Q: (from Kristy)
I'm looking for additional Licensing 101 sessions, similar to the one recently held as part of the Tech Days events in Arlington, VA. I'm having trouble finding a listing of other sessions.
A:
Currently no other Licensing 101 sessions are scheduled for the DC area through the end of the calendar year. I know some additional DC events will be scheduled starting in January. If you want to participate over the web, we will have two web sessions Monday and Tuesday of next week (see the attached invite). They will also be recorded.
Virtual Licensing Bootcamp
Presented by Rachel Kistner Magee, Market Development Manager at Ingram Micro and Steve Deming, Partner Solution Advisor at Microsoft.
Licensing can be a very confusing topic that raises a lot of questions.
· What are the different licensing programs?
· What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
· Which one is the right one for my client?
· Is each product licensed differently?
· How do I know if I’m quoting my customer correctly for licensing?
· And, most importantly, how does licensing help me make money?
If you have ever asked one or more of these questions, then we can help.
Earn Additional Income. Build Continuing Revenue. Expand Your Services
Discover, learn and take advantage of the opportunities offered by Microsoft® Licensing. This live webcast bootcamp will help build your capabilities in the areas of Open License, Open Value and Financing Options. The new pricing and licensing changes will be covered, and the entire session will also be infused by the most common licensing scenarios.
You should attend IF:
· You are a reseller or interested in learning more about Microsoft Licensing
· You are a Sales Manager, Sales or Tech Sales role in your organization
· You have attended a previous Microsoft licensing boot camp and are looking for a licensing “refresher”
Click here to register
Q: (from Otto)
Sorry to bother you with this, but I need advice on where to turn.
As you know I've been writing a book. We upgraded to Office 2007 and I accidentally started saving the files in XML format. Now it won't open, and we get an error message of "expecting an = sign". I've exhausted most of the Internet solutions including "load the XML converted into a version of Office 2003. None work.
A:
Sorry to hear about the failed file format. The good news is that the new format is just a ZIP of an XML structure. Change the extension to ZIP and you will be able to read the raw XLM structure. The content would be found under the folder “Word” and the file “Document.xml”
You will have to recreate all of the formatting, but at least you will have access to the content. There is also the possibility of "Frankensteining" the Document.xml file from one .DOCX to another. But that will probably take a lot of effort with very little payoff.
Q: (from Gabriel)
Could you please refer this question to the proper person?
I attempted to install WSUS 2 and 3 on SMBS (Small Business Server 2003 R2) This did not succeed and caused some database confusion. Maybe the reason is that WSUS is already included in SMBS 2003.
Could you please confirm or deny?
A:
in SBS 2003 R2, Microsoft provided the “Green Check” which is based on WSUS with a slightly simplified interface. Therefore you should be able to do your patch subscriptions directly from SBS without the addition of WSUS
Q: (from Bruce)
Thank you for taking the time today to answer all questions, the seminar was very informative and helpful. I would appreciate the link for the slide presentation.
I do have a question regarding one of my customers if you can help me on how to advise them. They currently have 22 desktops and 2 laptops, about 10 of the desktops are Win2k and are being budgeted to be replaced next spring. The remaining computers are all Win XP Pro, most are running Office 2000, some have Office 2k3 and a few Office 2k7. They would prefer to standardize depending on price. All machines are older than 90 days. What would you advice me to have all computers running Office 2k7? I’m not sure that we want to run Vista at this point.
Thanks again for all your help
A:
Excellent question. Truly testing to practice what I was preaching!
Assuming they would like to take advantage of something like “Portable Use Rights” we should try to get them into a volume licensing program: Open Business or Open Value.
Assuming they would like to take advantage of a Software Assurance benefit like “Home Use Rights” then we should get them into Open Value.
Since standardizing on Vista is not desired at this time and you didn’t mention anything about servers and server CALs, then recommending the Open Value Company Wide Desktop Professional is not a good choice.
But we could recommend Open Value Company Wide on just the Office 2007. But this gives them NO credit for the copies of Office 2003 and 2007 they already own.
If cash flow is the biggest concern, you can look at Open Value Subscription on the Office and even get the “Up to Date” discount on the copies of Office 2003 and 2007 they already have. But remember, this puts them on the subscription path – no perpetual rights.
I would recommend running these scenarios through License Wise at www.MS-GearUp.com to get some estimated numbers that you can work through with the customer.
The deck can be found on my SkyDrive:
http://cid-9dc1b9c3c6b95b61.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Licensing%20Bootcamp%20Public%20Files/081016%20TechData%20and%20Microsoft%20Licensing%20Bootcamp.pptx
Thanks for supporting Microsoft.
Extended shameless plug...
We've added a Licensing Bootcamp session to the DC TechDays. It's on Thursday afternoon.
For those of you who haven't seen information on the Licensing Bootcamps, they are four hours of non-stop licensing information. Volume Licensing benefits, Open Business, Open Value, Open Value Company Wide, Open Value Subscription, plus how to sell Software Assurance.
I know, it sounds like TOO much fun. but the Licensing Bootcamps consistently get high marks from partners interested in finding out how to deliver the greatest value in software and services for the least cost.
Sign up at: TechDays '08: Licensing Bootcamp - Partner Track
And see the other DC TechDays sessions at: Washington, DC Tech Days
Q: (from Carol)
When are exams for Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 coming out?
