News & Views for Australian SBSCs : SBSC

The SBS/EBS Solutions Pathway - what's it all about?

rupcroft — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:52 GMT

Lots of discussion at the moment around the recently announced "Solutions Pathway" & so I thought I'd steal Eric Ligman's post to summarise - see below.

Basically, Solutions Pathway is our new upgrade process for all things SBS & EBS & so please take a couple of mins to read through the below & familiarise yourself with the program.

I appreciate that there may be questions around this & so please let me know if you have any concerns.

Cheers,

Robbie

For those customers with Software Assurance on their SBS 2003 Servers, they already get all of the benefits of the SBS 2003 R2 offering and now have rights to the SBS 2008 solutions moving forward, in addition to all of the Software Assurance benefits. But what about, "Where did the Transition Pack go with SBS 2008?" or other questions about moving into and through the SBS and EBS product families?

Some of you may have heard about a new item called, "Solutions Pathway," which helps provide ways to manoeuvre into and between the SBS & EBS products. To help you better understand what Solutions Pathway is and how it works, we are providing this (rather long) FAQ set for you, which will also be posted to the Microsoft Partner Portal soon as well.

Q. What is Solutions Pathway?

A. Microsoft recognizes the need to provide small and medium business (SMB) customers, and the partners serving these customers, with an easy way to migrate their technology products as their business needs change—whether that entails a move to Windows Essential Server Solutions family of products or movement within the Windows Essential Server Solutions family of products or out of the family to its individual components. With that in mind, Microsoft is introducing Solutions Pathway, which will enable the partners help their customers to upgrade to a new product or solution quite easily from the one that the customers are currently using.

Solutions Pathway offers a tiered discount that will be applicable to various mobility scenarios, i.e. into, within, and out of Windows Essential Server Solutions family of products, and will replace previously offered products, such as Version Upgrade (VUP), Product Upgrade Pack (PUP) and Transition Pack (TP), to achieve the same outcomes. Partners, on behalf of their customers, will be able to make the purchase easily from the Solutions Pathway website on Microsoft.com.

Small Business Specialists and Networking Infrastructure Solutions partners can receive an additional 10% discount. Access to Solutions Pathway for these partners is available here.

For more information on becoming a Small Business specialist, click here. To learn more about joining the Networking Infrastructure Solutions competency, click here.

Q. What are the eligibility requirements to participate in Solutions Pathway?

A. The only requirement to be eligible to participate in Solutions Pathway is that the customer has the perpetual license to any one of the qualifying products, as detailed below, that the customer is using and now wants to move out of. Licenses acquired under any subscription-based Microsoft Volume Licensing program (e.g., Open Value Subscription), do not qualify customers to make Solutions Pathway purchases.

The table below captures the allowed mobility scenarios. The entry points to Solutions Pathway are the products listed in first column:

Click image for full size

Note:

a. The individual components relevant to Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server (EBS) 2008 are as below:

Click image for full size

b. Detailed information on these Limited Duration Programs is available here.

Q. In which regions will Solutions Pathway be offered?

A. Solutions Pathway will be available worldwide.

Q. How does Solutions Pathway work?

A. An example scenario will clarify how the Solutions Pathway concept will work.
Let’s say a customer has Windows SBS 2008 Standard. Whatever channel the customer buys it from, the partner (on behalf of customer) can go to the Solutions Pathway online store and choose the mobility path, whether it is an upgrade from the Standard to the Premium edition within the same product or from Windows SBS 2008 to Windows EBS 2008, or from Windows SBS 2008 to standalone products.

On the Solutions Pathway online store, the partner will be asked to input the information about the current product, and the most important piece of that information is the 5x5 product key (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx). In this example, the partner will enter the Windows SBS 2008 Standard product key. The back-end infrastructure of Solutions Pathway will recognize the product key and then display the available options based on the fact that customer has Windows SBS 2008 Standard.
The partner can then choose the path she wants to take and buy the corresponding server and CALs. At the time of billing, the partner will be given a discount over the total price of the purchase and will be billed that amount—plus taxes, VAT (Value Added Tax, if applicable), and shipping and handling.

With this, the transaction will be complete and the products (server and CALs) will be shipped to the given address.

