Partner Perspectives

I probably met Tim Wallis, Technical Director at Content and Code about three months ago. Tim's really engaged and I wanted to understand why Content and Code had decided to even contemplate a relationship with Microsoft. Furthermore, how does a Microsoft Partner 'stand out in the crowd' and capture Microsoft's attention?

How long have you been a Microsoft Partner?
We started as registered partners about 3 years ago and have been gold now for over 18 months.

You're now a solely Microsoft house. Isn't that a bit risky?
We used to only be an Oracle and Java house and I would say that it was one of the best strategic decisions we made to focus only on Microsoft Technologies. We moved to Microsoft because they were releasing some great market beating products and we have never looked back. You do have to be careful though and should not just follow Microsoft blindly - always evaluate other market technologies and also Microsoft's commitment to a new product. We were almost 'burnt' with CRM 1.2 and the CRM 2 release which never appeared, so you have to be careful. I am very confident now though as the new EVO suite of products about to be released will definitely be a success and this will generate lots of business for Content and Code.

What top 3 tips would you give a new Microsoft Partner to help navigate the 'Microsoft Maze'?
Talk to your account manager and listen to what they suggest. Although it is really hard to find the time to invest in 'working' the partnership, the sooner you do this, the more rewards to reap from the partnership. I would also try to pick up on the Microsoft 'lingo' as this is crucial to communicating with all Microsoft staff - a lot of the acronyms still baffle me, although I'm getting used to them.

After a day at the office, what's the best way to wind down?
I don't really get very stressed as I really enjoy my work and wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have a lot of pressure. I do love travelling though and last year managed 11 holidays to 13 countries so frequent breaks are good for me. I always have my laptop and PDA though and get some of my best strategic thinking done when away. As long as I have trip booked then I'm happy.

Frequent breaks...I like the sound of that. Talking of breaks - if you're in the UK enjoy the bank holiday.

Find out more about Content and Code's business at www.contentandcode.com

Posted by Charlotte

Gü, the maker of those yummy chocolate pots, is now making ice cream available in 'cüul little boxes' to stop it melting on the way home (www.gupuds.com). Smart idea.

What's cooler? Gü ice cream tubs or the news that I received this week that the award entry I submitted on behalf of Microsoft to CRN for the CRN Award for Software Vendor of the Year has been shortlisted. We've not entered the awards for the past few years and I along with a few others, thought it was about time we did.

Sara Lee from Inferno PR asked Karl Noakes, Director of the Partner Development & Marketing Group at Microsoft a few questions...

There have been more entries from more well-known companies than ever this year - do you think this will make it tougher to win in the end?
Possibly but I think we are up to the challenge. Microsoft recognises the importance of continually adding value for resellers, making it easier for them to service their customers' needs effectively. We hope the improvements we have made to the partner programme and the broad range of resellers and partners that sit as part of it will be reflected in the award winners on the night.

What will you be doing to try and encourage resellers to cast a vote for you?
Apart from the odd bribe... simply delivering the industry's broadest and most comprehensive partner programme should stand us in good stead. IDC research proves being part of the Microsoft partner ecosystem boosts our partners' profitability - we hope they'll recognise this as a real benefit, and cast their vote our way!

Why do you want to win? What will make it worthwhile?
It'd be disingenuous of me to suggest I'd rather someone else won! But for me, I feel picking up an award wouldn't just be good for my team and Microsoft as an organisation, it would also pay tribute to the wealth of talented partners that make up, what few would debate, the most comprehensive partner programme out there.

What if you do not win? Will the effort have been worth it?
I'm sure the best candidate will take the award home on the night. And if that isn't Microsoft, then I still believe the awards will have given us the opportunity to highlight the significant improvements we have made to the Microsoft Partner Programme over the past year, from the extra tools and resources we've provided our partners to the greater than ever list of training courses and levels of certification we can now offer.

What a 'cüul' guy Karl is!

