Need Microsoft Partner Help: Please Log in and Vote “Me Too” On These Forum Posts

Hi, we need some help please:

• Microsoft Partner Forums: Exchange 2013 - Internal Anonymous Relay
• Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/YOO2FI
• Microsoft Partner Forums: Exchange 2013 Destroys PDF Attachments sent from MFP/Copier/Network Scanner
• Bit.ly: http://bit.ly/Zvbx8Y

Note the number 4 showing that four folks have bumped this thread. Thank you for doing that! We have one bump on the PDF problem.

Please click on the link, log in with your Microsoft Partner account, and click the “Me Too” button! Then, do so for the other question.

The internal relay question is due to a documentation fail while the PDF Attachments being mangled is an outright catastrophic fail as the Microsoft Exchange 2013 product went out the door like this.

We hope that we can get a lot of support underneath these two questions since both directly impact SMB/SME/ENT.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Chef de partie in the SMBKitchen
Find out more at
www.thirdtier.net/enterprise-solutions-for-small-business/

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Another Nail In the In-House SMB IT Solution’s Coffin? The Death of the SBSC

Eric Ligman’s announcement today:

• Microsoft SMS&P Partner Community Blog: Some additional information, a Q&A, on the Microsoft Partner Network Small Business Competency

Specifically:

Question: Right now you have the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC). What does the Small Business competency mean for SBSC now and moving forward?

• Answer: The current Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) program will continue to exist and support SBSC partners for a 12 month grace period after the Small Business competency launch. During this grace period, both the Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) and the Small Business competency will reside side-by-side, and SBSC partners will continue to benefit from the SBSC program and branding. After the grace period, the Small Business Specialist Community will transform into a Microsoft Partner Network partner-to-partner community. There will be no requirements to join the community and the current SBSC benefits will go away as well. In other words, the Small Business competency will be the Microsoft Partner Network offering for Small Business starting 12 months after its launch.

The following two cartoons were created by Tim Barrett and speak largely to our sentiments behind the big Cloud push by Microsoft and others:

• Have U Rebooted Yet – 055 – Death of SBSC

And:

• Have U Rebooted Yet – 029 – Cloud Stampede

The Small Business Silver Competency requirement:

• Exam Credentials:
  • 1 MCP must pass 2 exams:
    • Required: 70-323 - Administering Office 365
    • And another exam from:
      • 70-321 - Deploying Office 365
      • 70-680 - TS: Windows 7, Configuring
      • 70-169 - TS: Windows Small Business Server 2011, Configuring
• Business Assessments:
  • Sign and complete: MOSPA (Microsoft Online Services Provider Agreement)+ Assessment
    • Training
    • Assessment
  • 1 person must complete Licensing assessment
  • 1 person must complete Business focused small business assessment
• Evidence:
  • Must have 3 submitted customer references
• Fees:
  • $1,850 (based on country)

That is from here:

• Microsoft SMS&P Partner Community Blog: What are the requirements to earn the Microsoft Partner Network Small Business Competency?

The SBSC

The Small Business Specialist designation required the sweat of the brow and some serious application of real experience with a product, Small Business Server, and then an online competency test that may or may not have asked questions that were relevant to the environment we work in: SMB.

The SBSC gave us the ability to establish our company as a legitimate player. It gave us the ability to state very clearly, with the backing of Microsoft, that our company had a good handle on the SMB IT Solutions we were going to suggest and/or deploy.

The SBSC stood out very distinctly from the other Microsoft Partner Competencies as a unique offering specifically for SMB.

No longer. In a year or so the SBSC Program and Logo will be retired as it is being replaced by the Microsoft Partner Network Small Business Competency.

Office 365

We have absolutely no inclination to learn Office 365 Administration to the point where we would pass an exam. Though with what we have done with the online offering so far we may get by. But why? Where is the benefit to our clients and to us?

