RCP Magazine

What's New

• By the Numbers: A 'Most Difficult Environment'

  Company CFO Chris Lidell called the quarter perhaps "the most difficult environment Microsoft has faced in its entire 30-year history."

• Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference: The RCP Track

  Redmond Channel Partner magazine identifies 13 must-see sessions at the upcoming Microsoft WPC in New Orleans.

• Microsoft Rolls out Matchmaker for Partners

  Programs: New portal looks to link partners with complementary experience and bridge regional gaps.

• Gartner: Middleware Market Hits the Brakes in 2009

  Marketplace: Researchers actually find some good news amid the slowdown for Microsoft in the areas of BizTalk and SharePoint.

• Citrix Wants to Dazzle End Users

  Company plans to roll out iTunes-like interface where end users can access corporate applications.

• A Grudging Admission that This Is a Major Launch Wave

  Almost every aspect of the Microsoft stack -- from OSes to tools to apps -- is up for renewal in the coming year.

• The Gold Club

  Congratulations to the following organizations that have recently joined Microsoft's top partner group.

• Get Primed to Virtualize SMBs

  First Look: Book by Gold Certified Partner provides a good starting point for building a virtualization practice.

• Should You Get Services-Ready?

  Microsoft rolls consulting know-how into offerings that managed partners can take to upper midmarket and enterprise customers.

• Finding a Virtual Solution in Its Own Backyard

  Web hosting specialist and Microsoft shop MaximumASP went looking for a virtualization solution. After evaluating the field, the Gold Certified Partner ended up sticking with Microsoft for a new virtual hosting business.

• Microsoft Chases the Discount Bandwagon

  In this economy, we're relying on quick, easy gimmicks to keep the money moving. Aggressive discounts are what's working for Microsoft.

• Cloud Computing: Share and Share Alike

  Programs: Microsoft opens data services component of the Azure platform, called Project Huron, to customers for testing.

• Windows 7 on Track for Q3 to early Q4 RTM

  Operating Systems: Release Candidate arrives in plenty of time for the new OS to be generally available in Fall 2009.

• Microsoft Rolls out Dynamic Incentives

  Marketing: Will the new initiatives offset recent hits to Microsoft Business Solutions sales, both for Microsoft and its partners?

• Shaping a New Identity

  How the recession is forcing partners to reinvent themselves and is changing the structure of the Microsoft ecosystem.

• Microsoft's Vertical Innovation Strategy

  Partners may see Dynamics and R&D spending being cut, but Microsoft is ramping up to gain on the market leaders.

• Small Business Specialists Find Hopeful Signs

  Microsoft surveyed more than 600 Small Business Specialists to see where partners were finding glimmers of light at the end of this dark economic tunnel.

• Windows Mobile's New Moves

  Facing strong competition from Apple and Google, Microsoft looks to re-tool Windows Mobile for the enterprise market.

• Tech-Ed Preview: Building Out the Ecosystem

  ISVs provide the critical tools and applications that complete Microsoft solutions. Microsoft Tech-Ed is traditionally where many of those vendors announce their next products.

• Putting the Right Brand on Hosted Messaging

  With a new Ready to Go Campaign, Microsoft aims to help hosters and VARs sell full-featured e-mail services to small businesses. It's an appealing opportunity, but trust remains an issue.

• Free VM Discovery

  Embotics' V-Scout ends the days of tracking your virtual machines via spreadsheet.

• DR in a Box

  PlateSpin Forge offers peace of mind at a reasonable price.