Q. Are licenses acquired through Solutions Pathway OEM, Full Package Product (aka Retail box), or Volume licenses?

A. Licenses purchased through Solutions Pathway are Full Package Product (aka Retail box) licenses.

Q. What is the discount offered to Partners in Solutions Pathway? Where can I find my pricing on these items as a Partner?

A. The discount level offered depends on the mobility scenario, i.e.

Into Windows Essential Server Solutions 2008 Family
Within Windows Essential Server Solutions 2008 Family
Out of Windows Essential Server Solutions 2008 Family

Below is an illustration of all possible mobility paths available in Solutions Pathway:

Click image for full size

Solutions Pathway offers a tiered discount. There are 2 different discount levels in each tier – one discount for Small Business Specialists (SBSC) and Networking Infrastructure Solutions (NI) partners, another for all other partners and customers. More information on Solutions Pathway for partners can be found here.

Click image for full size

Discounts applied to Windows SBS 2008 prices listed here and Windows EBS 2008 prices listed here.

Q. You mention customers can order this directly from Microsoft.com—doesn’t this mean that Microsoft is now competing with me as a partner?

A. No. Microsoft has always tried to make its technology products as accessible as possible. Partners are an extremely important part of our ecosystem, especially in the small and medium business (SMB) segment. Because of this, partners receive an additional 10% discount on Solutions Pathway pricing and since SMB customers tend to rely on partners for their IT purchases, Solutions Pathway offers the partners with an opportunity to generate additional revenue.

Q. Will these upgrades and credit programs offered through Solutions Pathway be available in LicenseWise or Gear Up tools for putting quotes together for my clients?

A. No, these will not be available anywhere else except for Solutions Pathway.

Q. Where on the Microsoft Partner Portal can I learn more about Solutions Pathway and how it works with ordering steps?

A. Partner-specific information on Solutions Pathway is available here, and general overview is also available here. We are also making available a step-by-step guide that covers the purchase process through Solutions Pathway from start to finish, which can be found here. (Step-by-Step document coming soon, before Nov. 24^th, but I wanted to post the link here for you so you can access it as soon as it goes up)

Q. Can I order the upgrades that are offered in Solutions Pathway through my Distributor?

A. No, right now the upgrades offered through Solutions Pathway cannot be ordered through distributors; however, the next version of Solutions Pathway, scheduled for release on 05/01/2009, will have an interface for the distributors and the partners will then be able to order through the distributors.

Q. Can I order the upgrades that are offered in Solutions Pathway in advance to have in stock for my clients?

A. No, the upgrades offered through Solutions pathway cannot be stocked in advance as the only way to participate in Solutions Pathway is to have the 5x5 product key of an existing eligible product.

Q. Are the upgrades that are offered in Solutions Pathway also available through the Open License programs?

A. No, these will not be available anywhere but Solutions Pathway.

Q. When is Solutions Pathway available and which mobility paths will be offered?

A. Solutions Pathway will launch on 11/12/08 with one scenario activated: moving into the Windows Essential Server Solutions family. Within and Out of Windows Essential Server Solutions family transitions can only be made after 180 days of purchase of the product that is being used to gain entry to Solutions Pathway. Thus the scenarios: moving within and out of the Windows Essential Server Solutions family will be activated starting 05/01/2009.

Q. When is version 2 of Solutions Pathway scheduled for release and what new features can we expect?

A. Version 2 of Solutions Pathway is scheduled for release on 05/01/2009. Among the features that are part of this release are:

Adding interface for distributors to participate in Solutions Pathway
Offer Windows Server 2008, which ships as part of Windows SBS 2008 Premium and Windows EBS 2008 Premium, downgrade to Windows Server 2003 R2

Please note that this list is directional only and is subject to change.

Q. How will upgrading from the previous Windows SBS versions such as Windows SBS 2000 and Windows SBS 2003 R2 work?

A. All customers who have Windows SBS 2000, Windows SBS 2003 or Windows SBS 2003 R2 will be eligible to purchase Windows SBS 2008 software and CALs through Solutions Pathway at an attractive discount.

Q. Will customers be able to upgrade from Windows SBS 2008 to Windows EBS 2008 easily? What will the cost be?

A. Customers can upgrade from Windows SBS 2008 to Windows EBS 2008. So, all customers who have Windows SBS 2008 will be eligible to purchase Windows EBS 2008 software and CALs through Solutions Pathway at an attractive discount.

