WHAT'S NEW

• The 2012 Microsoft Product Roadmap

  The star of last year's product roadmap was Office 365. Microsoft this year looks likely to pivot from the public cloud to the private cloud, while also shipping staples like SQL Server and releasing major betas -- and possibly final versions -- of blockbusters including Windows 8 tablet, client and server, and Office 15.

• Cloud Portability: Here Are Your (Non-Microsoft) Options

  From Cloud Foundry to OpenStack, more vendors are promising portability to customers who don't want to be tied to Microsoft's cloud.

• Microsoft's Official WPC Enemies List

  During the registration process for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, potential attendees come across what amounts to an enemies list in the small print.

• CloudGraph Monitors Cloud Apps Running on Azure, For Free

  Startup Opstera's free service will measure Windows Azure platform QoS and ultimately expand to monitoring many other PaaS offerings.

• Windows Hardware Gallery: Thinner, Lighter, Faster

  When it comes to tech hardware, the trend is unquestionably mobility. In this special feature, we survey the latest in Windows-based mobile hardware -- from ultrabooks to smartphones to tablets.

• 5 Ways To Show Customers You Care

  You appreciate your current customers, but when was the last time you told them?

• Survey: SMBs Worry Less About Cloud Security

  Evidence is emerging that among small and medium-sized businesses security may be considered more of a feature than a bug for cloud services.

• HP Lines Up Partners for Its Public Cloud Service

  As promised, Hewlett-Packard today released an open beta of its public cloud service and disclosed more than three dozen partners that are supporting it.

• System Evaluation Series, Part 3: The Cost of Ignoring Your Customers

  In this installment of our continuing series following "Dave" and his evaluation team as they define their five-year technology roadmap, we're going to take a step back to learn a valuable lesson.

• Amazon Launches Its First Partner-Customer Conference

  On the heels of its move to expand its partner ecosystem, Amazon Web Services is launching its first conference aimed at bringing partners, customers and the AWS team together.

• HP Block Storage Service Released as Private Beta

  HP released the high-performance, high-availability HP Block Storage to private beta this week.

• Microsoft's Small Business Competency Gets Real

  At long last, small business-focused partners will have their own competency in the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) next month.

• AT&T Launching Another Windows Phone 4G LTE Device

  While Verizon Wireless talks vaguely about new Windows Phones sometime in the Windows Phone "8" timeframe, AT&T keeps rolling out new devices.

• RCP Columnist Ken Thoreson Wins Influencer Award

  Congratulations are in order for RCP's long-running "Selling Microsoft" columnist Ken Thoreson.

• Windows 8 Consumer Preview: An iPad User's Review

  A review of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on Apple's tablet finds the OS visually and substantively good enough to be worth the sizable learning curve.

• Marching Orders: Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2012

  WEB EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference is a rewarding experience, but it can also become overwhelming if attendees aren't prepared. Here are some tips for how to survive (and enjoy) this year's WPC in Toronto from five industry consultants.

• Get (the Right Kind of) Attention from Journalists

  Why is it so difficult to get attention from the press for the stories that you think would appeal to a broad audience?

• FAQ Gives More Detail on Microsoft's Small Business Competency

  A new FAQ posted on Eric Ligman's blog on Wednesday hits a dozen questions on the upcoming Microsoft competency.

• Red Hat Reignites Cloud War vs. VMware

  Both companies launched their projects last year but VMware has gained the upper hand in lining up partners and enthusiasm for Cloud Foundry. Meanwhile, Red Hat retrenches by debuting OpenShift Origin.

• IDC Cautions Microsoft on Windows 8 Tablet Pricing

  IDC just released its Q1 estimates for media tablet shipments, but what caught our attention were the cautionary words directed at Microsoft and its OEM partners for the upcoming Windows 8 launch.

• How 'Cloud' Isn't Helping the Cloud

  What changes with the cloud is very simple. Instead of just hardware and software, we now integrate hardware, software and services. So why don't many partner companies believe in it?

• Now Is the Time To Become an IT Services Company

  In the new technology marketplace, it's the buyers -- not the sellers -- who have the power. And buyers are increasingly focused on intangibles.