Virtualization continues to be one of the hottest opportunities in the industry today for business of all sizes. Join us to learn how you can virtualized Windows Essential Business Server 2008 using Hyper-V. In this session, we will discuss several virtualization scenarios, demonstrate how to deploy and manage EBS 2008, and share some best practices for configuration.

Click Here to start training now through the Microsoft Partner Learning Center

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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Win your own professional marketing campaign worth $7,000!

Simply share your experiences with Windows 7 and how it may be presenting new business opportunities for you. If your submission is picked in the random draw, you win!

What can $7,000 in marketing services do for your business?

More qualified prospects, a larger sales pipeline, and more chances for you to turn your opportunities with Windows 7 into reality!

If your submission is picked in the random draw, you win!

Share your story now!

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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Windows 7 is a great choice for your customers and a great opportunity for your business. Attend this webcast to learn more about the Windows 7 market opportunity, the Partner opportunity and how to stand out from the competition.

This webcast will specifically focus on:

• The 7 Top Partner Opportunities

• The Windows 7 Value Proposition – How to best position Windows 7 with your SMB customers

• Capturing the Market Opportunity – A review of the marketing assets, tools and readiness available to support your go-to-market

Join us November 20th 1:00 – 2:00 EST

>>Register Now (Online Seats will be Limited)

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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and the Winner is…...

Congratulations to Bulletproof Infotech for taking home the Impact Award for SBSC of the YEAR!

The Small Business Specialist Award recognizes a member of the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Community in Canada who has demonstrated innovation for deploying a Microsoft-based small business solution (fewer than 50 employees or fewer than 25 PCs) with a tangible impact on the customer’s business.

I’m also pleased to announce another 6 SBSC Partners that took home an award in their respective categories.

Ceryx Inc. - Hosting Solutions Partner of the Year

Ideaca Knowledge Services - BPO Business Intelligence Solutions of the Year

Legend Corporation - Core IO Infrastructure Solutions of the Year

Les Services Informatique ARS Inc. - Ultimate VAR of the Year

CTE Solutions  - Community Leadership Award

Special Award: IAMCP AWARDS CANADIAN PARTNER OF THE YEAR

Orangutech

Infusion Development

Once again congratulations too all our SBSC Partner’s who were recognized as finalist and those who took home an award! Looking forward to next year.

For more information on this years Impact Awards and to see all winners in each category please visit: www.microsoft.com/canada/awards 

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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The wait is over and the 2009 Impact Awards will be awarded tonight at a special gala hosted at Second City in Toronto.

I wanted to congratulate the finalist once again as the presence of SBSC Partners within the 25 categories is outstanding, there are 21 SBSC Partner finalists, in 16 categories. It goes to show how strong this community really is and the quality of partner among us.

Please see below for the list of our SBSC Partners who were finalists for 2009, including our own category Small Business Specialist of the Year.

Stay tuned to find out who our New SBSC of the Year is…….

The Q2 FUEL Program is Now Available! Click Here

Earn sales rewards for each license agreement per customer* on selected Microsoft products and solutions. Fuel your life with reward cards that you choose, including American Express® , Petro-Canada™ , President’s Choice® , or Best Buy®

For every copy of Office Visio 2007 or Office Project 2007, sold with Software Assurance between October 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009, you will earn an entry to win an AMEX gift card worth $1000!**

To enroll and get the full program details please visit: www.microsoftfuel.ca

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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Live Meeting: November 20 1:00pm-2:00pm EST

Windows 7 is a great choice for your customers and a great opportunity for your business. Attend this webcast to learn more about the Windows 7 market opportunity, the Partner opportunity and how to stand out from the competition.

This webcast will specifically focus on:

• The 7 Top Partner Opportunities
• The Windows 7 Value Proposition – How to best position Windows 7 with your SMB customers
• Capturing the Market Opportunity – A review of the marketing assets, tools and readiness available to support your go-to-market

»»»Register Here (seating will be limited)

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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Find out how innovative features in the new Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 can help you expand relationships with your existing customers and drive new business through the integration of unified communications and collaboration technologies. Also, join us to learn how with the Big Easy offer currently in market - there is no better time to sell Exchange and other Microsoft products!

