Reaching Out to Microsoft Partners in Australia : Web Partners

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

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

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

Remix registration opens – register early to save $ – 11th June

nickmayhew — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:49:23 GMT

Shane Morris announces:

“

Remix registration is live – Register now and Save! Save! Save!

It was weeks in the making, but the Remix Australia website is finally live and taking registrations. Check out the program and you’ll see we’ve been working hard to find the best speakers to cover all the latest Microsoft stuff for the web and beyond.

Just look! There’s Surface, there’s Sketchflow, there’s Blend, there’s Silverlight, Virtual Earth, Live and there’s even a session on how to create branded user experiences in SharePoint. Oh, and there’s a technical track too where you’ll stare at Visual Studio all day and wonder what they’re doing over in the creative track.

The magnanimous Fin has even offered an early bird discount. So you have two reasons to register for Remix now:

Save cash, and
Make sure you get a spot – remember Remix sold out last year.

See you there in Sydney on June 11!

“

Sharepoint 2007 and WSS 3.0 SP2 available

nickmayhew — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:09:00 GMT

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/04/28/announcing-service-pack-2-for-office-sharepoint-server-2007-and-windows-sharepoint-services-3-0.aspx

One to forward to your technical teams !

Technical ‘How Do I’ videos for Azure

nickmayhew — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:46:36 GMT

There is a tonne more info coming out on Azure as a development platform and I strongly encourage all SI and ISV partners to get their tech leads to understand this new model for cloud-based development, and of course start to understand how you can make money and deliver value to your customers from the opportunities this creates.

This page on MSDN has some useful looking ‘How Do I’ videos as well as numerous other resources within the page: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/dd439432.aspx

Microsoft Online Services – Australian partner webcast 16th April

nickmayhew — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:11:31 GMT

Microsoft Online Services will soon be available in Australia, providing customers with enterprise-class software programs delivered as a subscription service, hosted by Microsoft and sold with partners. The offering includes Microsoft Exchange Online with Microsoft Exchange Hosted Filtering, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Communications Online and Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

By referring and building on Microsoft Online Services, partners are able to provide consulting, migration and managed services for customers, delivering solutions that meet customer needs and generate predictable and recurring revenue streams. Many Australian partners have already signed up to become an Online Services advisor.

In this Live Meeting, Lee Hickin (Microsoft Technical Sales) and Kathryn Saducas (Channel Development Manager) will present:

•	Microsoft Online Services: overview, functionality and platform (demo)
•	How to position the BPOS solution to your customers and winning sales scenarios
•	Customer Value Propositions
•	Licensing, and the provisioning process

This session is not to be missed by any Partner wishing to know more about these new services and who is contemplating building a Software Plus Services practise.

When: Thursday 16^th April 2009

Time: 12pm – 1pm EST

For more information about Microsoft Online Services visit: www.discoveronlineservices.com.

Regards

The Microsoft Partner Team

In Australia, Microsoft has entered an exclusive alliance with Telstra to distribute MS Online Services to customers. All non-EA customers will need to transact through the Telstra portal T-Suite rather than directly with Microsoft. This means that some of the details in the above resources do not apply or will be modified to accommodate the new distribution model. For more information about this alliance read the FAQs on the partner portal

WWT has a web client

nickmayhew — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:50:37 GMT

I must have missed this but I noticed today that Worldwide Telescope now has a web client – showing the power of our S+S strategy that combines the best of the on-PC experience with cloud-based services, across many devices. It’s also showing the power of Silverlight in the browser:

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/webclient/

So if you were curious about WWT but couldn’t be bothered to install the full client app, now you can have a real go just in a browser !

Get rebates for Windows Server sales

nickmayhew — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:50:50 GMT

From January 15 to June 30, 2009, partners can qualify for rebates that go from USD$100 for Windows Server 2008 Standard up to USD$500 for Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Premium. Click here for more information and terms & conditions.

https://www.serveroffer.com/

IE8 Launched!

nickmayhew — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:05:03 GMT

http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2009/mar09/03-18IE8AvailablePR.mspx

MIX09 Day 1 Keynote

nickmayhew — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:16:54 GMT

Note also that we announced some updates to the Azure platform – see the press release on my previous post.

News from MIX09 including Silverlight 3 beta

nickmayhew — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:01:40 GMT

Lots of news coming out from MIX09 already, including the announcement of Silverlight 3 beta.

See the first press release here:http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/mar09/03-18MIX09PR.mspx

And the virtual press room is a great place to go regularly throughout the event:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/mix/videoGallery.aspx

as well as the live event site.

Silverlight and Mardi Gras ? Surely not…

nickmayhew — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:57:18 GMT

Well yes, check out this nice little web app on the SMH website. Fairfax were helped by our very own Delicate Genius I am told.

Much more info on DG’s site here.

Commerce Server 2009 Available to MSDN Subscribers (incl partners)

nickmayhew — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:47:37 GMT

http://www.microsoft.com/commerceserver/en/us/default.aspx

and just for partners: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40013175

Are your customers’ websites ready for Internet Explorer 8?

nickmayhew — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:10:38 GMT

Microsoft is underlining its commitment to interoperability and web standards by releasing IE8 with “standards” mode as the default rendering mode. This may cause content written for previous versions of Internet Explorer to display differently than intended. Download IE8 RC1 today to check that your sites render correctly and follow these step-by-step instructions to address any issues.

And partners should also check their own websites of course !