We Choose OWN For Hosted Solutions

Own Web Now is our partner of choice for hosted Exchange and SharePoint. We have a great team of folks to deal with that we know on a first name basis. And, Vlad is an all around astute business man that operates with a level of integrity that is difficult to find in today’s business environment.

Marketing Fog Feeds The Cloud

A quote:

There are over 148 million SMB businesses worldwide needing relevant technology solutions, out of which approximately 50% are Small Business organizations - this areas is a huge opportunity for our Microsoft partners to tap into as trusted advisors and quality technology providers to this customer base.

From:

• How you can earn the MPN Small Business Competency Julie Bennani, General Manager, Microsoft Partner Network

Another quote:

There are 148 million small business customers around the world. According to IDC, two thirds of small businesses were expecting to use Software as a Service by mid-2011. This represents a $ 94B opportunity for Microsoft partners. A big number, yes, but what does a small business competency have to do with it?

From:

• Why you should care about the Small Business competency: Jon Roskill, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group

With all due respect to the authors of the above two articles and to Eric Ligman whom we have great respect for we have heard this all before.

The Same Message Over And Over And Over And Over Again

Perhaps it is because the various product and marketing teams have no continuity with the histories of their teams that we keep getting the same messages over and over again.

We received the same marketing flog for the release of Small Business Server 2003 (which was one of the best most anticipated SBS versions EVER), then for SBS 2003 R2, then for SBS 2008, then for SBS 2011, and now for Office 365 and the Cloud.

We were, and are, encouraged to seek out that great untapped number of small businesses that could use a small business server solution for their company. This was realistic because the client would win (in the case of an IT Solution put together by a competent consultant), Microsoft would win with licensing sales, and the consultant and their company would win. Win-Win-Win. This was a good thing.

Now, we are encouraged to seek out those great number of small businesses that could use a Cloud solution and _hand them over to Microsoft_ with but a pittance for our efforts.

Is there any wonder why there has been a fairly consistent and strong push-back by the small IT Shops against all of the Cloud market flog?

Silver Small Business Competency Still Needed

As we have mentioned before, the last economic downturn, that is still ongoing, with its inherent risks on this continent and with our neighbours across the Pond did a great job of weeding out a lot of the fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants type consultants that cobbled together solutions that may or may not have worked and always gave Microsoft and other vendors a black eye when they didn’t.

The Small Business Specialist Community certification went a long way to differentiate between the legitimate consultants and the seat flyers. The Silver Small Business Competency may also do so but at a great additional cost in time and money.

In the end, the IT Shop that needs to differentiate themselves from the other shops should bite the bullet and gain the Silver Competency. It will be one more cost of doing business to keep one’s status as a legitimate player in the IT Solutions world.

As for us, we may hold our nose and dive into the Administering O365 exam just to get by it. But, that, and the $1,850 fee will wait until our SBSC status has officially been laid in the grave and covered ...

Or sitting on a beach half buried by the ages!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

From Microsoft Canada: An IT Pro Message

Microsoft Canada asked if we could post the following to our fellow IT Professionals and we agreed. Many of the links to Microsoft resources are ones that we use on a regular basis.

Note that we edited the original to reduce the amount of marketing fluff. :0)

Our comments are italicized.

NSAT IT Pro Messaging for the Community

1) Help and Support from Microsoft

The following links are a great resource that Microsoft provides to help us find the answers that we need. One of the things that we notice, especially from the MVP perspective, is that if we don’t go and post our issues/problems on forums or phone in to initiate a support incident with PSS that the issue/problem may slip under the radar . . . even if we see it _a lot_ at other forums like Experts-Exchange.

So, when it comes to situations that Microsoft needs to address, they _are_ listening. We need to do our part to follow through.

