start using your Windows Azure Introductory Subscription. The console screen has links to help you complete various tasks such as creating a service, storage etc. Go ahead, explore!

Resources:

What’s new in Azure (November 2010)

Azure documentation on MSDN

Azure sessions from PDC10 (select the Cloud Services link on the left hand side of the sessions page)

Updated Windows Azure SDK 1.3 and Visual StudioTools

Updated Windows Azure Training Kit (for Windows Azure SDK 1.3)

Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools Updated

NZ ISV Blog Team — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:26:56 GMT

An update for the Windows Phone 7 Developer tools was released in the last couple of weeks. The update is available here and provides:

A new Bing Maps Control that improves map performance during user gestures
The Capability Detection Tool, which scans your application and reports on detected phone capabilities that will be applied during ingestion to marketplace.
The WP Connect Tool, with which you can create a connection between the Windows Phone and your PC without requiring Zune to be running, so you can debug media APIs.

More information on the Capability Detection Tool is available here, and details on the WP Connect Tool are here. The update requires that you have the Windows Phone Developer Tools installed and that language/locale of the update and developer tools match.

Intergrid Case Study–GreenButton

NZ ISV Blog Team — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:25:37 GMT

We have recently put together a case study showing how Integrid are using Windows Azure for their product, GreenButton. If you were at Tech·Ed New Zealand this year, you would have seen Dave Fellows, Lead Architect at GreenButton, do a fantastic demonstration of how Windows Azure can be used to dramatically speed up the rendering of 3D content by parcelling out the model to Windows Azure compute instances. This effectively gives 3D artists and modellers a supercomputer to render their jobs and reduce the wait time associated with rendering on the desktop.

Read more about Intergrid, GreenButton and WIndows Azure in the case study:

InterGrid

InterGrid brings supercomputer power to the masses with Microsoft Azure.

New Zealand start-up, InterGrid, specialises in making supercomputer levels of processing power available via cloud computing to companies of any size. Its product, GreenButton, allows customers to make use of InterGrid’s computing power on a per CPU and per minute basis. Microsoft’s BizSpark programme has played a part in helping the company find its feet.

The modern world is one driven by data and for many companies processing all that data, no matter what the end purpose may be, is a problem — the level of processing power usually associated with super computers is not cheap and can simply turn out to be out of reach for all but the largest of corporations.

Wellington based ‘compute-on-demand’ provider, InterGrid, has created a user friendly front end for industrial strength supercomputing via the cloud. They call this product GreenButton and what it does is enable anyone to utilise on-demand computing power without having to invest millions into expensive hardware. Because it integrates with customers’ existing applications via a plug-in, companies can access InterGrid’s supercomputers quickly and conveniently via the internet eliminating the need for any kind of capital investment in large amounts of hardware.

Dave Fellows, lead architect at InterGrid, has spent many years dealing with extremely large amounts of data in his previous role as a consultant at a British investment bank. He joined InterGrid early in 2010 as Lead Architect to help re-launch the Green Button project on Windows Azure.

“InterGrid’s core business is the GreenButton. The GreenButton aims to be the de facto standard for integrating process-intensive applications with the cloud.”

With processor-intensive activities required on an increasing basis, Fellows sees opportunities in a number of vertical markets including digital media (for 3D rendering and effects processing), biotech (DNA sequencing and protein analysis), oil and gas (3D seismic imaging for drilling analysis), Engineering and Design, and Finance. And, of course, anywhere else where significant processing requirements exist.

“With the GreenButton we can reduce the end-to-end processing time for what would typically be a multi-hour job to a few minutes for literally a few dollars. This is very compelling to our customers.” He says.

So where did InterGrid and the Green Button come from? As it turns out, InterGrid has its origins in the movie industry.

