The Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) will release new improvements in November, 2010. We have reached out to many partners and customers around the world through Live Meetings, interviews, hands-on usability studies, forums, and events to gather input and feedback on how to improve the VLSC.  We take this feedback seriously and are continually incorporating suggestions into the VLSC.

Improvements coming in November include:

• Offline access to licensing and relationship summaries.
• Enhancements to the Add Open License functionality. Introduced in April 2010, the Add Open functionality allows resellers to act on behalf of their Open License end customers to manage their licenses and provide downloads and keys. Changes will include:
  • Resellers will be granted automatic access to the Authorization/License in the VLSC if their business e-mail address is included on the Open order form as the reseller.
    • You may remember my earlier post about being sure to provide the correct contact information for your customer AND your correct information as the reseller when placing Volume License orders.

You may recall my ”Not only is SBSC staying, it is THE Small Business designation in the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN)” post back in May where I told you that Microsoft is not only keeping the Microsoft Small Business Specialist (SBSC) designation in the new Microsoft Partner Network launching in October, 2010, but it is our primary designation for partners focusing in the SMB segment (with the Midmarket Solution Provider competency also available for those who focus on the Midmarket segment too).  Well, the U.S. Team has just announced a great offer for the Microsoft Small Business Specialist (SBSC) partners located within the United States to earn marketing development funds directly from Microsoft.

According to the U.S. Team, these marketing development funds are available for you to drive demand generation efforts through Ready-to-Go Marketing (includes Events, Campaigns, and various Marketing Services).  Here are some of the details behind this promotion:

As you know, in October the Microsoft Partner Network membership changes will go into effect, and current Microsoft Partners that are Gold Certified Partners or Certified Partners today will be transitioning into the Gold and/or Silver level competencies (see this post for more on this) within the Microsoft Partner Network during their re-enrollment periods instead of the Gold Certified Partner or Certified Partner designations that exist today.  To help partners prepare for these new competencies and the Gold and Silver levels, we have provided tools such as the “Value of Earning a Microsoft Competency Guide,” which describes not only the various competencies available in the Microsoft Partner Network, but also the requirements to achieve these at the Silver and/or Gold levels.

Today, I am happy to tell you about a new tool called the “Microsoft Partner Network Transition Tool” designed to help make the transition for the existing Gold Certified Partners and Certified Partners today even easier, by helping them understand where they stand today in meeting the requirements for these Silver and Gold competencies in the Microsoft Partner Network and what, if any, other requirements they would have remaining in order to achieve the level and quantity of competencies they want in the Microsoft Partner Network, coming from their existing competencies today.

It’s hard to believe it has been 15 years, as it seems so fresh in my memory…  Do you remember August 24, 1995?  Why is that date such a memorable one?  Well, it was the launch of Windows 95 and oh, what a day that was.  How many of you were anxiously waiting for the final release and getting your hands on the newest Windows Operating System from Microsoft? (Like the Windows 7 launch excitement through pre-orders, etc.!)  I know I was LOVING this day back in 1995! 

Fifteen years ago today, I was the owner of a computer software and hardware reseller in the U.S. and a Microsoft partner serving corporate, government, and educational customers across the U.S. (we hadn’t expanded internationally yet).  The excitement and buzz was everywhere around Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 95.  I even remember having the debate, “Should we be open early on launch day?” (Some of you may remember the midnight openings at many computer stores for the Windows 95 launch)

“Cloud” – Now there’s a topic that I had multiple conversations with Microsoft partners about at Worldwide Partner Conference, as well as one that was covered in many presentations, communications, sessions, updates, etc. both at Worldwide Partner Conference but also since then.  One thing that I have heard or seen several times, and why I am putting up this post, is a perception that at Microsoft, “cloud” = BPOS and BPOS = “cloud."  Now don’t get me wrong, BPOS (Business Productivity Online Services) is a component of Microsoft cloud computing / Microsoft cloud services; however, it is not the holistic, all encompassing definition of Microsoft cloud computing / Microsoft cloud services, it is merely one offering available.