Help and Resources

• Microsoft Product Solution Center – Get product support information for the majority of Microsoft products.
• Microsoft Answers – Ask questions and get answers from real people, or search for answers others have received.
• Microsoft Fix it Solution Center – Find automated solutions for your issues.
• @MicrosoftHelps – Follow Microsoft Customer Service and Support on Twitter. Experienced customer service agents respond to your questions in real-time tweets.
• Enterprise Business Center – Access resources for enterprise customers.
• Microsoft Small Business Center – Find resources for small and medium-sized businesses.

Other Resources You May Find Useful

• Microsoft Virtual Academy - For Free Training To Help Improve Your IT Skill Set.
• TechNet Evaluation Center - Try some of the latest Microsoft products like Office 365, Windows Intune or System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 for free, before you buy.
• TechNet Newsletter - Sign Up To Receive The Latest IT News and Developments, Product Releases, Expert Insights and Support Services with Microsoft's complimentary biweekly newsletter for industry professionals.

2) Security – How to Help Keep Your PC Protected

Even though we wear many hats, keeping our client’s networks secure is a priority. There are many ways about keeping a network secure, but since our primary foundations are Windows Server and Desktop based we need to be aware of Microsoft’s resources for us in the Security field.

If you feel your system has been compromised or has a computer virus – you can call Microsoft's Security and Virus FREE support line at 1-866-727-2338.

Security Resources

• Microsoft Security Essentials – Free Anti-Malware software from Microsoft, great for Small Businesses and Home PCs alike.
• Security Bulletins by the Regular IT Guy – A monthly podcast to help simplify details about the monthly Security patch releases.
• Security TechCenter – Find top tasks, get the latest news, find a wiki article or download a featured tool.
• Windows Update Services – Businesses of all sizes can help manage and control the rollout of updates in their organizations.

Other Resources You May Find Useful

• Springboard Series - Your destination for technical resources, free tools and expert guidance to ease the deployment and management of your Windows-based client infrastructure.
• AlignIT Manager Tech Talk Series - A monthly streamed video series with a range of topics for both infrastructure and development managers. Ask questions and participate real-time or watch the on-demand recording.
• Microsoft Virtual Academy - For Free Training To Help Improve Your IT Skill Set.
• TechNet Evaluation Center - Try some of the latest Microsoft products like Office 365, Windows Intune or System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 for free, before you buy.

3) Licensing Simplified – at Home and at Work

Licensing. Microsoft Licensing. This is probably one of the biggest areas of struggle for all of us that provide Microsoft based solutions. Just when we think we have what we need in the way of information and direction on how to license a particular solution the SPUR changes or something else changes to throw a monkey wrench in the mix.The links below will help to mitigate those experiences. :)

To add to the links below, the number one licensing site that we visit is the following:

• Microsoft License Advisor

The above linked licensing tool gives us access to all of Microsoft’s licensing programs, the ability to pick and choose which products we are trying to license, and the necessary guidelines for choosing the right program.

FYI: We always license our clients using Open Value Agreement (not subscription) as it provides the best value over the long haul for our clients. Payback is seen in the fourth through six year in SA renewal over OEM.

The link in the paragraph below is to the following blog post:

• Virtualization Team Blog: Beware the VMware Memory vTax Part 2…

Speaking of licensing – I often get asked if I can back up our claims at a more cost effective Virtualization solution for your server rooms.  I dug up a great – no nonsense breakdown on recent licensing changes in the industry and how our offering stacks up.

Licensing Resources

• Licensing FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Product Licensing.
• The SMB How to Buy Portal:  receive clear purchasing and licensing information that is easy to understand in order to help facilitate quick decision making.
• Microsoft License Advisor (MLA): Use MLA to research Microsoft Volume Licensing products, programs and pricing.  
• Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) – Already have a volume License? Use the VLSC to get you easy access to all your licensing information in one location.
• Windows 7 Comparison: Compare versions of Windows and find out which one is right for you.
• Office 2010 Comparison: Find out which Office suite is right for you.