“We go back to Lord of the Rings - Return of The King days” says Fellows. “Some might remember the huge investment Weta and Gen-i made in the NZ Super Computer Centre in order to support the rendering and processing requirements for the Lord of the Rings final movie. Once the movie was finished this vast resource was predominantly unutilised. Scott Houston, our founder and CEO, was the CTO at Weta at the time and had the revolutionary idea of the GreenButton to bring supercomputing power to the average user.”

Now InterGrid has offices in New Zealand and the USA and has access to thousands of processors worldwide and continues to develop new models that it hopes will revolutionise on-demand computing. Along the way, InterGrid and GreenButton has received invaluable assistance from Microsoft by becoming part of the BizSpark programme. BizSpark aims to spark innovation by providing technology start-ups with all the Microsoft software they need for free. To be eligible, a company need only be privately held, less than three years old and generate less than $1 million in revenue. In return, companies get access to Microsoft developer software and business mentorship – all for only a $100 exit fee at the end of the programme.

“InterGrid is part of the BizSpark program which, as a start-up, has been of huge benefit. To get all our Microsoft Software for free has allowed us to invest those costs elsewhere. It has also meant we can use a developer toolset which is more advanced than we otherwise could, leading to greater productivity and improved code quality.”

This means the company can get on with the task of innovating and producing outstanding new technology without having to worry about how it will pay for many of the basic tools and platforms it needs to get the job done —in much the same way as the GreenButton project aims to allow small companies to be equally as competitive as large ones by providing access to enterprise levels of processing power. The future looks bright for InterGrid and GreenButton.

“I can't give away too much here,” says Fellows, “but we have some exciting ideas in which the GreenButton will really break down the traditional limitations of what can be done with a personal computing device. It's a very exciting space to be in right now with the buzz in the industry around cloud computing. I see Microsoft being leaders in the Platform as a Service market in the near future. The investment they've made in Azure is beyond significant. The Azure architecture from a software perspective is very clever, from a hardware perspective it's revolutionary.”

For more information on Microsoft BizSpark, visit www.microsoft.com/BizSpark

4 Steps to a Successful Software Strategy

NZ ISV Blog Team — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 05:37:50 GMT

This is a guest post written by Stuart Bale.

Stuart Bale is a software strategist with a wealth of experience in the industry, having worked in everything from code cutting to consulting. He has the advantage of being involved at all levels with a wide range of different software companies, from small start-ups to large multinationals. He now works for high-end clients who want to take their software business to the next level and realise their product’s true potential.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

A software start-up comes up with a great idea, spends weeks building it, then convinces friends and family that it is the best thing since sliced bread, they get a handful of customers (some of whom might even pay!) and then spends the next few years wondering why no one else wants it.

What went wrong? If you're just getting started how can you avoid making the same mistake and, if I’ve just described your situation, how can you move forward and convince the world you have the best software program in the world?

The secret lies in knowing your customer (or future customer), or what is sometimes referred to as customer intimacy.

Here's a simple four step approach to test how well you know your customer.

1 - What does the customer for my software product look like?

This is the foundation of a successful software strategy.

If you can't describe your customer, then you'll find it hard to build, market, sell and support a product for them.

Knowing your customer will focus your attention on all the relevant details. Don't go for broad descriptions, like "anyone with an email account", or "all New Zealanders". On the other hand, don't go too narrow, like "fisherman with two fishing lines and a wooden leg".

A good example might be "travelling salespeople with good internet connectivity on their mobile device" or "retail stores in shopping malls".

You should be prepared to come back and revise your customer description, and keep refining it over time.

2- How many customers can I potentially sell my software to?

Once you've worked out your market, it’s time to get some real numbers.

Find out how many there are, and where they are. A great starting point is your local statistics office, such as Statistics NZ. Uncover as much information as you can about your customer.

Is it likely your customer would belong to an association? Visit the association’s website, and sign up for any newsletters they might have.

If you can't find definite figures, then just extrapolate from other statistics. For example, if you can determine there are 500 malls in New Zealand, and from the last seven malls you personally visited, there are an average 50 retail stores per mall, then you could estimate that there are 25,000 retail stores in New Zealand malls.