Q. What are the “Exchange Server 2007 Software and CAL Credit” and “Windows Server 2008 Standard CAL Credit” promotions being offered in the Solutions Pathway program?

A. In conjunction with Solutions Pathway, Microsoft is launching two offers for a limited duration of time:

Exchange Server 2007 Software and CAL Credit: Through this offer, any customer that has a perpetual license to Exchange Server 2007 Standard software and has acquired corresponding Exchange Server 2007 CALs will be given a discount when licensing Windows EBS 2008 Standard or Premium software and Windows EBS 2008 CAL Suite or Windows EBS 2008 CAL Suite for Premium users or devices through Solutions Pathway.

Windows Server 2008 Standard CAL Credit: Through this offer, any customer that has a perpetual license to Windows Server 2008 Standard software and has acquired corresponding Windows Server 2008 CALs will be given a discount when licensing Windows EBS 2008 CAL Suite through Solutions Pathway.

The intent of these two offers is to preserve the investments that customers have made in Exchange Server 2007 Standard software and CALs, as well as Windows Server 2008 Standard CALs as these are included in Windows EBS 2008 software and CAL.

Please note that these are limited-duration programs, and more information can be found in the Solutions Pathway terms and conditions.

Q. Will there be an upgrade path from Windows Server 2008 Standard to Windows SBS 2008?

A. No. Microsoft believes that customers with Windows Server 2008 Standard can purchase Windows SBS 2008 and use that Windows Server 2008 Standard in the Windows SBS 2008 domain. This way, customers can enjoy their continued investment in Windows Server 2008 Standard.

Q. When the customer passes the 75-user limit for Windows SBS 2008, what is the next step?

A. There is a choice: move up the customer to Windows EBS 2008 or to the standalone servers that make up Windows SBS 2008 solution. Both scenarios are supported through Solutions Pathway.

Q. When he customer passes the 300-user limit for Windows EBS 2008, what is the next step?

A. Partners can take advantage of Solutions Pathway and move the customer to the standalone servers that make up Windows EBS 2008 solution.

Q. Is there a mobility path to CORE CAL?

A. No. There are no mobility paths to Core CAL through Solutions Pathway.

Q. Will it be possible to step up from S Windows BS 2003 + Software Assurance to E Windows BS 2008 (since Windows SBS 2008 doesn't include an ISA Server)?

A. Yes, Microsoft is working to create a step-up SKU to Windows EBS 2008 for customers who have Software Assurance on Windows SBS 2003 R2 and want to move to Windows EBS 2008. Details will be available shortly.

Q. Can I add Software Assurance to the Solutions Pathway purchase?

A. Yes, licenses purchased through Solutions Pathway are Full Package Product (aka Retail box) licenses which Software Assurance can be added to within 90 days of Solutions Pathway purchase. See the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product List for details.

Q. How long does it take to receive the media/keys after purchase?

A. It takes 2-3 weeks for shipment to be delivered at the address provided.

Q. What if I experience a problem with my order in Solutions Pathway, who should I contact?

A. At Microsoft, we value our partners and customers and want to ensure a high quality purchase experience. Should you experience a problem with your order, contact your region below:

North America: solutionspathway@one.microsoft.upgrade.com
Latin America: http://support.microsoft.com/gp/contactusen/?ln=es-la
Europe, Middle East and Africa: direct-mar@msdirectservices.com
Asia Pacific: porders@microsoft.com or wwpo@microsoft.com (for Taiwan only)

Q. How are taxes and VAT treated in Solutions Pathway?

A. Customers are required to pay the taxes and VAT (if applicable).

Q. Do customers have to pay shipping and handling charges for their purchases through Solutions Pathway?

A. Yes, customers are required to pay shipping and handling charges.

Q. If I can’t find the 5 x 5 product key (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx) that I used to install my software, where can I get it?

A. You can contact Microsoft support centers for additional assistance or request a media replacement:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=mscom

Q. Where can I find the Solutions Pathway website?

A. Customers and partners will have different entry websites to redeem their corresponding discounts. Customers can start here and partners here.