Posted by Charlotte

I met with the writer of the Partner Update Magazine yesterday. We sat putting the world to right in Tom's café in Notting Hill before he whizzed me to the MSN office in his mini Cooper (car sharing, oh so eco-friendly!). I wondered if Matthew experienced something similar to Partners when it comes to building a relationship with Microsoft. He's also into blogging so I wanted to know how he manages writing and reading them....

How long have you been working with Microsoft?
Four years or so.

What's the most satisfying aspect of the work you do with Microsoft?
Working with smart, decisive people who know what they want but are charming with it.

What's the thing that makes you feel like you're banging your head against a brick wall when it comes to working with Microsoft?
Microsoft people seem to talk their own language which is made up of IT clichés and impenetrable acronyms. What's the net net signal to noise ratio for GTO to BDMs with SBS 2003, anyone?

You're beavering away writing the Partner Update Magazine, it's time for lunch...what's it going to be?
When I'm working, it's generally a cheese and tomato panini. Never enough time. When I've finished, I like flying to a fabulous restaurant and having a huge slap up meal for celebration. Besides www.badlanguage.net, about writing, I also blog my flying adventures on www.modernpilot.com.

Blogging...how many feeds do you subscribe to? Any top tips for keeping on top of reading blogs once you've subscribed?
Well over a hundred. Far too many and I'm trying to cut down but there's so much interesting stuff out there. Instead of checking quickly and frequently, I read blogs for a long time but only once or twice a week. I have the absolute key blogs appear in my web browser home page so that I see them more often. I had an RSS reader on my phone too, which was great, but my GPRS bill went through the roof!

Have a problem with all the acronyms? I'm still learning. Have a favourite MS TLA? Email me at charlotte.atherton@microsoft.com

Posted by Charlotte

A rather interesting hedge greeted me last Wednesday as I arrived at the Williams F1 Conference Centre. The event was the kick off meeting of the Partner Development & Marketing Team at Microsoft. A truly focused event...no email allowed!

We busily shared plans all day but took it a step further. We invited 4 Partners to come and tell us what it's really like to be a Partner. I think the strongest message that came across was that yes there's lots of great stuff that Microsoft are doing but we can't find it. I think it's a problem many vendors share. I found an article 'Failure to communicate' in the Channel Insider that, based on research claimed 'vendor channel programs are either too dense to fathom or too laborious to deal with'. Some interesting stats revealed too. Read more here.

Rest assured we get what you're telling us and are making changes - coming your way very soon.

Overwhelmed? Tell me more...email charlotte.atherton@microsoft.com

Posted by Charlotte

I was in London at the weekend and a shocking pink ad on the side of a bus caught my eye...www.bethere.co.uk. Their manifesto - 'giving you speeds that will make you dizzy'. So what am I talking about? I found out that I could 'be unlimited' on broadband with up to 24MB downloads and unlimited usage for £24 a month. WOW.

This got me thinking. The Internet promotes the global village we live in yet the ability to connect to it around the world differs somewhat. I was fortunate enough to meet Luna Shamsuddoha, the Chairman of an Indian software development company, Dohatec. Dohatec is a Microsoft Partner experiencing partner life in a different way to the Partners I meet here in the UK. Running her business from the heart of Calcutta and facing rather patchy connections, Luna's dream is to be able to download document. Quite something when your clients include the World Bank.

Posted by Charlotte

I've been catching up on some reading. Microscope landed in my 'hanging file' (also known as my Microsoft Postbox).

What caught my attention was the amount of coverage around 'services'. One company InTechnology is speculated to be selling its distribution wing to move to a being a full managed service provider. In the same edition, but a different article 'All Change' Steve Haddock is talking about the evaluation of Microsoft's current distributors - an ongoing process.

One thing's for sure, Microsoft certainly won't be getting rid of all its distributors. I think there is a shake up to keep everyone on their toes and give everyone a good stretch...yoga for distributors. However, I'm not quite sure how relaxing the evaluation experience truly is.

It's very much Microsoft culture. At this time of year we have a sea change and employees get new jobs within the company. Steve Clayton explains the changes in the land of PTS on his blog: Geek In Disguise.