Let’s take a look in a little more depth at what Microsoft Cloud Computing / Microsoft Cloud Services is and offers…

Following on the great 5 for 1 Exam Pass offer that we announced just before Worldwide Partner Conference this year, there is now another Microsoft exam offer available for Microsoft partners to help you get the certifications you want & need called the ?Exam Competency Packs?.  Whether you are obtaining your certifications as you work towards the Gold and Silver levels of competencies or the SBSC designation, these training offers are designed to help you in your quest to reach your goals.

The way the ?Exam Competency Packs? offer works is, instead of purchasing a single Microsoft exam and paying full price, you buy your Microsoft exams in multi-packs, which then gets you a discount of between 20-30% off the normal exam price, PLUS you receive a FREE retake through the second-shot offer if you happened to fail your exam on the first try.  The packs are offered in groups of 3, 5, and 8 exams, which then gets you a 20%, 25%, and 30% discount respectively.

They are two small words, but ones that too often are not said, ?Thank you.?  Well, I want to take this opportunity to specifically say, ?Thank you,? to all of you that took time (even if it was only a few minutes) to take part in and submit input on my performance this past year. 

It?s that time of year here again at Microsoft where everyone has their annual performance reviews, evaluating how we did the prior year.  For the review process this year, I came to you, the people I get to work with everyday, both from a communicating out perspective and a listening in perspective, as we work to build better, stronger partnerships between us, and provided you the opportunity to submit your input into my performance in this past year through my online performance review survey.  It was great to see how many people took part in this process and took the time to send in their feedback, be it the good, the bad, or the ugly, as well as any additional comments and/or suggestions you all had to be included in my performance review.

How many of you find yourselves looking for certain information you need and thinking, “How can I find this quicker?”  In this post, I will show you to do just that when it comes to information on the Microsoft Partner Network portal.  When talking with partners, often times the questions I get start with, “Where would I find…”  While at Worldwide Partner Conference this year, I had the chance to have this conversation with numerous partners while in the Microsoft Partner Network pavilion manning the social networking stations.  When partner asked me a , “Where can I find” question, I asked them if they have looked on the Microsoft Partner Network portal to find the information.  If they had, and here was the really interesting part, I would ask them where they looked.  So many times, the partner answers would go something like this:

“I clicked on (XYZ) tab, then I went to the (ABC) tab, then followed the (123) link, etc.”

Remember the Big Announcement! 50% Off Up-To-Date (UTD) Discount Extended to Office XP and Windows XP owners worldwide made on New Year’s Day? With that announcement, Microsoft made the 50%* Up-to-date discount available on versions of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows that were two versions old (N-2) for the first time worldwide. Now, in case you didn’t hear, this promotion has been extended through September 30, 2010!

For those of you not familiar with the 50%* Off N-2 Up-to-date discount, it is a promotion that lets you move from your current version of Windows or Office (as long as it is within the prior two versions) to the current version of Windows or Office at a 50%* discount off of the up-front cost. This promotion is offered through the Open Value Subscription program, which means that moving forward, you will continue to have access to the most current version of the software you are licensed for, including all upgrades that come out, plus all of the additional benefits of the Open Value Subscription Program, such as:

Here is some great news for our volume licensing customers who may need access to older versions of some of their Microsoft products.  In September, several N-2 versions of products will be available for download on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) site.  Currently, with limited exception, access to older versions of products (N-2 and beyond) are not supported on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).  What this means is, only the current version (N) and the version prior to current version (N-1) software can be downloaded from the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC), for those with licenses for those products. 

