November 2008
 Microsoft Pinpoint: From Prospect to Partner Pinpoint seems to be working, but can you squeeze leads from it? Plus: Windows gurus at every corner; selling Office Communications Server 2007; the global financial crisis' impact on IT; more.
Cover Story:
Pointing Prospects to Partners
by Rich Freeman
Microsoft is testing a new online partner directory called Pinpoint. Partners like its looks so far, but are waiting to see how it performs in the one area that counts: generating leads.
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Windows Gurus: May We Help You?
by Scott Bekker
Microsoft has come up with a toolkit consisting of Windows Gurus and Windows store-within-a-store kiosks at major retail stores to boost the image of Windows Vista. Will the effort be enough?
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Answering the Call
by Fred Bayles
Office Communications Server 2007 R2 can help bridge the traditional gap between IT and telephony while offering rich new opportunities for partners from both camps.
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In the Eye of the Storm
by Anne Stuart and RCP Staff
With the global financial crisis exploding around them, experts try to gauge its likely impact on channel partners and their customers.
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The Microsoft-Novell Alliance Keeps on Giving
by Scott Bekker
New partner opportunities emerge in a joint solution on virtualization.
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BizTalk Server 2009 on the Way
by Kurt Mackie
A new version of the Microsoft SOA solution is scheduled for a worldwide debut sometime next year.
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Virtual View
by Keith Ward
Microsoft and its partners discover that virtualization offers real opportunity-especially to those arriving early to the party.
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CDW Gives Itself a Virtual Boost
by Scott Bekker
The direct-market reseller looks to build its business by adding virtualization to its hosted and managed services.
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Channel Call
Tech Starts to Feel the Pain
by Scott Bekker
IT seemed immune to the financial crisis, but companies are now reacting as news becomes more ominous by the day.
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Selling Microsoft
Sprint to the Finish -- in a Whole New Race
by Ken Thoreson
You may have a sense of urgency driven by end-of-year deadlines for quotas or bonuses, but you need to show prospects how moving forward at this point will benefit them.
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Directions
Learning from History
by Paul DeGroot
Microsoft is cleverly undermining Apple's "I'm a PC" tagline -- a harbinger of humiliation -- by turning it into a positive affirmation.
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