Live Meeting:

November 13:
1:00pm-2:00pm

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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Leading Managed Services Providers link up for two days of intense business interaction focused on execution and accountability. HTG Canada continues its work on enhancing the Canadian IT landscape with a focus on giving more.

Heartland Tech Groups (HTG), an international organization of Managed Service Providers is currently holding their Q4 board meetings this week alongside the ConnectWise Partner Conference in Orlando, Florida.

HTG10, the sole Canadian only group is among the 19 HTG groups meeting to plan which MSP’s will win as our economy slowly shows signs of gaining strength across Canada. Built on a strong foundation of being true “Go-Givers”, HTG brings together the cream of the crop in the Canadian IT community. Members cover almost all of Canada from Abbotsford BC to the Ottawa Valley.

“It is a dog eat dog world out there,” states HTG10 group facilitator Stuart Crawford from Bulletproof InfoTech. “Canadian HTG members have a distinct advantage over those who elect to go after the market themselves. Having a trusted group of peers to lean on and also help each through our challenges provides our members with a competitive advantage. This is something you can’t easily put a price on, it is priceless”.

HTG peers meet each quarter across the country, focused on sharing best practices, reporting on the financial health of their organizations, planning for the future growth and work together for the benefit of each member. HTG is not just another user group. HTG is a committed group of Microsoft SBSC and MSP partners who live daily by their mantra “Business and Personal Growth Driven by Execution”.

Formed in 2001 by Arlin Sorensen, HTG now has grown to an international organization with members in Canada, United Kingdom and the United States. HTG is currently looking for new members in Canada from Vancouver, Kamloops, Kelowna, Winnipeg, Kingston, Montreal, Fredericton and Halifax, if your Microsoft MSP firm is interested in taking your business to the next level, visit http://www.htgpeergroups.com for additional information.

Microsoft Big Easy 3.0 Offer:  Selling the Microsoft Stack with our most successful partner offer!

The Big Easy Offer is back!

October 30th 1:00 – 2:00p.m. Please join Dave Owen, Partner Territory Manager, Microsoft Canada as he highlights how our most successful customer offer currently in market will help you sell, close and bring forward bigger deals into this calendar year. In one of Microsoft’s biggest launch year in history, there is no better time to understand the offers that will help you close those sales.

Register Now – Spaces will be limited 

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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I know most of you have already downloaded Windows 7  Bata, RC or RTM and have been running it for sometime, so I don’t have to convince how great it really is! 

Launch days are always very exciting here at Microsoft but with the official release of  Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, today marks a special day.

There is a tremendous amount of excitement with customers in the market place, and I’ve attached below the resources, and guidance to make this a successful launch for your business.

Whether you are in sales, an IT professional, or a developer, you can access role-based training for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Microsoft Exchange 2010. You can also subscribe to the readiness RSS feed to ensure you receive updates on new resources as they become available.

Engage Your Customers Today! 

Partner Launch Event in a Box

The Microsoft New Efficiency Launch "event-in-a-box" contains comprehensive resources to enable you to hold your own local events with customers. Resources include: presentation guidelines and playbooks, email templates, demos, and session materials for the Windows Optimized Desktop, Optimized Server, Unified Communications, and Business Ready Security.

Help Your Customers Upgrade to Windows® 7 Professional and Save Approximately 15%

Show your customers how they can get more out of their PCs by upgrading to Windows 7 Professional. Use this promotion to motivate small and midsize customers with Volume Licensing.

Happy Launch Day!

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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This Week is Small Business Week in Canada (October 18th to 24th) , which marks the 30^th anniversary, recognizing the entrepreneurs and small business that drive this great Canadian economy.

In 1981, BDC officially launched Small Business Week^® across Canada. A few years later, BDC created the Young Entrepreneur Awards contest to honour entrepreneurs aged 19 to 35 and pay tribute to their innovative spirit and business acumen.