As of July, 2010, Microsoft has made available two N-2 version products through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC):

• Windows XP upgrades
  • N-1 = Windows Vista
  • N = Windows 7
• Windows Server 2003 R2
  • N-1 = Windows Server 2008
  • N = Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows Intune is another one of the exciting announcements made at WPC10 this year that had a lot of people talking and asking for more, just like the Windows Azure platform I talked about here on the Blog yesterday.  Windows Intune, for those not familiar with it yet, helps simplify managing and securing PCs using Windows cloud services and Windows 7.  Based on the very high interest at #WPC10 in Windows Intune, plus the continued interest since WPC10, I am putting this post up with resources for you to learn more about and experience Windows Intune for yourselves.

Windows Intune resources & Information:

• Ready to try Windows Intune for yourself?  Sign up for the Windows Intune beta!
• Windows Intune Online Course: Cloud Services and Windows 7 for PC Management on Partner Learning Center
• Windows Intune Data Sheet for Partners
• Download “Top 10 Benefits of Windows Intune”
• View Windows Intune Case Studies

During WPC10 this year, there was a LOT of excitement around the Windows Azure Platform and what this platform is bringing forward and making available.  Now here is a very exciting offer for developers in the U.S. that want to try out the Windows Azure platform for yourself to see why so many people are so excited about this.

Introducing the Windows Azure One Month Pass USA.  Through this unique offer, U.S. developers can get a Windows Azure one month pass, with no need for any credit card, in order to try out Windows Azure and SQL Azure for yourself.  In addition, you can also access no-cost phone, chat and email support through the Front Runner for Windows Azure program. 

Here are some things to know about this offer:

1. This offer is good for developers only in the 50 United States
2. Limited to the first 500 to respond each calendar month beginning August 1 and ending October 31, 2010 (In other words, BE FAST in requesting your

In my role as Partner Experience Lead here at Microsoft, driving towards the highest partner satisfaction is always a top priority. (and believe me, “driving satisfaction” is literally a daily activity.)  At Microsoft, CPE (Customer & Partner Experience) is something we work very hard at every day here to help ensure it is part of everything we do.  Yes, there are always opportunities for improvement and things do go wrong from time to time, and it is in those times especially where working for great customer experience is so important. 

Because of this focus, I often find myself looking at customer service in everyday life and evaluating how others do it (or fail to in some cases).  Recently I found myself in one of these situations with another company and the experience amazed me, so I thought I would share it here for a few reasons::

1. I think it is a great example of going above and beyond and something all can learn from

What if I told you there was a way to easily see where to find your favorite functions from older versions of Microsoft Office (before the ribbon) in Microsoft Office 2010’s ribbon?  Would that be helpful for any of you?  Well, let me help you out.  Here are some interactive “Menu to ribbon” guides we have available for you to download now that do exactly that:

Interactive Menu To Ribbon Guide	Click to Download
PowerPoint 2010 Interactive menu to ribbon guide - A visual, interactive reference guide to help you find commands in PowerPoint 2010.
Excel 2010 Interactive menu to ribbon guide - A visual, interactive reference guide to help you find commands in Excel 2010.
Publisher 2010 Interactive menu to ribbon guide - A visual, interactive reference guide to help you find commands in Publisher 2010.
Word 2010 Interactive menu to ribbon guide - A visual, interactive reference guide to help you find commands in Word 2010.

Yesterday, Microsoft released an out-of-band security update to address the .LNK vulnerability described in Microsoft Security Advisory 2286198. Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-046 addresses one vulnerability in Windows, has a maximum severity rating of Critical, and an Exploitability Index rating of 1. The security vulnerability affects all supported editions of Windows including Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Microsoft recommends that customers and partners install the update immediately.  Additionally, we recommend that partners patch their own systems and then reach out to their customers to ensure that their systems are secure.  The security update protects against attempts to exploit the vulnerability by several malware families.

IT professionals may also want to view the out-of-band bulletin release overview webcast with Christopher Budd, senior security response communications manager, Microsoft, for a quick synopsis of the highest risk and impact scenarios.  You can view this webcast on demand at this link:

Wow, how time flies!  For those of you wondering why it has been so quiet here on the blog, on my Twitter account, and from me in general, it?s because I have been out and now it?s time to get back to business? 

