Microsoft SMB Community Blog

The Big Easy Partner Subsidy offer is now live!

We broke the news about the Big Easy Partner Subsidy offer coming back a few weeks ago. Then we announced several webcasts to help get you up to speed on how it works. Now, the Big Easy 2.0 is live!

So head on out to the Big Easy website to check out the details, the calculator, and all of the information to start using the Big Easy 2.0 with your clients today! Also, be sure to go to the Big Easy page on the Partner Portal for tools you can use as Microsoft Partner for Big Easy 2.0.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Small Business Server 2008 has released to manufacturing (RTMed)! Resources for you to get ready.

We are very happy to announce that Microsoft’s exciting new release of the Small Business Server family has released to manufacturing! Earlier we announced that Small Business Server (SBS) 2008 will launch on November 12^th along with Microsoft’s new Essential Business Server (EBS) and reaching the RTM stage is a vital part of the timeline leading up to the launch date.

So now the question becomes, how can you learn more about SBS 2008 (and EBS 2008) so you are ready to have the SBS/EBS 2008 conversations with your clients? We have a variety of opportunities for you to do this:

• We are kicking off the SBS Partner Group Tour on September 6^th which hits cities across the US, so be sure to check out the schedule and sign up for one near you
• There is the SBS/EBS/Windows Server: Which is right for your customer - Partnercast to learn more about which server is right for which customer
• There is the Small Business Server 2008: New Partner Opportunity Partnercast to learn more about SBS 2008 and the opportunity it provides
• There is the Small and Midsize Business Server Platform. Which is Right for Your Customer? 5W/50 webcast available on demand
• There is the SBS 2008 Partner Resource Page, which includes items like: an SBS 2008 click-through demo, Partner Academy Live Technical Training Series, Demo Showcase 2008 SMB Edition, $200 Services Rebate: Deploy Windows SBS 2003 R2 with Software Assurance, and more
• There is the Essential Business Server Jumpstart Online Kit, which provides items such as: Technical readiness, sales readiness, owner’s business cases, marketing readiness, solutions readiness, and more
• We also have the Windows SBS & EBS 2008 Technical Training online sessions available to you

And don’t forget to look into the Big Easy Partner Subsidy program as well as the Microsoft Financing promotions to help you drive more sales and deeper engagements with your clients as you have these conversations.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Are you ready for the Big Easy 2.0? Here are some opportunities for you to get up to speed…

A couple of weeks ago in my, “Guess what’s coming back? Here’s a hint: It’s BIG and it’s Easy…” post, I told you about the Big Easy webcast that we ran this past Wednesday and how you should attend to learn about the new Big Easy coming online on August 25^th. So, did you make it onto the call?

In this post, I want to bring to light some readiness opportunities for all of you to make sure you are fully up to speed on what the new Big Easy program is, how it works, what it means to you and for your clients, etc. So here you go:

1) If you missed the call on the 20^th or if you made the call but want to review the content again, you can view the Live Meeting session replay HERE.

2) Next week, we are running a Big Easy Daily Workshop series where you can dive further into understanding the Big Easy Partner subsidy program and how it works. This is a Live Meeting that will take place daily from 8:30 – 9:30 am PST throughout the week. You can attend these sessions on any of these five days by JOINING THE LIVE MEETING HERE.

3) Then, be sure to check out the Big Easy section on Microsoft Incentives after it launches on the 25^th for even more resources and tools to help you be successful.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

The SBS 2008 Partner Group Tour is coming! Are you signed up?

The creators of Small Business Server 2008 are coming to a city near you and you have the opportunity to join them for this inside look at SBS 2008. Hear first-hand from the creators and ask those tough questions only they can answer! This information-packed, three-hour presentation will highlight the technology changes and explain the changes in pricing and licensing of the product. You will also learn about key programs and offers Microsoft is making available to help you get more business today!

The tour kicks off September 6^th and runs through September 24^th, so check out the tour city list and sign up for the session closest to you today.

Also, remember that we also have the Windows SBS & EBS 2008 Technical Training online sessions available to you, if you haven’t seen those yet.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

New Volume License Rights - Application Server License Mobility

Just released, an important new Microsoft Volume License brief, “Application Server License Mobility”, has been posted to the Microsoft Volume License Briefs site, which describes new Microsoft Volume Licensing rights that enable server application licenses to move more freely across servers in a server farm, waiving a 90-day license reassignment rule. These new rights are effective as of September 1, 2008.