Our Microsoft SMB partners are the glue of the reseller community and we recognize the amount of drive, influence and support we get from you on a daily basis. Please don’t forget about the countless resources out there to help drive your Microsoft business forward.

More for your money: The Big Easy Offer is Back!      Get up to 30 percent in partner subsidy dollars.

One of our most successful customer offers is back and in market to help you sell, close and bring forward bigger deals into this calendar year. In one of Microsoft’s biggest launch year in history, there is no better time to understand the offers that will help you close those sales. To see full offer detail visit: www.microsoft.com/canada/smb/big-easy-offer

Key Resources to add to your Favourites:

• Latest Product Incentives/Rebate: www.microsoftincentives.ca
• Sales Rep Rewards: FUEL Program www.microsoftfuel.ca
• Sales and Technical Training: https://trainings.partner.microsoft.com/plc/

Have a great week!

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

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Ride the Microsoft launch wave:  Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 & Exchange 2010 Value Added Reseller Briefing

The biggest launch of Windows ever is coming October 22nd with the release of Windows® 7 operating system! Come to this session on Wednesday, October 14th to experience the many improvements in Windows 7 as well as the features that will make “Everyday Tasks Faster and Easier. Windows 7 works the way you want and makes new things possible”.


In this session you will also learn about Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system which has many features that are designed specifically to work with client computers running Windows 7. These features will provide greater control and management of remote machines and help provide cost savings across the organization.

Where & When: (Seating will be limited)

Montreal - October 14^th

1st Session: 9:30am - 12:00pm Register Here

2^nd Session: 1:30pm - 4:00pm Register Here

* Both sessions are identical. Please register for only one of the two.

Mississauga - October 23^rd

10:30p.m. - 1:00p.m. Register Here

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Licensing Academy for Value Added Resellers -

VAR Licensing Briefing – brought to you by the Licensing Academy!

Please join us for an in person licensing discussion. This presentation will take place from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm and lunch will be served.
Topics will include:

• Licensing update on Windows® 7 operating system & Windows Server® 2008 R2 operating system
  • GGWA – Get Genuine Windows Agreement
  • MDOP – Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
  • VECD – Virtual Enterprise Centralized Desktop
  • Quick Demo of Windows® 7
• Open Value Level C Review
  • Customer Scenarios & LicenseWise Demo
• Windows, Office, and Big Easy promotions

Where & When: (Seating will be limited)

Calgary - October 27^th Register Here

Richmond - October 28^th Register Here

Montreal - November 2^nd Register Here

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager

Here’s a great article picked up by PCWORLD.ca on one of our top VAR Partner’s and SBSC Member: Bulletproof Infotech, leveraging Office 2007 Professional and Small Business with their hosted Microsoft Exchange Services.

“Microsoft Canada helps Innovative Financial Solutions, a Canadian company with no IT staff and a small business budget, compete.” Click Here for Complete Article

Keep up the great work! Congratulations to Stuart Crawford, vice-president of business development with Bulletproof Infotech

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I am pleased and very proud to announce our SBSC Partners who have recently been chosen as finalists for our FY09 Impact Awards. There are 21 SBSC Partner finalists, in 16 categories out of 25, which is amazing – well done. Please see below for the list of our SBSC Partners who are currently finalists, including our own category Small Business Specialist of the Year.

Since 2003, Microsoft Canada replaced all of its previous technology partner awards with a unified program that also recognizes customer service, marketing, and contribution to the community. Microsoft Canada has outlined 26 categories to honour the achievements of top technology partners. Microsoft Partner Program IMPACT Awards are open to all Technology partners of the Microsoft Partner Program.

The Small Business Specialist award honors a member of the Small Business Specialist Community who demonstrates innovation for deploying a small business Microsoft-based solution (fewer than 50 employees or fewer than 25 PCs) with a tangible impact on the customer’s business.

Congratulation once again to all SBSC Partner Finalists,

Wes Cooper

SMB Communities Manager