A:
It appears that we have the first round of exams arriving in the next few weeks:
Exam 70-653: TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring
Exam 70-654: TS: Windows Essential Business Server 2008, Configuring
It appears that the EBS exam comes out early October and the SBS exam comes out early November
Q: (from Dave)
Hey Steve, The Vista NFR they gave me at the TS2 event has a bad PIN. When I attempted to get a product key, it said 'expired'. Can you help?
A:
We've received several reports of this issue and are working on a solution. Apparently the disks we distributed have keys that were only valid through Sept 30th. We are working on getting the date extended. Please watch this space for a pending update.
UPDATE - as of earlier today the activation date was extended to the end of the calendar year.
Q: (from Rob)
What’s the difference between Sofware Assurance (SA) and Upgrde Advantage (UA)? I can’t find any clear statements. Do we still offer UA?
A:
UA became SA when we switched to Licensing 6.0 in 2001. Upgrade Advantage only implied one benefit – upgrade protection. Now that we have Software Assurance – we can focus on multiple benefits including upgrade protection, home use rights, Vista Enterprise, cold server backup, etc. I often stress that people equate SA with upgrade protection because of it’s history, but it is SOOOO much more. Specifically you can’t sell upgrade protection on a product we recently released like Windows Server, so you should lead with a different SA benefit like cold server or training.
Here is a link to all of the SA benefits for the various licensing programs:
https://partner.microsoft.com/download/global/40029941
Q: (from Cathy)
Hello we were wondering if you had any canned demos you could send us on SharePoint for a demo this Thursday?
A:
If you are a registered partner with the Action Pack, you get the Technical Demonstration Toolkit which has a full SharePoint setup with data and script (I use it all of the time)
If you are a Certified or Gold Certified partner, you have the Demo Solution Showcase (or you might have picked one up at WWPC) it also has a SharePoint demo with data and script.
Both of these can be downloaded from partners.microsoft.com based on your partner level:
- Start with the Sales and Marketing tab at the top
- Expand the Sales Demo branch on the left
- You will see secured links for the Demo Showcase and Product Demos (TDT)
Warning - shameless plug follows:
D.C. Partners – Attend the upcoming TechDays ’08 event!
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 all the tracks and register for these exciting sessions today!
Q: (from Rick)
Nov 11, Phila, No TS2? Not listed... Will be there for the morning SB2... Is that another name for TS2 now?
In the drop down box for other cities I seemed to still have a choice.
I had the feeling they were phasing out TS2... (Well, I go back to when they had box lunches in hotels 10-15 years ago... and have seen the peaks and valleys.)
A:
The rumor that TS2 is being phased out is greatly exaggerated. We've had some difficulties getting this year's events scheduled (BTW, we are returning to hotels for most events)
This resulted in a disconnect in our events listed on www.microsoft.com/events and www.microsoftts2.com which is being resolved. You should find that there is now a TS2 event listed for Nov 11 at the same location the System Builder (SB2) event is being hosted.
Q: (from Alan)
Is there any info available on Hosted Exchange yet? Will I be able to try it out before recommending it to clients? I’d like to see an sbs offering with hosted exchange instead of including exchange server. Just from your description of hosted exchange I think it’s a service I could sell.
A:
You can sign up to test the beta of our BPOS (Business Productivity Online Suite) at:
www.quickstartonlineservices.com
Q: (from Gail)
Wondered if you know of any resources available to a partner looking to grow their managed services businesses. I was thinking this may have been a topic in a previous TS2 and thought I’d pick your brain on it. Also, if you know who else I might ask, that would be GREAT!
A:
Matt Makowicz from Ambition Mission (www.ambitionmission.com)
and
Erick Simpson from Managed Service Provider University (www.mspu.us)
They both were involved in the TS2 discussion around managed services last year and are highly respected in the partner community. They each have several books out, online forums, and offer consulting and training.
As a matter-of-fact, both Erick and Matt have recently released new books:
From Erick: The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER! reveals how to deliver Hardware Warranty, Break-Fix, Professional and Managed Services effectively and profitably. No matter which of these service delivery models you practice, you will learn how to maximize processes, efficiencies and customer satisfaction - resulting in higher net profits.
From Matt: A Guide to MARKETING Managed Services You’ve figured out Managed Services (perhaps because you own A Guide to SELLING Managed Services – faster, easier, & for greater profit). Now you can really grow your business by attracting and bringing on NEW customers that don’t come from referrals!
Q: (from Al)
I used to attend the Connections events in the morning before the TS2 events, is there something I can attend now?
A:
In the morning, you have the choice to attend either the TechNet events (http://www.technetevents.com) or System Builder events (http://ts2blogs.com/blogs/ronaldg/archive/2008/08/29/oem-system-builder-events-in-fall-2009.aspx)
I'm still looking forward to seeing you in the afternoon at the regularly scheduled TS2 events (http://www.microsoftts2.com/liveEvents.aspx)
Q: (from David)
Pls send article re 7 things you need to know that you mentioned at the NYC TS2 event.
Thanks
A:
Following is the information I mentioned along with the URL for the full article
Seven Cloud Computing Risks
- Privileged User Access – Other than you, who?
- Regulatory Compliance – Audit support?
- Data Location – Where is data stored?
- Data Segregation – Is your data isolated?
- Recovery – What is the disaster plan?
- Investigative Support – Discovery requests?
- Long-term Viability – How do you get your data back?
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/02/Gartner_Seven_cloudcomputing_security_risks_1.html
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