Other Resources You May Find Useful

• TechNet Cloud Hub - Get the latest news and find great resources to help you jump into the Cloud.
• TechNet Evaluation Center - Try some of the latest Microsoft products like Office 365, Windows Intune or System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 for free, before you buy.
• Microsoft Virtual Academy - For free training to help improve your IT skill set.

4) Free Online Training and Resources from Microsoft

Training. It is the key to our success. We utilize Microsoft’s resources as well as other third party vendor’s training sites on a regular basis.

Knowledge in untrained hands is a dangerous thing. Being trained, evaluated, and certified on the products we work with goes beyond employability. It is a matter of necessity as we are _responsible_ for our client’s IT solutions.

Having a lab capable of running the various IT solutions we implement is also critical to our success. By building out the solutions in a lab setting we can blow them up, attempt to destroy them, pressure test them, and so much more without killing a production environment.

A TechNet subscription whether direct from them or via the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription is an important part of an IT Solution Provider’s in-house licensing and Microsoft products based lab.

Microsoft has a number of great resources to help you in areas of professional development and access to software.  The Microsoft Virtual Academy contains some fantastic FREE online training on hot topics for IT Professionals.  Once you’ve stopped by and tried out a course or two — head on over to the Microsoft Eval Center to download copies of their server products to try out in your lab environment.  And while you’re at it, check out this free Microsoft Office 365 ebook by Katherine Murray, it shows you how you can use cloud computing to help get more done and help improve ease of collaboration.

***

Hopefully there will be some nuggets of information in the above to help!

Thanks for reading. :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

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SPLA – Hosting Partner Community Calls

We received an e-mail from Microsoft Hosting:

We are going to do our best to get in on the Quarterly Licensing Brief call as we have a number of SPLA and SPUR related concerns that we need to express.

• Microsoft Hosting: Quarterly Licensing Brief on March 17th at 9:00am-10:00am PST.

We will also try to get in on the April 21 Hosting Community Call to see if we can express some of our licensing structure concerns there as well.

• Microsoft Hosting: Hosting Community Call April 21 at 0900Hrs PST Pre-Registration.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft Action Pack Goes Digital – Windows Server 2008 R2 RTM Bits Are There!

One of the vastly huge improvements to the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription is the ability to download ISOs from a dedicated site as well as manage all of our MAPS product keys:

Gone are the days where we had stacks of binders, though we are keeping all of them as MAPS licensing is grandfathered back to the point the subscription was started or the last time it was stopped.

We keep archives of all of our TechNet keys. Each time we archive the key set, we make sure to keep track of which products are still there and which have dropped off.

We will do the same with our online MAPS product keys.

Keep in mind that most of the MAPS product downloads are retail. So, if there is a need to work with volume licensing products such as Office 2007 for Group Policy based distribution, then make an investment in an Open Value Subscription and pick up one Office 2007 Enterprise SKU on the 3 year spread payment plan.

We only ordered one since we have our SBS, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Office for Mac, and other products on Open Value Agreements.

Another option for volume licensing media would be to obtain a TechNet Plus subscription.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft Action Pack Subscription – MAPS Survey Link

There is a request to fill out a quick survey in our current Action Pack Subscription shipment. It is a bit complicated, so here it is:

• MAPS Survey

We are being asked to choose the best method for the MAPS content delivery.

Please take the minute to fill this one out as the folks that worked on the MAPS advisory committee, us being one of them, worked quite hard to come up with the best three options for all Action Pack subscribers.

We believe that the next generation Action Pack Subscription will be a lot easier on the environment and simpler to manage as far as the software and product keys.

It is a matter of choice! ;)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft Small Business Specialists still get Business Critical Phone Support

Since we have been so busy, there has been little time to catch up on things happening in the Microsoft Partner Portal.

One of the things pointed out in a licensing conversation on the Experts Exchange forum was that SBSCs are still eligible for business critical phone in support:

SBSC MS BizCrit Support

Note that the screenshot is from the Canadian Microsoft Partner portal site.