What if you can't get any figures at all? Return to step 1 and make sure you really understand who your customers are!

3 – How do customers influence software pricing?

Pricing your product is sometimes much harder to determine. If you’re competing with another product, and you know how much customers pay for that, then you'll have a baseline to match against.

In most cases, people want to transfer what they pay for the same ‘process’ that they’re doing right now. For example, if they currently pay $100 to get the same result as what your product offers, then you're unlikely to be able to charge more than $100.

You'll also need to factor in the cost of change - how much it costs in time and effort to switch from what they are currently using to using your product.

Here’s a suggestion. Make a time to visit a prospective customer, describe what your product does, and ask them how much they would pay for it. After you’ve visited a dozen or more people, you'll start to get a good feel for how much value they see in your product, and that can help you price it accordingly.

4 - How do I market my software to my customers?

Marketing your software can potentially be very expensive, but it’s a critical part of a successful software strategy. If no one knows about your product, then they won't know that they need it.

Smart software developers build into their products ways for satisfied users to promote it to others (and there doesn't necessarily need to be a financial reward attached to this either).

Once you know your market, then you'll be able to really talk straight to your customers with informed comments on how your product provides real benefits to them.

Make sure you factor in marketing costs as part of your overall cost of sales and make sure you're getting good bang for buck for every dollar spent.

This four step strategy is not a one-off miracle cure to rocket your software product to instant and overnight stardom. A successful software business repeats and remembers these techniques over and over again. As soon as you lose sight of your customers, your business will start to falter.

And, by way of conclusion, it’s appropriate I mention that you should have an exit strategy. Have one before you begin otherwise you'll end up in the doldrums for a very long time!

Get more of the same

If you're keen to know more about how you can let the world know how good your software really is, follow me at www.stuartbale.com and subscribe to my blog!

Starsoft releases Ezidoesit for Office 2010

NZ ISV Blog Team — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 08:33:37 GMT

In time for the general release of Office 2010, local ISV, Starsoft, has just released the latest version of Ezidoesit, a plugin for Outlook 2010 (and earlier) that allows you to tame your Inbox. This latest release builds on .NET 4 and is available in both 32 and 64 bit versions for 64bit Office. Well done guys.

Contrast Media Case Study and Interview

NZ ISV Blog Team — Mon, 03 May 2010 01:01:00 GMT

Continuing our series of profiles of New Zealand BizSpark companies, we have Contrast Media. Contrast Media have developed a Mobile Tagging solution named HardLink that uses Windows Azure and Microsoft Tag (or QR Codes). You can also find a video interview with Contrast Media Director, Dave Williams, at the Microsoft Spark New Zealand website.

Contrast Media receives BizSpark Boost

Mobile Tagging is a new and exciting way of connecting customers to products via interactive advertising campaigns using mobile phone tagging technology. For Contrast Media, the business of managing and enhancing this link has been made easier with the help of the Microsoft BizSpark programme.

Contrast Media Director Dave Williams has spent over 20 years in the advertising, print, multimedia and web industries. Along the way he has seen the never ending march of technology continually provide new platforms with which to connect advertisers to customers. This technology has ranged from traditional print based mediums through to kiosks, touch screen technology, the web and now, mobile.

Through innovative use of the latest in Mobile Tagging technology, Auckland-based Contrast Media is aiming to provide that all important bridge to link end users (and their camera equipped mobile phones) to advertisers.

“The Contrast Media management team, all of whom had worked together for a long period of time before forming the company, came up with the idea of a platform to enhance the possibilities of Mobile Tagging about a year ago. The beta launch of Microsoft Tag reinforced that this was a space that had massive potential so, after an awful lot of work, the HardLink platform was created,” says Williams.

Much like a turbo charged bar code, Mobile Tags mean an end user need only to pull out their phone, snap a photo of a Mobile Tag — which could be found just about anywhere; on a poster, the back of a bus, a museum exhibit, or even a TV screen — and, with a small application installed on the handset, be whisked away to a website, video content, social network, contact information or any number of things.