To help customers take advantage of virtualization technologies, Microsoft is updating its software licensing policies for server applications (This change is for qualifying server applications, not desktop applications or the Windows Desktop O/S). This latest set of changes complement several enhancements made in 2005, by allowing greater mobility of server application licenses across servers within data centers and server farms. With the changes, both licenses and software can move more freely across servers in a server farm, potentially reducing the number of licenses needed to support workloads. Effectively, the changes mean instead of counting instances or processors and licensing by server, customers are able to count instances or processors and license by server farm.

This is accomplished by allowing customers to reassign server application licenses freely across servers within a server farm. The changes apply to software licenses for certain server applications and all external connector (EC) licenses. In these cases, the limitation on short-term (90 days or less) license reassignment is waived. This change does not apply to software licenses for the Windows Server® operating system, Client Access Licenses (CALs), or Management Licenses (MLs). This change applies only to licenses acquired under a Volume Licensing program. It does not apply to licenses acquired through other retail sources.

Be sure to download and read the “Application Server License Mobility” brief for a full list of qualifying application server software as well as more in-depth details about this change.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Have you looked at the new Partner Business Network?

The Microsoft Partner Team has recently rolled out the Partner Business Network, which is a new online community for Microsoft Partners. The Partner Business Network is designed to be a platform for interacting with your peers to help you grow your business. They will have a discussion forum and member directory up shortly; however, you can start collaborating now. Here are some of the ways to get involved today:

1. Be a radio star. Record an original interview for the whole community to hear. Raise your hand if you’re interested in participating in a partnercast, and one of our editors will contact you.
2. Ask away. Got a tough marketing question? (Like: “How do I double my ROI and cut my marketing budget at the same time?”) Or an easy one? (Like: “What’s a webinar?”) Just ask. Our marketing gurus will take their best crack at even your thorniest queries.
3. Pull up a soap box. Use your impressive sales expertise to contribute an article for the community to feast on. As the smartest folks in business know, sharing what you know is win-win, since it initiates dialogue.
4. Speak your mind. Chime in with your comments on the articles your peers contribute and on the answers our guest columnists supply. (Look for the comments box below each article.)
5. Chat with our editors. Submit to a friendly debriefing on your past experiences with Ready-to-Go Campaigns at the hands of our resident writer for his series of case-study articles.
6. Promote yourself. Publish your member profile now, so that when we go searchable in a short while, you’ll be ready to network with your peers.
7. Talk to us. Fill out our quick survey and let us know what you think—and what features you’d like to see.

As with any community, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. So why not give it a try today? You can also reach the Partner Business Network Team via email or on the phone: (866) 892-3151.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Windows SBS & EBS 2008 Technical Training online sessions available to you

We are kicking off a series of sixteen online technical webcasts focused on SBS 2008 and EBS 2008. The series will include eight on SBS 2008 and eight on EBS 2008 and will run from August 21^st until September 10^th. To view the full lineup and register for these online sessions, simply CLICK HERE.

These sessions are designed to help you learn about:

• Planning, Design, & Installation
• Migration
• Management, Health, & Reporting
• Messaging & Remote Access
• Security & Backup
• LOB Support, Extensibility, & Troubleshooting
• Virtualization

By the way, did you happen to catch the, “5W/50 Series - The Small and Midsize Business Server Platform: Which Is Right for Your Customer?” session last Friday? If not, no worries. Simply click the session name above and you can view it on demand.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Microsoft Dynamics CRM & ERP Partner events coming to cities across the US

For those of you looking for new ways to expand your offerings and grow your business? Be sure to attend a Microsoft Dynamics™ partner event in a city near you being held in August and September, 2008.  You can register either the morning CRM session, the afternoon ERP session, or make a day of it and attend both.

In the morning Microsoft Dynamics CRM Session (9:00am - 12:00pm), you'll learn about the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software + Service strategy, plus hear how Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. At this partner-only event, you'll see first-hand how Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help you:

• Empower your customers with unprecedented choices of how to buy, run, and use Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• Increase your reach by addressing opportunities in new geographies, market segments, and industries.
• Accelerate your business by building competency with process, technical, sales, and marketing expertise.