From the eligibility paragraph:

Eligibility for this benefit is offered to Action Pack or Empower Subscribers, Small Business Specialists, and Certified and Gold Certified Partners.

There is another incentive to get out and obtain the Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation for a small I.T. shop!

Business Critical Support is a good insurance policy. It should never be the first line of support when something hiccups. That is where the SBS ecosystem such as our SBS peers, online newsgroups, and other sources of SBS knowledge come into play.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Technology Partner Tour - Calgary this Thursday

Are you going to be in Calgary this coming Thursday for the upcoming Microsoft Technology Partner Tour?

Barring the flu bringing me down, I plan on being there.

This would be a good chance to meet Satish face to face since he is relatively new to us in the Canadian SBSC.

By the way, if you are a Canadian SBSC and did not receive an invite to the exclusive SBSC Lounge the evening before the event (Wednesday), send Satish a quick note and I am sure he will gladly forward the invitation to you!

Hope to see you there!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Action Pack Renewal Steps

We know we are having a bad day when ...

Renewing the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription (MAPS), the process is quite simple:

1. Sign into the Partner Membership Centre.
2. Click on View Your Membership Account button.
• 
  
3. Click the Membership Center button in the drop down list.
4. Click the Orders & Benefits link.
• 
  
5. Click Additional Enrollment Summary in the drop down list.
6. Click the Re-Enrollment "tab".
• 
  
7. Click the "Click here to renew" link.

The above "Click here to renew" link will appear if your MAPS renewal date falls before June 19, 2008. If the anniversary date is after June 19, 2008, then there will be an assessment requirement prior to being allowed to renew.

Once the assessment course and exam has been passed the organization will be required to complete an assessment every two (2) years.

I do believe that the assessment is definitely a step in the right direction.

... when we still manage to miss something in the steps and need to reach out for a bit of help! ;)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Action Pack Training & Assessment Deadline Extended

It seems that there are some system glitches with the new technical assessment feature for Action Pack (MAPS) subscriptions and renewals.

MAPS Test Deadline Extended

The original start date for the need to take the test was the beginning of this month.

The tests will now start on June 19, 2008.

In a way this is too bad. We believe that there is definitely a need to have some sort of testing regime in place to weed out those who would take advantage of MAPS for purposes it was not intended for.

For us, the Action Pack was a big bonus when we were starting out on the road to building an I.T. company. It gave us access to a good portion of the software we would otherwise need to license for our internal use at pennies on the dollar.

MAPS is a good idea. Take advantage of it. Use it as it was intended ... for internal and training purposes in an I.T. company that provides Microsoft products and services based on those products.

Then work towards certifying your company as a Microsoft Small Business Specialist! It has paid huge dividends for our company.

Oh, and take Vlad's advice: Ouch, the death of SBSC to contribute to the Small Business Specialist Community and take advantage of the Microsoft SBSC contacts or we may just loose the whole Small Business Specialist program!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Partner - Promoting your business on the new Solution Profiler

Apparently, we will need to build a solutions profile for our companies in order for clients to find us soon.

From what I understand, the client types in a problem/solution they are looking at and those partners that have the right key solution words would be brought up in the results.

Hopefully it will eliminate the Resource Directory's promotion of Gold and Certified members over us Registered level Small Business Specialists. Hopefully, it will avoid the snafu of trying to get our company properly listed in the Resource Directory! 8*0

Why is this important? As Susan Bradley points out in her introduction in the book Advanced Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices, the Gold Certified partners tried to convince her and her firm to avoid SBS (pg. xxxvii)! When we Registered level partners tend to know that SBS is an awesome product that can meet a broad range of client I.T. needs for a very reasonable cost.

It is in our experience as well, that small business I.T. shops that have obtained their Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation, are a lot more understanding of a small business' needs. Howz that? Well, we run our own small businesses don't we?

We understand the need to juggle our business needs according to cash flow, productivity and knowledge of our employees, applications that can serve our business needs, the technology needed today and tomorrow to meet those needs, and more.