Although it can be disruptive; ultimately it keeps us fresh and energised. I like it.

Posted by Charlotte

Enter the new world of the Partner Perspective blog. I've taken charge and my mission is to become a ferret...attractive hey? I'm getting out there meeting lots of people, reading articles, visiting different places. The result? I'll share lots of different personal and highly human perspectives...and give you might thoughts too.

More regular content is coming your way.

Posted by Charlotte

Chris Green is one of our through partner marketing managers and supports Microsoft Dynamics partners to undertake joint marketing campaigns with Microsoft. Read his thoughts on exhibitions and a recent event he worked on with Aspective, a Microsoft CRM partner.

Love them or hate them?

Posted by: Nicola Y

Microsoft has just confirmed it is releasing a music and entertainment device by the end of the year under the name Zune. There's been lots of interest in the press about Zune as it will compete directly against Apple's ipod. Not much is know yet about the new device - apart from it will be Wi-Fi enabled so you can download songs wirelessly.

If you want to be the first to know about any Zune developments you can sign up for email updates here:

http://comingzune.com/

Posted by: Nicola Y

We sometimes forget how powerful the Microsoft brand is when we work so closely with technology all day, but the news item below highlights how strong it is in the UK. So don’t forget to use your Partner Programme logo - Microsoft is a powerful brand to align your company too!

On the 19th July, at the Superbrands Awards 2006 event, attended by over 300 marketing professionals and press representatives, Microsoft received the award of the UK’s No.1 Superbrand for 2006/7, as voted for by consumers. The runners up were the BBC and British Airways in second and third place respectively. On Sunday 23rd July, The Sunday Times published a 16-page supplement featuring the top 500 Superbrands. Also, PR Week and Marketing will feature the 500 Superbrands list.

Alison Masters, Head of Marketing Communications, was at the event to receive the award and said: "It is fantastic for us to receive this recognition and especially as it was voted for by consumers."

For further information on Superbrands please visit the website below:

http://www.superbrands.org/uk/

Posted by: Nicola Y

Hear it from the horse's mouth (so to speak) - Partners talk about the energy and commitment required and about what they and their customers get out of it. In this brief video and Simon Forster from Diagonal Solutions and Mark Craddock from FWBS explain how Microsoft technology is bringing real business value to customers.

Posted by: Charlotte

Watch Partners talking about how to get the maximum value from the ISV Partner Programme. Looking at the whole membership cycle, from how to get started through to maximising the resources, this video well worth a view.

Posted by: Charlotte

We've recently introduced a Partner Council - letting you do the talking and telling us what you would like to get out of your membership. We really do value your opinion and your feedback, and the Partner Council is an excellent way of enabling us to help you better. Watch this brief video, hosted by Katie Ledger, to hear what other Partners are saying.

Posted by: Charlotte

Microsoft has lots of product information that we try to distribute logically and promptly, but quite often I get the feedback that there are just too many places to find information online - Partner websites, customer websites, launch microsites, third-party sites that compare technologies, support websites, communities, and the list goes on.

If you'd prefer to refer to just one place that will have all the information you're looking for it's worth subscribing to the Gear Up Toolkit. This is a hardcopy book that is sent out three times a year with all the key product (and licensing) information in one document. If you haven't already subscribed I really would recommended doing this now.

You can subscribe here.

Posted by: Alex

Join us for this one day briefing on Collaborative Business Intelligence - understand the business opportunity, gain access to resources available to grow your business and network with other Partners.

This day will show our Partners how to develop your business in this solution area. Training can help you to gain the skills. Marketing support can help you to create demand. Resources are there to help you to win business.

One of the focal points of this event is to provide the opportunity for Partners to network with other Partners with the potential for building joint business solutions. Partners can book a number of meetings with other delegates to discuss potential alliances.

To register, please follow these two steps:

1. Register with Microsoft, clicking here or telephone: 0870 166 6680 Ref 2205
2. Register for Structured Networking with Business nCounter, by clicking here

Posted by: Christian