Reaching Out to Microsoft Partners in Australia : S+S

Simplifying Cloud Services

nickmayhew — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:10:17 GMT

With such a plethora of definitions, options and understandings of the broad IT term ‘cloud’ we’ve just launched a new worldwide site to bring our offerings together – with information laid out in simple terms with content categorised by role.

www.microsoft.com/cloudservices

Major announcements on Azure

nickmayhew — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:40:30 GMT

We just made a significant announcement on Azure, our cloud computing platform at the so-called PDC event.

Read all about it:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/nov09/11-17pdc1pr.mspx

BPOS Worldwide Announcements

nickmayhew — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:09:27 GMT

We’ve just made some important announcements around availability (in new markets) and pricing for BPOS. You can read the detail here on the official press release and more on the official Online Services blog.

Note that given the local alliance with Telstra, Australian partners should wait for specific local information from Telstra on any further developments on the MS Online platform as delivered through T-Suite and not assume the worldwide announcements automatically flow through.

Partners should start with joining the LinkedIn Community that Kathryn Saducas is running.

Outlook 2003 and Exchange Online – beta announcement

nickmayhew — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:12:47 GMT

“In response to customer feedback, the Microsoft Online Services engineering team is developing the Outlook 2003 Connector. This is an Outlook add-in that will enable customers to use Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 to access all the features of Exchange Online. This includes free/busy information when setting up meetings, and the ability to access your organization’s global address list (GAL) from Outlook when you're offline. The add-in is currently in private beta testing with selected MVPs, Partners, and customers, and we’re ready to broaden the audience.”

More here:

http://blogs.technet.com/msonline/archive/2009/09/24/do-you-want-to-use-outlook-2003-with-exchange-online.aspx

MS Online goes live on Telstra T-Suite

nickmayhew — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:05:59 GMT

Today we made the announcement that BPOS is now available for customers through Telstra’s T-Suite portal. This is of course an important milestone for partners keen to get old involved in the MS Online space.

Lots of discussion and information will be going on at partner conference on the Gold coast. Remember to join the LinkedIn group as a first step if you are interested in getting involved, as well as signing the MOSPA agreement and the Telstra partner agreement (“TOSA”).

http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media/announcements_article.cfm?ObjectID=45443

Interested in MS Online and going to partner conference ?

nickmayhew — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:39:50 GMT

If so then you’ll be interested in these roundtables that Kathryn Saducas is running with Telstra:

“You’re invited to attend Roundtable Sessions at APC

The roundtable sessions with Telstra and Microsoft will provide you the opportunity to connect with Telstra executives and Microsoft to learn more about Microsoft Online Services and engaging with Telstra. The format of the sessions will be held in small groups and are designed to be a two way discussion.

There are a number of different sessions scheduled during APC (see below). Please send an email to Olivia Cortes to confirm which session you would like to attend. Space is limited to 8-10 partners per session so we will do our best to accommodate you. So please RSVP to your preferred session.

Also, if you have any thoughts on topics for discussion, please include these in your email to Olivia so we can craft the best session for you.

Roundtable Title and Time

What it’s all about

Time: Thurs 3^rd September 1:45 – 2:30pm

Title: ISV Development Opportunity

Hosts: Marcus Bartram / Dave Carden (Telstra), Kathryn Saducas / Stefan Jansen (Microsoft)

Discussion Topics:

· Learn about the T-Suite strategy and the opportunity for ISVs.

· Understand the application selection criteria for T-Suite.

Time: Thurs 3^rd September 4:00 – 4:45pm

Title: SMB MS Online Roundtable 1

Hosts: Marcus Bartram / Dave Carden (Telstra), Kathryn Saducas (Microsoft)

Discussion Topics:

· How to engage with Telstra and Microsoft around customer opportunities.

· What the business rules are and other necessary details

· What training / readiness support do you require.

Time: Thur 3^rd September 4:55-5:40pm

Title: Interested in Becoming a Telstra Dealer?

Hosts: Dave Carden / Marcus Bartram (Telstra)

Discussion Topics:

· Understand the various ways to engage with Telstra.

· Augment your current customer offerings and add new revenue streams with Telstra’s broadband and Next IP services.

· Learn about the Telstra ICT Partner Program.

Time: Thur 4^th September 11:00-11:45pm

Title: SMB MS Online Roundtable 2 (repeat)

Hosts: Marcus Bartram / Dave Carden (Telstra), Kathryn Saducas (Microsoft)

Discussion Topics (as above):

· How to make money out of Microsoft Online Services.

· How to engage with Telstra and Microsoft around customer opportunities.

· What training / readiness support do you require.

RSVP Information:

For more information or to RSVP for one of the above sessions email Olivia Cortes Olivia.Cortes@team.telstra.com (Telstra).