Williams believes now is the time for Mobile Tagging to come into its own with the aid of Contrast Media’s HardLink platform.

He says, “Everyone absolutely loves Mobile Tagging and HardLink when we give them a demo, within 10 minutes people are dreaming up new ways of using the technology - you can’t beat that for a sales engagement!”

HardLink is an end-to-end solution providing everything a business needs to run a Mobile Tagging campaign, from creating Mobile Tags through to campaign management, device capability information and full reporting.

It provides campaign managers with detailed reports across multiple advertising channels on which Tags are being snapped and by which devices. It also records the Mobile Tagging usage habits of individuals, leading to highly personal, segmented marketing opportunities.

Key challenges and benefits

“The fact that Mobile Tagging is yet to be a fully accepted concept in the mass market in New Zealand is our main issue when speaking to prospective clients – companies want to be first with the concept but are wary of carrying the burden of wide-scale education at the same time,” says Williams.

Contrast Media needed help; help that arrived in the shape of Microsoft’s BizSpark programme.

Williams says that BizSpark helped Contrast Media in a number of ways.

“Access to the full range of Microsoft products has been incredibly useful as we can use the best of breed products without cost being a barrier for us. Further cost reductions are gained due to BizSpark’s subsidised Azure charging – all in all, we save a considerable amount of cost by just being part of BizSpark.”

However, cost savings are just part of the BizSpark benefits for Contrast Media.

“We were lucky enough to make it onto the PDC Azure partners list last year; something that we’d never have been able to be part of had it not been for BizSpark. This gave us some significant publicity at an early stage,” says Williams.

In addition to significant cost savings and increased exposure BizSpark provides, Williams believes that the freedom the programme affords is key to being able to knuckle down and get on with the job of building a business.

“It allows you to concentrate on differentiating your business and stop worrying about whether you can afford the best tools and support needed to build the very best solutions. That on its own is enough reason to recommend BizSpark to any start-up.”

To be eligible for the BizSpark, a company need only be privately held, less than three years old and generate less than $1 million in revenue. In return, companies get access to Microsoft developer software and business mentorship – all for only a $100 exit fee at the end of the programme.

For more information on Microsoft BizSpark, visit www.microsoft.com/BizSpark.

Interview with BizSpark Network Partner, e-Centre

NZ ISV Blog Team — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:44:03 GMT

The latest in our continuing series of interviews with BizSpark start-ups and Network Partners has been posted on the Microsoft Spark New Zealand website. This time we are talking to Steve Corbett, CEO of the e-Centre in Albany.

A number of New Zealand BizSpark start-ups are located at the e-Centre (or are virtual residents).

Who are the e-Centre? Well in their own words:

“The e-centre is the business development company based at Massey University Albany.
We help technology entrepreneurs acquire the necessary skills to take their business to the next level by providing company development, skills development and incubation programmes and by offering access to extensive networks and expertise, funding and facilities.
We work closely with Massey University academics and students enabling access to subject matter experts and research.
We encourage export by taking technology ventures into India, the Middle East and Asia through our joint venture with a subsidiary of Tata Consulting and also the New Zealand Software Association.”

Microsoft New Zealand is proud to work with Network Partners such as the e-Centre, helping New Zealand software start-ups grow.

Litmos is a finalist for the NZ Hi-Tech Awards

NZ ISV Blog Team — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:05:00 GMT

Litmos, a start-up in the Microsoft BizSpark programme we profiled here, has been announced as a finalist in the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards (in the “HiFx Innovative Service Product of the Year” category).

Congratulations to the team (Rich, Nicole and Daniel) at Litmos and good luck!

Microsoft New Zealand Developer Survey

NZ ISV Blog Team — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:08:38 GMT

Have you filled in the Microsoft New Zealand Developer Survey yet? This is your chance to win a trip to the next Microsoft Professional Developer’s Conference in L.A.

