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Boit to Fill New Role as Microsoft VP of Enterprise Partners

A new vice president in the Microsoft Enterprise Partner Group intends to foster more direct and consistent communication between the international headquarters in Redmond and high-value enterprise partners overseas. While direct communication with those partners was previously done mostly through Microsoft subsidiaries, the subsidiaries will continue to play the major role in managing the partners in their geographic areas.

The company announced the appointment Wednesday of Peter Boit to the new position of vice president of Enterprise Partners. Boit, a 15-year Microsoft veteran, spent the last three years as vice president of the Worldwide Commercial Sector Group within Corporate Vice President Simon Witts' Enterprise Partner Group. Boit, who also has experience in the field and in licensing, will continue to report to Witts.

An e-mail announcement to reporters stated, "Peter will be working to ensure that Microsoft aligns with partners when it comes to opportunities in the enterprise global accounts, and to ensure that Microsoft establishes a consistent, predictable and high-value engagement model around the world."

"Key aspects of Peter's responsibilities will include collaboration with the Worldwide Partner Group to evolve how Microsoft manages and engages partners broadly and with the Business Groups to evolve Microsoft's Enterprise alliances," the statement said.

In a Q&A posted on the Microsoft PressPass Web site, Boit elaborated: "We will manage the business based on the principle of finding strategic alignment with partners around growth and value creation for our mutual customers. This will involve a set of partners that have demonstrated capabilities and strategic alignment to our initiatives, and we will work hard with those partners to create joint business opportunities that in turn create greater value for our customers. Historically these partnerships have been with our subsidiaries and we have supported these global partnerships from the [Enterprise Partner Group]."

Boit said there is a need to structure alliances with partners who do business in only one area of the world, especially China. There is also an opportunity to help partners build up in certain business areas that are strategic to Microsoft's growth, such as Unified Communications, he said.

"Today, we have the opportunity of extending how we work with partners from headquarters in Redmond to a much broader set of enterprise partners globally. This is an area I am personally very passionate about, as it is the way we will drive our strategic initiatives in the enterprise with our partners," Boit said.

Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify that Microsoft subsidiaries will continue to manage enterprise partners in their geographies.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.

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