Q. Where can I find an end-to-end Solutions Pathway purchase process?

A. A detailed Solutions Pathway process document is available here to provide you with additional information and easy step-by-step guide to your product upgrade. (Step-by-Step document coming soon, before Nov. 24^th, but I wanted to post the link here for you so you can access it as soon as it goes up)

I hope this helps answer many of the questions you have had about Solutions Pathway, what it is, how it works, etc. If there are others we have missed, well, you know where to find me to let us know. :-)

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Global Partner Experience Lead
Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

Microsoft SMB Community Blog : Solutions Pathway - SBS and EBS upgrades - FAQ For Partners

15 additional CALs for SBSC partners only

rupcroft — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:39:09 GMT

Just received word that the exclusive SBSC Toolkit shipping with the October Action Pack will include 15 additional CALs for SBS & EBS. Nice. The kits will be at the Microsoft post office from October 24th & so should be with you a few weeks after that.

So along with all the other fun stuff, you'll end up with 25 CALs of both products for internal, testing & demo usage - 10 in the normal MAPS & 15 in the SBSC toolkit.

You'll also receive the new Demo Showcase 2008 (29 scenarios, which include the new simulations for SBS/EBS) + the Virtual Machines.

Now's the time to update your subscription if you haven't already done so.

Cheers & lemme know if any probs,

Robbie

Building your strategic network

rupcroft — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:37:18 GMT

Good read from the American Express OPEN business forum around the importance of building your strategic network.

Snippet:

You can easily and logically develop joint marketing initiatives with one or more partners and share the costs of promotion while borrowing trust built by each partner. This can include brochures, sales calls and workshops hosted jointly.

Many of the most successful partners that I've come across have built solid networks in their local community - not just with other IT organisations, but accountants, business advisors, book-keepers & other professional service organisations. They work hard to be part of a set of trusted advisors & benefit from the halo effect of their relationship with other providers.

Vijay Riyait, one the UK SBSC PALs was one of the best I've seen at doing this. He cultivated a network of businesses in the Midlands & spent time attending conferences, talking at chambers of commerce meetings & basically spreading around the goodwill. Yes, he knows his stuff on SBS, but he also makes sure he can talk business.

So, who's in your network?

Do you know 10 accountants / book-keepers in your area?
When did you last do a public presentation on SBS to a group of businesses?
Do you have a client reference program in place to generate good word-of-mouth?
What pro-bono work can you point to that shows you're a good all-round company?
Are you a member of your local chamber / toastmasters / Rotary / Lions club etc?

Cheers & would love to hear about good examples of this,

Robbie

Guest post #2 from Hilton - Aussie SBSC PAL

rupcroft — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:57:59 GMT

See guest post #1 here.

Thanks,

Robbie

As the Australian SBS User Groups are changing focus, direction and names into the SMB IT Professionals groups, we need to ensure that we're not only changing our names, but living up to them. Microsoft has really expanded our market upwards by introducing EBS. The Enterprise players will generally look at this, see Wizards and dismiss it as a toy. We're in the ideal position to not only know this simply isn't right, but to be able take advantage of this new product and move into this mid-market space if we so choose. Some of our existing SBS clients will be ideal for EBS, some new clients will be ideal for EBS, some will be ideal for SBS and some will not fit either product - either too big (and then onto Windows Server 2008) - or too small (under 10 seats, so maybe Windows Home Server in a workgroup).

MAPS users are going to be receiving both SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 as a part of the Quarterly Update Kit that starts shipping on 24 October,2008 and in addition to this, SBS 2008 is already available on both MSDN and TechNet and EBS 2008 will be available there shortly. Having these products ship in MAPS (for Registered Member SBSCs) is an excellent way for smaller SBSCs to have a look at EBS and see if it is something they are interested in. If not, well, that's fine - at least as a member of one of the SMB IT Pro groups you will know who else in your region you may be able to work with if EBS seems a good fit for a client. That's what these groups are all about - sharing, learning and supporting the SMB IT Pro community. As SBSCs, we're a big part of that community.

As members of this larger SMB IT Pro community, the Australian groups are looking at being able to present a unified face to both vendors and our SMB clients - this means that if we play our cards right, we'll have more influence with vendors who understand the SMB marketplace which will bring benefits to both us as IT professionals and to our clients. To do this, we all have to ensure that we not only let the vendors know if and where they can better target their resources for our market segment, but we also need to ensure that when a vendor is doing something right, we let them know about it!

So, to kick things off here - and after all, this SBSC PAL thing isn't here *just* so I can pick on Microsoft, it is so that I can channel SBSC feedback to Microsoft and Microsoft feedback back to the SBSCs - what things are Microsoft doing right in the SBSC program and with the SMB marketplace in general? Please send comments directly to me at Hilton.Travis@SBSCPAL.com and while you're at it, please join up to the ANZ-SBSC Yahoo! Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANZ-SBSC/) for SBSC-related discussions, questions and assistance.

http://blog.hiltontravis.com/

Regards,

Hilton Travis

Phone: +61 (0)7 3105 9101

Phone: +61 (0)419 792 394

Manager, Quark IT http://www.quarkit.com.au

Quark Group http://www.quarkgroup.com.au

Microsoft SBSC PAL (Australia) http://www.sbscpal.com/

SBSC feedback - what is Microsoft doing?

rupcroft — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:55:11 GMT

As promised when summarising the feedback from the last series of SBSC roundtables (apologies for the delay), we would like to share our response to the questions & concerns that were raised.

You can download the document here that shows the issue, context & Microsoft Australia's thoughts & latest action plan.

This feedback also takes into account sessions such as the SMB pre-day at APC, various meetings & also the SMB Server pre-day from TechEd.

In summary:

We not only hear you, but are listening
The program is & will evolve based on this feedback
We will not be able to do everything, but we (MS Oz & Corp) will continue to strive to make it a better program for both Partners & Microsoft, for the benefit of our mutual customers

As always we would love your feedback & so please contact me or our Partner Marketing Manager - Sarah Theiss with your input.

Cheers,

Robbie

Media coverage for BCA - SBSC partner of the year

rupcroft — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:58:58 GMT

Great to see some media coverage coming through for SBS MVP Stu Applegate & the team at Business Computing Australia, Microsoft's SBSC Partner of the year.

Check it out in the weekend's Courier Mail.

Robbie

Guest post from Hilton Travis - Australian SBSC PAL

rupcroft — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:00:57 GMT

Welcome to the first of our guest blogs from Hilton Travis, the Australian Small Business Specialist Partner Area lead.

Enjoy. :-)

Robbie

With the release of SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 just around the corner, now is the time to start looking at what these two new products have to offer if you’ve not had the chance to look already. SBS 2008 has already been released to manufacturing with the worldwide launch being slated for November 12, 2008 and EBS went RTM today – both products are available for download/CD shipment as Release Candidates and if you ask Robbie Upcroft nicely, maybe he still has a few copies left he can send out.

There have been a number of members of the local User Groups that have been looking into various aspects of these new products and who are more than willing to share their experiences with their respective User Groups. As we get nearer the launch date and for quite some time after, your local User Groups will be presenting material on SBS and EBS and along with the collective areas of experience that these User Group members have, this will ensure that we all get a good chance to look at and learn quickly about these new products. At this point in time, there is an unfortunate lack of real technical information released by Microsoft about these two new products, however with the upcoming SBS and EBS training that the Australian MVPs will be going to the USA to receive, along with the experience of the user group members, there’s no doubt that we’ll be able to bring ourselves quickly up to speed.

I therefore encourage all Australian SBSCs to join their local User Group (see http://www.sbsgroups.com.au/default.aspx for a complete list) so they can participate in the Community (the “C” part of the SBSC designation) and give their own input as well as receive help and support from other User Group members. The Perth User Group is just starting off and has had one meeting already – they don’t have a web presence as yet, but as the group grows this will follow, so feel free to contact Robbie (rupcroft@microsoft.com) or myself (Hilton@sbscpal.com) about the Perth User Group. As well as your local User Group, there are two Yahoo! Groups for all Australian and New Zealand SMB IT specialists – the ANZ-SMB-ITS list is for anyone working as an SMB IT specialist to discuss general SMB IT issues that are not specific to a local area, and the ANZ-SBSC group which is specifically for SBSC-related discussions.

Thanks,

Hilton

SBS & EBS in the next Action Pack

rupcroft — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:26:56 GMT

Given that Small Business Server 2008 & Essential Business Server 2008 have now been released to manufacturing, I'm happy to report that both will be included in the next release of the Microsoft Action Pack. Check out the full listing of contents here.

This is due for shipment on October 24th meaning you should start to receive your kits in the weeks following - hopefully ahead of the WW customer launch on November 12th.

If you're not currently subscribed, then now's your chance to sign-up to receive loads of software, content & training that can help you spot, sell & close deals.

Enjoy,

Robbie

Partner to Partner networking nights

rupcroft — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:37:18 GMT

Great pick-up from Nick Mayhew's blog around the upcoming Partner-to-Partner networking nights. Open to Gold, Certified & SBSC partners.

This round will focus on Local Government & whilst there's no specific focus on SMB per se, it could still be a useful night out for you if you're interested in meeting the local Microsoft folk & chatting to other partners in this space.

Space limited & so register here today.

Robbie

Volume licensing training just like Mama used to make

rupcroft — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:28:24 GMT

One of the consistent pieces of feedback we receive is that there's not enough training around Volume Licensing. So in conjunction with Ingram Micro, here you go: register your attendance.

Cheers,

Robbie

Volume Licensing Boot Camps

Want to build your licensing capabilities and strengthen your understanding of new technologies?

Ingram Micro and Microsoft would like to invite you to attend the first in a new series of Volume Licensing Boot Camps. This series of Boot Camps scheduled for September/October will help build your licensing capabilities in the areas of Open License, Open Value, and strengthen your understanding of Software Assurance, Software Asset Management and Virtualisation. Boot Camps will be run on a quarterly basis with new sessions available each time, and fantastic prizes to be won.

The first sessions are:

SYDNEY
24 Sept 2008 | 8:30AM to 11:00AM AEST
BRISBANE
9 Oct 2008 | 8:30AM to 11:00AM AEST

MELBOURNE
8 Oct 2008 | 8:30AM to 11:00AM AEST

PERTH
7 Oct 2008 | 8:30AM to 11:00AM AWST

Be sure to pass this invitation to other interested parties and peers.

For more Microsoft training, click here

Another SBSC award winner: Productiv

rupcroft — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:37:03 GMT

There must be something in the water up north as another Qld SBSC partner picked up an award at the recent Australian Partner Conference held in Port Douglas.

Congratulations to Productiv, Partner of the Year for Information Worker Solutions, Portals and Collaboration.

Cheers & well done,

Robbie

SBSC Partner of the Year: Business Computing Australia

rupcroft — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:27:15 GMT

Big congratulations to Stuart Applegate & the team from Business Computing Australia after they picked-up the SBSC Partner of the Year award at the recent Australian Partner Conference in Port Douglas.

In the words of Inese Kingsmill, Microsoft Australia Director of SMB:

"We are delighted that BCA, a Microsoft Certified Partner has been awarded Small Business Specialist 2008 at our recent Australian Partner Conference. BCA truly epitomises what this award category recognises - Integrity and reliability of technology solutions and services, Community focus, Partnership with Microsoft and Trusted Advisor status with its small and medium business clients. Stuart Applegate is a very active and highly respected member of the Microsoft Partner Community and this award is a testament to his and BCA's tremendous contribution."

Special mention to the other SBSC finalists as the competition really was intense - Calvert Technologies, Comcity Technology & Evolve IT.

Cheers & well done to all,

Robbie

Small Business Server - RTMs !!

nickmayhew — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:08:56 GMT

Straight from the official SBS product team blog, Small Business Server 2008 has 'released to manufacturing' - which means the code is baked and moves to escrow etc. The product will be generally available within a few weeks and the worldwide launch date is officially 12th November - more soon I am sure from Robbie.

Wishing all our SBSC community lots of success with this launch - we know this product is as important for your businesses as it is for ours.

Nick Mayhew

And congrats from me to the SBSC finalists

nickmayhew — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:03:01 GMT

Well done to you all and here's to an exciting conference next week ! Good luck at the award ceremony.

Nick Mayhew

SBSC Partner of the Year finalists announced

rupcroft — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:47:37 GMT

And the nominations for 2008 Small Business Specialist of the Year are:

We had a record number of entries this year with consistently high quality, so even being named as a finalist is a grand achievement.

The winner will be announced at the Australian Partner Conference awards ceremony, Thursday August 7th so best of luck to all of our finalists.

Robbie