We really want to hear your thoughts and opinions on how we can serve you better so please take a few minutes and fill in the survey:

http://bit.ly/NZdevsurvey

Litmos Case Study

NZ ISV Blog Team — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:52:00 GMT

As part of of our BizSpark promotional activities mentioned in my previous post, we’ve started highlighting local start-ups in the BizSpark programme. Our first case study and video was with Litmos, an online Learning Management System. Here is the case study:

Litmos given a head start with BizSpark

BIZSPARK CASE STUDY – LITMOS

Providing companies around the world with the software to deliver training materials and track trainee progress has been made possible (and quicker) for Litmos with the help of the Microsoft BizSpark programme.

Three years ago Rich Chetwynd was living overseas operating a tiny company based on a training system solution he and a friend had designed for a specific customer. However, they soon realised it was worthwhile developing this further so other companies could use it, creating an on-demand platform to deliver training to a wider audience.

Now Litmos is a thriving start up company enrolled in the Microsoft BizSpark programme. Though based in Auckland, Litmos boasts 55 customers spanning Australia, North America, the UK, Europe, South America and Mexico.

Litmos’ learning management system allows trainers to upload existing materials or build new materials for their courses online. They can then monitor their trainees' progress via a reporting suite.

The typical customer already has the training content but needs assistance delivering it to staff who are potentially spread out around the country. This is where Litmos comes in, delivering and tracking the training content.

One of the company’s bigger clients is a construction company in Canada with over 1,000 contractors.

Key challenges

Juggling finances has been one of the biggest challenges for Litmos. It joined Microsoft’s Biz Spark programme a year ago and Chetwynd says the assistance it has received from Microsoft through the programme has given the company a huge financial leg up.

With access to developer software and business mentorship his business now has the Spark to succeed.

“We no longer have to fork out for development and license costs which are significant for a start up company. Now we can worry less about money and focus on making cool software.”

He says BizSpark also assists with the development of the business by promoting the company on the Microsoft website. In addition, there are benefits to having Microsoft’s name behind the company such as in their relationship with server hosting leaders, Rackspace.

“We discovered Rackspace through Microsoft and, as a result, get a discounted rate. Using Rackspace gives us a lot of kudos because it is a well known and highly thought of brand.”

“I would definitely recommend Biz Spark to any start-up as it provides a big advantage for getting things off the ground,” says Chetwynd.

Future plan

Chetwynd says the company is now well positioned for future growth. Currently it has a database of nearly 10,000 trainees registered in the system and would like to grow that to over 100,000 within the next 18 months.

He is delighted there has been a significant increase in the number of New Zealand enterprise companies come on board – particularly over the last 12 months – and will be working towards growing this further. In addition, it aims to continue developing its US market as it is a ‘Mecca’ for e-learning.

“Together with growing the company, our major focus going forward is developing a simple to use product as well as focusing on scalability.”

With a huge amount of competition in the learning management systems space, Litmos has concentrated on usability, only adding the features that are essential to running a successful online learning programme. The product is already live and is continually being developed and refined based on customer feedback and new trends in learning.

Scalability has also been a major focus since initiation. As the potential number of end users grows rapidly, the company needs to be able to adapt at a moment’s notice. Litmos uses cloud services to achieve this capability and is looking at moving some of its infrastructure to the new Microsoft Azure cloud platform over the next 12 months.

“Initially the big draw card of the BizSpark programme was access to the suite of Microsoft development tools, as it allowed us to re-allocate funds into marketing and business development. Moving forward we are now seeing opportunities to gain more exposure through our association with Microsoft and BizSpark and hope to leverage the relationship over the next 12 months,” says Chetwynd.