In the afternoon Microsoft Dynamics ERP Session (1:30pm - 4:30pm), you’ll learn about how ERP software can now adapt to the changing environments of organizations through collaboration and extensive business intelligence and what this means when engaging your customers and prospects.

Whether you currently offer ERP solutions or are planning to do so, join us to learn how Microsoft Dynamics ERP integrates with Microsoft Platform tools and how you can position this resource for the future.

You can REGISTER HERE for one of these sessions and here are the locations for these Partner presentations:

• Downers Grove, IL
• Denver, CO
• Fargo, ND
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Bellevue, WA
• Columbus, OH
• New York, NY
• Mason, OH
• Durham, NC
• Phoenix, AZ

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

The Microsoft Small Business Facebook page is live. Have you seen it yet?

From the team that brought you the Microsoft Small Business Center, the Microsoft Small Business Show, and the Microsoft Small Business Summit, now the Microsoft Small Business Team has rolled out the Microsoft Small Business Facebook page. On the Microsoft Small Business Facebook page, you will be able to:

• Connect with the Microsoft Small Business team online, and other Small Business owners.
• Get the latest updates of new articles, offers and tips.
• View upcoming local events.
• Watch Small Business tips, tricks, and Summit videos.

So why not take a few minutes, head on out to the Microsoft Small Business Facebook page and let the team know what you think.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Who are the FY09 Microsoft SBSC PALs?

Shortly after Worldwide Partner Conference last year, I posted about the new SBSC PAL initiative and who the FY08 Worldwide SBSC PALs were. You can see these at:

• Who’s my PAL? And why haven't I heard about this?
• Microsoft PAL Initiative overview and Worldwide PAL list

We are now in our Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09), which means there is an updated Worldwide SBSC PAL list for this year. Some of the people are the same and some of the people are different. Here is the full list so that you know who your SBSC PAL is for your part of the world including their Area and contact information they have given us permission to share:

• Australia - Hilton Travis - Quark IT, PO Box 995, Sunnybank  Qld  4109, Tel: 07 3105 9101
• New Zealand - Ben Walton - Tiger Networks, Level 1, 96 New North Road, Eden Terrace, Auckland 1003, New Zealand, Tel: +64 9 358 5480
• Canada - Elisabeth Vanderveldt - Conamex, 9780 Hamel, Montreal, Quebec H2C 2W7, Tel: (514) 381-1900
• Canada - Brad Kowerchuk - Bralin Technology Solutions, 104, 2062 100th Street, Box 422, North Batteford, SK S9A 2Y4 Canada, Tel: (306) 445-4881
• Denmark - Klaus Juhl - PC SYS, Midtager 29, 2605 Brøndby, Tel: +4543432929
• France - Elisabeth Gervais - Likinia, 1 rue des Primevères, 14210 Noyers-Bocage, Tel: +33 (0)2 31 25 41 41
• Germany - Oliver Sommer - Trinity Computer, Rötkersiek 44; 32760, Detmold; Germany, Tel: +49 (0)5231-458986-0
• Germany - Oliver Kiel - PingUs Solutions OHG, Marienstraße 1a; 16552 Mühlenbecker Land – OT, Ortsteil Schildow; Germany, Tel: +49 (0)33056 / 4202-0
• India - Suresh Ramani - Techgyan, Office #4A, Shankeshwar Darshan, A.G. Pawar X Road 2, Byculla, Mumbai 400 027, India, Tel: +91-22-23717207
• Italy - Fabio Cazzaniga - Braindata s.a.s., Via Sirtori, 26/G– Casatenovo (LC), Casatenovo, Italy, Tel: +39.039.9202602
• Slovenia/CEE - Jose Antonio Morales - B4Contact d.o.o., Naselje Jožeta Kerenčiča 38, 9000 Murska Sobota, Slovenia, Tel: +386 2 530 8222
• South Africa - David Lees - Sector4 Contact Management Solutions, 3rd floor The Palms 145 Sir Lowry Rd POB 12403 Mill St 8010, Cape town, South Africa 7925, Tel: +27 21 465 0560
• UK - Vijay Riyait - iQubed, 3 Lawrence Close, Leicester, Leicestershire, UK, LE4 2SB, Tel: +44 (0)845 004 8466
• UK - Gareth Brown - Sytec Systems & Technology Ltd, 26 Parkers Close, Downtown Business Centre, Salisbury, UK, SP5 3RB, Tel: +44 (0) 8700 111 366
• US - Kim Walker - Franklin Computer, 4770 Indianola Avenue, Ste 110, Columbus, OH 43214, Tel: (614) 431-3327
• US - Jere Terrill - My Computer Mechanic, 1077 Whispering Oak Drive, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104, Tel: 303.663.9082
• US - Neil Pearlstein - PC Professional Inc., 1615 Webster Street, Oakland, California, 94612, Tel: 510-874-5859
• US - Mark Crall - Charlotte Tech Care Team, 10700 Sikes Place, Suite 280, Charlotte, NC 28277, Tel: (704) 248-8328 x33