Three weeks ago I was in Washington D.C. with ~10,000 Microsoft Partners from all around the world at WPC 2010 and capped the week off with my WPC10 ? Connecting with people to build business! post showing just a few of the amazing Microsoft Partners I had the absolute pleasure to meet and spend time with while at our largest Worldwide Partner Conference ever! 

Just after WPC10, I spent a few days around our nation?s capitol taking in the wonderful landmarks, history, and sites with my family before taking off to Atlanta, GA for a couple days at our Microsoft internal company meeting to connect with members of the Microsoft CPE (Customer

To keep you updated on the latest round of updates coming to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center, I am posting a quick update here to let you know about some modifications we will be making to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Website on Thursday, July 22nd.

The Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) will release new improvements on July 22. We have reached out to many partners and customers around the world through Live Meetings, interviews, hands-on usability studies, customer and partner surveys, forums, and events to gather input and feedback on how to improve the VLSC.  We take this feedback seriously and are continually incorporating their suggestions into the VLSC.

As a result of feedback, small incremental changes will be implemented in this next release, with user interface updates to improve self-help options and understanding of permission roles, as well as to increase user efficiency.   No downtime is expected. Note that the final release date is subject to change.

On Monday night, as we kicked off #WPC10 from here in Washington, D.C., I put up the Connecting with others – A HUGE value of #WPC10 (Look who I found) post here on my blog with pictures of some of the attendees I had a chance to connect with during the opening celebration.  Since that time, thousands of meetings have taken place all across #WPC10, some between people who already know each other and are re-connecting, and some that are brand new connections with people who had never met before #WPC10. 

Now here we are on Thursday night, as we bring #WPC10 to a close and I thought I would share some pictures from tonight’s partner closing celebration as well, showing just a small sample of some of the wonderful #WPC10 attendees I had the opportunity to connect with tonight.

- Amy Babinchak (@ababinchak) – 2010 SBSC Partner of the Year Winner at #WPC10

Connecting and staying connected to people, whether for business or personal reasons, is one of the great opportunities with technology.  In today’s times, there are many different ways to stay connected online and with the initial launch of the Microsoft Outlook Social Connector, it brought forward a way to streamline many of these online connections through the already familiar interface many around the world know today in Microsoft Outlook.  Now, the Outlook Social Connector takes another step forward with the announcement this week of the availability of the Facebook and Windows Live providers for download and use in the Microsoft Outlook Social Connector.

So what is the Outlook Social Connector?  The Outlook Social Connector is a new feature set in Outlook 2010 that offers:

• Personal information management:
  • Information about the people you’ve chosen to be connected to (for example, their photos, job information, status updates).
  • Your communications history.
• Connection to Microsoft social networks:

On Monday, I put up a post here on the blog: Connecting with others – A HUGE value of #WPC10 talking about the value of the connections made here at Worldwide Partner Conference each and every year.  Yesterday, through the use of social media and the initiative of some #WPC10 attendees, another opportunity to make connections with some of the wonderful #WPC10 attendees (that you can participate in) came to fruition. 

If you’ve been following #WPC10 at all this week, you’ve probably seen the excitement pouring out of the keynotes and other sessions here through all sorts of social media engines, including streams of tweets covering the keynote sessions.  During yesterday’s keynote, the following tweet came through on the #WPC10 stream:

“@simchabe - Oh, it's close for top #wpc10 tweeter @EricLigman 239.and @WPC10US 229 followed by @nuxnix @rwang0 @meetdux @risepartners @stevenoverly...”

From there, an idea came to be.  Let’s pull the top 10 #WPC10 tweeters (which I’m honored to be a part of) together for a TweetUp here at #WPC10 and then it grew into a LiveMeeting as well for those who aren’t here.