For more information on Microsoft BizSpark, visit www.microsoft.co.nz/spark

For more information on Litmos, visit www.litmos.com

BizSpark promotional activity

NZ ISV Blog Team — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:19:00 GMT

This month we’ve started doing some promotion of our three Spark programmes; DreamSpark, BizSpark and WebsiteSpark. These are programmes created to help students, entrepreneurs, software start-ups, young web design companies and next Bill Gates’ get started. You might hear some radio advertising we are doing or you can have a look at our new one-stop Spark website.

Each of the programmes is designed for a particular audience; for example DreamSpark is for students who are building “their great idea” and want access to Microsoft professional development tools at no charge. WebsiteSpark is for small professional Web development and design companies who want some Microsoft platform proficiency to add to their portfolio. BizSpark is for software start-ups who are building the next big software company and want access to all Microsoft’s development tools and platform (including some server products available for use in production environments).

You can join BizSpark and WebsiteSpark via a partner (known as a Network Partner) or, if you haven’t decided to work with a partner yet, directly with Microsoft. The Network Partners in the programmes offer various services from hosting services right through to business mentoring, incubation, funding, strategic planning and combinations of these (depending on the programme and partner). It takes much more than just a good product idea or technical implementation to build a great software or web business so working with a Network Partner improves the odds of growing into a large and successful, New Zealand based, exporting-to-the-world software business.

Microsoft works with local Network Partners as well to provide training events for young BizSpark software companies, such as the Innovation Academy we ran recently at the e-Centre on the Massey University Campus. This training was delivered by the IISEIE and covered topics such as segmenting markets, software development processes, considerations for entering international markets, basic marketing and other introductory topics that software companies need to be thinking about. Based on the feedback we received from attendees, we are planning on running more of these in the near future.

We are also highlighting some of our local BizSpark businesses starting with the guys from Litmos. Litmos have developed an online Learning Management System that allows their customers to build and manage professional training courses themselves. Watch our video interview with Rich Chetwynd, founder of Litmos, as he talks about Litmos and BizSpark. Here is the Litmos Case Study we have recently completed.

If you are a New Zealand based BizSpark start-up company and would like to be featured, contact me via the Email link on this blog.

Innovation Academy training for BizSpark start ups

NZ ISV Blog Team — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:21:40 GMT

If you are a member of our BizSpark programme for start ups and located in North Island from about Napier north, you probably have received an invitation to some Innovation Academy training next week. This training is designed for start up software businesses and goes beyond just technical training to include business and operations skills:

Innovation Academy is a special training program for BizSpark start ups designed to support their skills needs in three different areas: Business, Operations, and Technology.

Helps start ups plan for growth and better manage their business. Specific training areas include:

- HR
- Sales and marketing
- Channel development
- Business planning
- Financial management

Shares best practices adopted at Microsoft for managing and executing software development projects. Also trains start up business owners and employees in the methodologies and services management practices adopted worldwide.

Provides access to product and platform specific training, online or delivered through the Microsoft Innovation Centers.

The programme’s key components are based on more than four years of specific business training delivered to ISVs and system integrators in 18 countries in different economic and market maturity stages which have discovered that software companies struggle to keep up with the pace of technology change and could benefit from adopting a proactive business strategy to realise their full potential.

Most start ups have the technical know-how to build applications and services, but many lack other skills necessary to gain the competitive advantage in their targeted value chain, to design and execute software products/services, and to plan for international marketing and channel promotion. A key mix of business, technology and operations knowledge is essential to grow these companies. Innovation Academy fills the need for a training program that is adaptable across countries, regardless of that country’s maturity in the software industry and overall economic development.

We are running two training courses next week in Auckland, one at the e-Centre in Albany and the other at the AUT Business Innovation Centre in Manukau.

We still have a few spots available so if you are a software business start up and would like to join us then register for one of the events below. Even if you’re not a BizSpark start up, you’re welcome to come and sample the training:

Date: 26 & 27 January 2010
Venue: e-centre, Albany
Register now

Date: 28 & 29 January 2010
Venue: AUT Business Innovation Centre, Manukau
Register Now