News

Microsoft Updates Action Packs

• By Keith Ward
• April 17, 2007

Microsoft has added several new messaging offerings to its latest Action Pack. Eric Ligman, a Microsoft manager for the Small Business Community Engagement, wrote in a blog posting that Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 64-bit and Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager have been included in the April Action Pack shipment.

Action Packs are software bundles available to members of the Microsoft Partner Program. Aimed primarily at small businesses, Action Packs are not-for-distribution software that offer partners thousands of dollars of software at enormous discounts.

The software, which are full working versions of the programs, are intended for "internal business use, testing, evaluation, demonstration, training and educational purposes only," according to a Microsoft Web site. There are limitations, the Web site continued: "For example, you can use the Action Pack software to host your company's intranet but it cannot be used to host a commercial Web site."

Action Packs are a yearly, renewable offering for partners. The software is updated quarterly, and cost $349 for the year. Most of the major business programs are bundled, including Microsoft Small Business Server, Microsoft Terminal Server, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (Standard Edition) R2, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Microsoft Office Enterprise. Server and/or client access licenses are also included.

Ligman stated on his blog that Action Pack subscribers should be receiving their beefed-up Action Packs by the end of this month. More information is available here.

[Article has been updated with change to correct pricing in U.S. -- Editors]