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Please ignore our dust while we make some updates

Over the years, the various components of the Microsoft SMB Channel Community have continued to grow and expand to better address the needs and requests of those in the Community. These components I am referring to are our MSSMALLBIZ.com WebSite, our User Group, and our Blog.

During this week, we will be making some changes to the server hosting the MSSMALLBIZ.com WebSite which means there may be some times where you will not be able to access some of the resources hosted there. We will be making every effort to ensure that the transition is a quick and painless as possible; however, I did want to let you all know about this update in case you do get any error message when trying to locate some of these resources.

Just so you know, here are some of the items that may be affected during this update timeline:

• The MSSMALLBIZ website itself
• The 5W/50 Partner training series site
• The Less Than Coffee site
• The Less Than Fries site
• The 30 in 30 site
• The Pass A Smile site
• Among others…

So thank you in advance for your patience as we make these necessary updates to better serve you in the future through the Microsoft SMB Channel Community.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft Senior Manager, Community Engagement
US Partner Strategy, Marketing and Programs
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

How to access your E-Learning benefits in Software Assurance

E-Learning courses are an included benefit of Software Assurance to help clients get the most from their Microsoft technologies by providing access to electronic training courses they can access to be more proficient in using each software package. In the past, I have posted lists showing some of the E-Learning courses included for a few of the most popular Microsoft products:

• What eLearning courses do I get with my Microsoft Office Software Assurance?
• So what eLearning courses do I get with my SBS Software Assurance?
• What eLearning courses do I get with my Microsoft Windows Software Assurance?

Yesterday, I received the question of, “How do I access my E-Learning benefits in Software Assurance?” so I thought I would share this directly with all of you so you have this information readily available for your clients as well. There are two methods to access their E-Learning benefits.  Below are the steps for both, as well as screen shots to go with them.  You can click any image to view it full size.

Method A: E-Learning for Applications, Systems, and Servers is available over the Internet on Microsoft E-Learning Online.

Step 1: Log onto Microsoft E-Learning website at http://business.microsoftelearning.com/ and click ‘Sign in’
Step 2: Sign in with Microsoft Live ID or Passport account

Once you have signed in, you can click on ‘My Learning Catalogue’ which lists the courses which you have access to through your organization’s Software Assurance benefits.

Search the catalogue to find a course and add it to your ‘My Learning space’ which keeps track of all your courses which you have activated.

Method B: E-Learning for Applications and Systems via Download

E-Learning for Applications or Systems is available for download into your own Learning Management System (LMS). You can also download SCORM-compliant content-only files from Microsoft Volume License Services (MVLS) or order media kits for SCORM-compliant content from your reseller. This enables you to integrate the e-learning into your LMS for behind-the-firewall training.

Courses in the Server pool cannot be integrated into your LMS because they provide virtual labs that must be hosted on the Microsoft E-Learning Online Web site.

Step 1: Click on the Microsoft SA eLearning – Applications, Systems, or Server hyperlink
Step 2: Assign a Benefits Contact.
Step 3: Confirm the contact details of Benefits Contact
Step 4: Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Enter company domain name and click add. (E.g. xyz.net). Then select Activate Benefit.
Step 4 continued: Benefit activated.
Step 5: Scroll down Benefit Details page and click on product downloads
Step 6: Select relevant downloads and download E-Learning via link provided.
Step 7: Upon activation, a notification email will be sent to the Benefits Contact which includes information such as:	The single code for eligible employees to use to access the courses The number of unique users allowed to access the site with the code A notification email template that you can use to send to eligible employees notifying them of their access to and how to access the E-Learning benefits