As a result, we smaller Microsoft Small Business Specialists have a particular ability to address our client's small business needs.

We also have the time to invest in getting to know our client's business, their business model, and the special software application needs they may have for their industry. By investing this time, we are better able to design an SBS based solution that will meet their very specific needs.

We could not justify that kind of time investment in our client's business I.T. needs if we worked for a larger I.T. support company.

This time investment pays off in the end, as we can foster business relationships that can last decades!

So, invest some time in setting up your Solution Profile. Log on to the Partner site: Microsoft Partners Site (Worldwide Portal). Once signed in, click on the View/Manage your membership account button and head over to the Membership Center (has your little graph status level). The Solution Finder is under the "Requirements & Assets" heading/button.

It will be time consuming, especially for us small shops, but in the end, it will hopefully be worth it.

Thanks to David Overton's Blog for pointing this out: So your profile info is on MS Partner site and partner finder, so now you MUST update your solution profiles to be found - here is why and how it takes 10 mins.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

System Builder Tip: Microsoft Partner - Microsoft Office Ready Master Kit (OPK) Part Number

We all received this one with our January Action Pack.

Did you get the, "Huh? What is that exactly?" from your supplier?

Microsoft's part number for the OPK: 269-11458

Note to Microsoft Partner Program: Next time you give us a little note like that, please put a part number for the product indicated so that it is easier for us to obtain it! It took a bit of hunting around to figure it out!

Advice to System Builders: Pick up one or two extra copies for those "Just in Case" moments. Media can be damaged or outright ruined quite easily. It will save you quite a bit of coin in that event to have an extra!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

Microsoft Partner - Microsoft Action Pack Licensing Change

I have been following a number of different conversations with regards to the changes in the licensing scheme for the Action Pack XP Pro and Vista Business operating systems.

There is David Overton's Blog here, and here.

Another, is on Susan Bradley's Blog here, and here.

And, yet another, is on the Microsoft Small Business Community Blog (US) here, and here.

A transcript of the Q & A Webcast that happened with Eric and Tram of the MSBS Community can be found here at Tim Barrett's Blog. Pretty scary in some cases, so brace yourselves! :D

Here is David Schrag's take on it ... he even went so far as to create a MAPS wiki!

And, on Microsoft's Partner Portal, the actual Webinar explaining the whole thing here.

As I understand it, the new licensing scheme indicates that the desktop operating systems are licensed as upgrade versions.

I believe this to be a terrible move on Microsoft's part.

Why?

Because, we relied heavily on our Action Pack when we first started out!

Can you imagine what it would be like for a start up IT company that supported Microsoft's products to have to pay outright for their products? Or, for a one man/woman shop to have to fork out that kind of coin in the first couple of years? YIKES!

That to me, contravenes the spirit of the Action Pack. It is supposed to be there for those of us who resell Microsoft's products. It is NOT a way to get "FREE" or "CHEAP" Microsoft software! It is supposed to be there for us to learn Microsoft's products so that we can facilitate a better Microsoft Product Experience for our clients!

It is our knowledge, our expertise, that enables us to provide a stable network infrastructure based on Microsoft's products. Without that knowledge and expertise, our clients are left with a bitter experience of both the IT company that came in to do the work, and the Microsoft products that seemingly did not work!

The Action Pack gives us the ability to, "Walk the Talk".

After four years in business, we are now in the position to purchase some of the software we need. We are doing that through retail licenses for XP Pro (almost gone), and Vista Business. We then tack on Software Assurance for desktop operating systems.

We are utilizing the Open Value Licensing scheme to spread our software license purchase payments over three years. It makes the most sense for us, and extends our SA agreement to three years versus the two for the upfront SA purchaser.

For those companies that can afford it, those a little further down the trail to sustainability, Open Value Licensing with Software Assurance is the way to go. Check into it.

Most importantly of all ... stay legit ... and know how to!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists