Get a Tan and get Certified for Microsoft Response Point in Miami

Attention Gulf Coast Partners, if you are interested in becoming a Response Point Specialist, here is a great opportunity for you to attend the training and a great conference all at once.

At the upcoming IT Expo East trade show in Miami Beach, Feb. 2 - 4, 2009 we will be hosting with our partners a 2 day Response Point Solution Seminar.

There is no cost for this event. Content covered includes technical discussions with the Microsoft Response Point Development team; OEM technical and architecture discussions; VAR 'Best Practices' presentations, and ITSP 'Best Practicies' presentations. Finally there will be two panel discussions with our OEM & Peripheral partners (Aastra, Clear One, D-Link, Syspine, Quintum, Sangoma) as well as ITSP Partner (Bandwidth.com, Cbeyond, NGT, Packet8, SMB Phone and others). Please visit the IT Expo East links above for more information and registration. Again, note that there is no charge for this two day Response Point solution seminar.

Happy New Years, Your Zune is broken

Well, we couldn't have you end 2008 without partying thoughts of Microsoft.  For those of you with the original 30 GB Zunes, you've likely found out about the issue with it being affected by what is considered a "Y2K" type of time calculation error.  If you haven't turned on your Zune in the past week, leave it off until tomorrow or Saturday and it should (crossing my fingers) be fine.   Here's the "official" scoop from the Zune site.

My Zune 30 is frozen. What should I do?

Follow these steps:

1. Disconnect your Zune from USB and AC power sources.
2. Because the player is frozen, its battery will drain—this is good. Wait until the battery is empty and the screen goes black. If the battery was fully charged, this might take a couple of hours.
3. Wait until after noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (that's 7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).
4. Connect your Zune to either a USB port on the back or your computer or to AC power using the Zune AC Adapter and let it charge.

Once the battery has sufficient power, the player should start normally. No other action is required—you can go back to using your Zune!

My Zune 30 has been working fine today. Should I be worried?

Nope, your Zune is fine and will continue to work as long as you do not connect it to your computer before noon GMT on January 1, 2009 (7 a.m. Eastern or 4 a.m. Pacific time).

Note: If you connect your player to a computer before noon GMT on January 1, 2009,  you'll experience the freeze mentioned above—even if that computer does not have the Zune software installed. If this happens, follow the above steps.

What if I have rights-managed (DRM) content on my Zune?

Most likely, rights-managed content will not be affected by this issue. However, it's a good idea to sync your Zune with your computer once the freeze has been resolved, just to make sure your usage rights are up to date.

What if I took advice from the forums and reset my Zune by disconnecting the battery?

This is a bad idea and we do not recommend opening your Zune by yourself (for one thing, doing so will void your warranty). However, if you've already opened it, do one of the following:

• Wait 24 hours from the time that you reset the Zune and then sync with your computer to refresh the usage rights; or
• Delete the player's content using the Zune software (go to Settings, Device, Sync Options, Erase All Content), then re-sync it from your collection.

Behind the Scenes with EBS 2008 - Understanding TCO with Essentials Business Server 2008

In a second interview with Nick, we covered the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with Essentials Business Server 2008.   Check out the recording below as well as what customers and Partners are saying about EBS 2008.  If you don't see the video screen below, you need to install Microsoft Silverlight to play it.  (Click Here to Learn about Microsoft SilverLight).

Customer Testimonials -

"We’ve reduced our technology management chores by 50 percent with the move to Windows Essential Business Server 2008. We’ve also reduced our server count, which represents a huge savings in ongoing maintenance work."

Tim Dreyling
Wasser Studios

"We were previously using many Microsoft technologies as separate tools. Windows Essential Business Server 2008 integrates them in one place, which makes a huge difference. We get a green-check report every morning that shows us the overall health of the organization, which we never had before. We can now see how issues are interacting with each other, which makes troubleshooting much easier."

Trevor Koop
Wasser Studios

"Our administrative workload is one-tenth what it was before.… This is the largest step forward, in terms of our ability to focus on real business needs, that we have ever seen."

Sumeeth Evans
Collegiate Housing Services

"With centralized management, one single console, in Windows Essential Business Server, I’ll be able to take care of problems proactively before something breaks. I’ll be able to use a lot of the tools to do things quicker, simpler, better."

Derek Slama
Heartland Technology Solutions

MSP University's Holiday Book and Audiobook Sale!

My friend and colleague, Erick Simpson is offering a phenomenal discount on the books and audiobooks from MSP University that are designed to help you take your business to that next level of success and beyond.

There is a wealth of information in each of the books and the bonus materials included on the CDs in the back will likely be the best business tools you've ever purchased.

Here some information on MSP University's Holiday offer.

These savings can be had on the following best-selling resources:

• Book - The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice
  - normally $99.95 - now only $49.98!
• Book - The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!
  - normally $149.99 - now only $74.99!
• Book - The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER! (our newest publication!)
  - normally $149.99 - now only $74.99!
• Audiobook - The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice
  - normally $59.99 - now only $29.99!
• Audiobook - The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!
  - normally $79.99 - now only $39.99!
• Audiobook - The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!
  - normally $79.99 - now only $39.99! (our newest audiobook!)

So act now before the deadline - click here to save 50% on these best-selling resources today!

Behind the Scenes with Nick King - The Background behind Windows Essentials Business Server 2008

Last week I had the opportunity to spend the day with Nick King, the Technical Product Manager for Windows Essentials Server Solutions at Microsoft.  I was meeting with him to discuss some training being developed that we were looking to leverage in the TS2Events during the first half of the year around EBS and SBS Migration planning.   Nick is an all around great guy and a rock star when it comes to the work he does with the Windows Essentials Server Solutions.   On any given work day, you'll find him putting the products to the test in one of a thousand different scenarios to ensure it will be rock solid when you go to deliver a solution to your customer.   The only thing Nick might be as passionate about as EBS and SBS is Snowboarding.   When I walked into his office and we started talking about holiday plans, you could see the glimmer in his eye I asked about the impending snowstorm that was headed his way.   He couldn't wait for a good base to build up so he could get some well deserved downtime on Crystal Mountain.

As we discussed several Migration scenarios around EBS and SBS, we realized what we were discussing was a perfect topic for an interview so my counterpart, Bryan Von Axelson pulled out the Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 and we started shooting.  Being my first time on camera, I was a little off my game, but the important part was Nick was spot on.

We got into a groove and ended up recording 4 different sessions that day so I'll be posting a few more interviews in the upcoming week.  If you have other topics you'd like to hear about, feel free to email me at charlesv@microsoft.com and I'll see what we can pull together.

Here are some links to the things we discuss in the interview. 

Nick's Blog - http://blogs.technet.com/nking

EBS Blog - http://blogs.technet.com/essentialbusinessserver/

EBS Product Site - http://www.microsoft.com/ebs/en/us/default.aspx

EBS JumpStart Kit - http://www.ebsjumpstartkit.com/index.aspx

Children’s Miracle Network and Microsoft Launch Campaign to Raise Money for Children's Hospital

Children’s Miracle Network and Microsoft Launch Campaign to Raise Money for Children's Hospital

It's things like this that make me proud to be part of Microsoft.

See the press release below for details on how you can help us raise money for the Children's Miracle Network, while having fun with your friends and family...

Microsoft Xbox Becomes a Sponsor of Premier Children's Charity

Children’s Miracle Network and Microsoft Launch Campaign to Raise Money for Children’s Hospitals, Bring Fun and Games to Young Patients

Children’s Miracle Network, an international non-profit that raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals, today announced Xbox as an official sponsor.

“By partnering with Xbox, we are engaging in a relationship that focuses on fun and laughter, elements critical to the recovery and well-being of the brave patients treated at children’s hospitals,” said Brian Hazelgren, Chief Development Officer, Children's Miracle Network.

Microsoft has created a Children’s Miracle Network Family Game pack for Xbox that will be available at participating retailers by Oct. 15. The $29.99 pack is rated E/E10+ and 100 percent of Microsoft’s net proceeds from this Family Game pack will go to support local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. This Family Game pack contains the following three games: Viva Piñata Party Animals (Microsoft Games Studios); Sonic The Hedgehog (SEGA of America, Inc.); and Shrek The Third (Activision, Inc.).

“Our team has visited with a number of children at Children’s Miracle Network hospitals who are battling heartbreaking diseases and injuries,” said Mitch Koch, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Retail Sales, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft Corporation. “What stands out most is that these patients are only children. “By purchasing this game pack, families are helping support recovery efforts for these children at hospitals in their own back yard.”

About Children's Miracle Network

Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals. Each year the 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind. To learn more go to www.childrensmiraclenetwork.org.

Microsoft Online Services and the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) Overview

Are you trying to figure out what the move to hosted solutions means for your practice? Take a gander at the screencast that Woody Walton recorded and see if this helps fill the gaps. Its a great opportunity to expand your services and create new revenue opportunties for your business while enabling your customers to get the most out of their IT expenditures during these difficult times.

What is Microsoft Response Point?

I was asked if I could record a basic presentation on Microsoft Response Point to provide a simple overview of it for Partners that were unable to attend a live TS2 event.  This was my first shot at using the recording tools so, its a little choppy, but you'll get the jist of it.  Now that I have the format down, I'll smooth out the delivery in my next set of recordings that I will publish in the next few days.

Windows Mobile Offers to Support your Windows Essential Server Solutions Deployments

Get rewarded for working smarter

Buy Windows Essential Server Solutions with Treo Pro™ smartphones to better run your business and receive a free Treo Pro via mail in redemption.

Between November 12, 2008 and April 30, 2009, purchase Windows Small Business Server 2008 or Windows Essential Business Server 2008 with five Client Access Licenses and Four Treo Pro smartphones and receive a Free Treo Pro smartphone.

See the Palm Treo Pro Redemption form for more information.

Mobilize your e-Mail

For a limited time, with the purchase of a Windows Small Business Server 2008 or Windows Essential Business Server 2008 solutions block from HP (supporting either Standard or Premium), you can qualify for the purchase of HP iPAQ 910s at discounted prices:

• Get 5 iPAQs 910s at US $1,975 (total)

• Get 10 iPAQs 910s at US $3,500 (total)

See the HP Offer flyer for more information.
Take advantage of Microsoft Financing for your HP iPAQ 910 purchases.
Offer good in the United States only.

Multiply the Power with Windows Mobile and Windows Essential Server Solutions - November 12th

 On November 12th, Microsoft and its premier partners are launching Windows Essential Server Solutions, a new family of integrated server solutions that address the unique needs of small and midsize businesses (SMBs). During times of stationary or shrinking budgets and economic uncertainty, minimizing the redundancies and optimizing parts in your IT infrastructure can help control costs and raise productivity. With the unique challenges firms face upgrading and maintaining their IT infrastructure, smart organizations are re-evaluating their plans and expenditures and investing wisely.

This one-day event is the official launch for Windows Essential Server Solutions, which includes Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and other Microsoft executives will introduce these new products and will be joined by Mark Minasi, an independent expert and best-selling author.

Mr. Minasi, along with Microsoft executives and partners, will review the new features, functions and strategies which will help you get the most value from your existing and future technology investments. Major announcements, plus the ability to interact with Microsoft and its partners, make this a must-attend event for SMB technology and business managers as well as IT consultants and partners.

Register now!

Obama Presidency: Good News or Bad News for Microsoft and Yahoo..?

One of the first articles I read this morning following the announcement of Senator Obama becoming our President-elect was by CNet regarding Technology. "An Obama Presidency, Good, bad news for Technology",   What caught my eye was the mention of the first Chief Technology Officer (CTO), position in the US History as a cabinet position and that Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, as a top candidate for that position. On one side of the coin, I see this as a great step for the "Change" we've heard so much about in the campaigning over the last 12+ months, by providing the Legislative branch with some leadership that fully grasps the possibilities technology and innovation can bring to the U.S. economy.   On the other side of the coin, as a Microsoft employee, I have to wonder how impartial Erick will be as a long time competitor and rival of Microsoft, can Eric be impartial in such a role or will this lead to turmoil for Microsoft and Yahoo for the next four years?

Well, only time will tell and we have to wait until January to learn more about it. 

Are you Ready to get Virtualized?

Join Microsoft for the upcoming Virtualization Roadshow to learn about the latest ways to save your customers money.   At these events, you won't just attend a lecture, you'll get the chance for hands on training with the latest in virtualization technology as well as be able to take home a copy of the software when you are done.

Here is what you walk away in addition to the knowledge and hands on experience:

• A one-year evaluation copy of Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
• A copy of Understanding Microsoft Virtualization from the Desktop to the Data Center, by Mitch Tulloch**
• Vouchers for Microsoft Server Virtualization Certification exam (70-652) and preparation course (a $316 value)

To learn more about the events near you, check out the city list below.

Microsoft TechDays 08 - Coming to Orange County, CA November 11th. Be there or be left behind.

Orange County Partners - Register now for Microsoft TechDays ’08

If your business is fueled by technology, TechDays '08 is an event you won't want to miss. Loaded with exclusive product information presented by insider experts, TechDays '08 is designed to show developers, IT professionals, IT executives, and partners how Microsoft technology can take their business to the next level.

Whether you attend just one day or all three, you'll walk away with a greater understanding of the business value of Microsoft's technology solutions. Plus, you'll have the chance to take a closer look at Microsoft's latest development tools. Check out the tracks to the right and register for these exciting sessions today!

Maximize the value of your Microsoft Dynamics Solution

The Microsoft Dynamics Customer Roadshow is coming to a location near you!

With today’s economic challenges, maximizing the capabilities of your Microsoft Dynamics business management solution is more important than ever. Join Microsoft Dynamics specialists for this exciting event and learn firsthand how you can best leverage and expand your current solution—to maximize

productivity and profitability.

To register and for more information, visit Microsoft Dynamics Customer Roadshow Live Space at http://dynamicsroadshow.spaces.live.com or contact your Microsoft partner.  The event is free, but attendance at each event is limited, so be sure to register today!

For those of you who are not currently resellers of Dynamics products, did you know that the largest consumer of Microsoft stack solutions are Dynamics customers.   It's worth your time to attend, learn about new opportunities for your business as well as identify other key partners in the area that you can affiliate with to cross sell solutions. 

Microsoft Response Point receives praises from ZDNet at ITExpo Conference

There is more positive feedback on the Microsoft Response Point solution at the recent ITExpo Conference by John Carroll of ZDNet.

You can read the full article by click Thoughts on Microsoft Response Point , here is the summary of his post.

"Generally, I found the Response Point product interesting in ways more complicated solutions on display at the conference did not. It does a good job of pulling legos out of the Microsoft software toolchest and putting them together in an interesting way, something at which I can’t say every department within the company is equally skilled. It’s also an interesting approach to telephony of a kind that we will see a lot more in the future. The hardest part of breaking the hold traditional telephony has on the average consumer is breaking through the “ease of use” barrier. Something like this helps to popularize an end-to-end digital solution, which is an important step in the evolution away from traditional phone service."