If you have any further queries or want to connect with someone at APC around Microsoft Online Services outside of the above sessions, please email Kathryn Saducas ksaducas@microsoft.com.

“

Allison Watson on MS Online in Asia

nickmayhew — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:01:26 GMT

Allison Watson, our worldwide leader for the partner ecosystem was interviewed recently in Singapore on the topic of S+S and adoption rates expected in Asia.

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62056650,00.htm

There is no question we are expecting strong take up in Australia as we ramp up availability of MS Online through Telstra (news on launch coming soon) and it will be interesting to see if we can drive greater growth than the US and UK for example. The Azure announcements at worldwide partner conference have of course introduced a third pillar to our S+S execution now (following partner hosted and MS Online) and we believe Azure will be an important consideration for development-centric audiences such as in-house corporate development teams and ISVs.

Microsoft Surface Partner Program & SDK

nickmayhew — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:26:09 GMT

One of the really interesting WPC announcements was that the Surface team has launched a partner program. I talk regularly with Aussie partners keen to get started on Surface development but the absence of real tables here is a barrier to them. This site and program is a great first step to getting stuck in, including an SDK for development (without the need for a full device).

http://www.surface.com/partners

Press release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/Jul09/07-13SurfaceWPC.mspx

Azure and interactive maps demonstrator

nickmayhew — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:19:25 GMT

With much momentum behind one part of our overall S+S strategy (namely BPOS/Microsoft Online), partners will in addition begin to see more momentum building on the ‘cloud OS’ side of the equation, namely Azure.

I’ve just seen this announced internally as an example of some of the real world applications going up on the Azure platform – this one for a forthcoming event in Chicago.

http://tasteofchicago09.cloudapp.net/Map.aspx

Nice demonstrator !

Building custom applications for MS Online

nickmayhew — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:46:41 GMT

I know many of our partners will be keen to see this which I found on the MS Online team blog:

http://blogs.technet.com/msonline/archive/2009/06/04/video-interview-building-custom-applications-using-microsoft-online-services.aspx

There is quite a lot of customisation opportunity with the MS Online platform – more than many partners that I have spoken to realise – so I’d encourage you to investigate. Remember to use the developer guides for more info – they are available on the discoveronlineservices.com website.

MS Online Services Updates

nickmayhew — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:25:40 GMT

http://blogs.technet.com/msonline/pages/june-2009-microsoft-online-services-release-notes.aspx

“The Microsoft Online Services Monthly Service Update for June 2009 delivers two important capabilities for Microsoft Online Services:

· Increase to 30 MB for Exchange Online attachments.

· Support for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 client for Exchange Online

Following are release notes for the June 2009 release:”

See blog posting for the details…

BPOS review worth reading

nickmayhew — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:49:00 GMT

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cloud-computing-bpos,2313.html

We are building substantial sales momentum now with BPOS for enterprise agreement customers and the launch planning with Telstra continues to progress well, so I encourage all of our partners to consider how you can grow your own business and better service your customers with the new options for delivery of software+services via Microsoft Online. The article above is a good independent review that gives a good level of detail.

And of course come to the partner roadshow next week for much more info.

Reminder – Microsoft Online Partner Roadshows kick off next week

nickmayhew — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:33:21 GMT

http://blogs.msdn.com/nickmayhew/archive/2009/05/18/microsoft-online-partner-roadshow-all-cities-enrol-now.aspx for all the info.

Or Register Now to get on with it :-)

New content on QuickstartOnlineServices.com

nickmayhew — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:12:10 GMT

The partner specific content keeps rolling out as we continue to build momentum fast with online services. Here are the the latest updates:

www.quickstartonlineservices.com

Microsoft Mapping Roadshow – Melb, Syd, Brisbane - 9-12 June

nickmayhew — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:28:34 GMT

The Microsoft mapping team are holding a series of presentations in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney this June to provide you with all the information you require to integrate maps in to your partner offering or solution. Never before has it been so easy for your organisation to assist customers track assets, find new customers, manage a mobile sales force or to better service their existing customers.

Gain real insight into how map-enabling business applications can be part of your solution offering. If you are a technologist you’ll be amazed at just how easy it is to access and integrate Microsoft maps into your existing environment. Developers should not miss this opportunity to hear from Chris Pendleton, one of the world’s leading experts on the Microsoft mapping platform.

The agenda will consist of:

Informative sessions; you will hear from customers and partners who have utilised Microsoft maps as well as technical presentations and the latest updates from the maps team including integration with Sharepoint, SQL Server 2008 and Dynamics.

A masterclass from Chris Pendleton highlighting useful tips and tricks for developers, ensuring you get the most out of the Microsoft mapping platform.

A valuable opportunity to network with other partners.

Places are limited so if you do wish to register please do so ASAP at https://www.microsoft.com.au/events/register/home.aspx?levent=324573&linvitation