J.J. Antequino's Blog

Yes, you can upgrade to SBS 2008 at a discount!

josephan — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:23:00 GMT

But there are some caveats you need to be aware of from a licensing perspective.

Peter Gallagher posted a link to the offer in his blog: http://ts2blogs.com/blogs/petergal/archive/2008/11/12/save-money-with-solutions-pathway.aspx

I was reviewing some of the fine print, and just wanted to point it out for clarification purposes (http://www.microsoft.com/wess/en/us/solutions-pathway-TC-agreement.aspx)

Important Notices

The new software that is acquired through the Solutions Pathway program (“new software”) takes the place of the software that the customer originally licensed and used to gain eligibility to the Solutions Pathway program (“original software”). The customer cannot use the new software and the original software at the same time.
Volume Licensing Customers:
- Software Assurance Installments: Your perpetual right to use software under licenses acquired through Solutions Pathway is subject to your payment in full of all remaining installments of the price for the corresponding Volume Licensing Licenses and Software Assurance coverage.
- Forfeiture of Upgrade Rights and other Software Assurance Benefits: When you choose to license and use software acquired through Solutions Pathway in place of your Volume Licensing software, you forfeit your right under Software Assurance to use any later version of that Volume Licensing software. You may also forfeit other benefits directly related to that Volume Licensing software. You should contact your reseller or Microsoft account manager if you have questions about the impact of Solutions Pathway purchases upon the status of certain benefits.
- Acquiring Software Assurance Coverage on Licenses Acquired through Solutions Pathway: You may be eligible to acquire coverage on your new software licenses within 90 days of your Solutions Pathway purchase. See the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product List for details. Solution Pathway purchases are not Step Up offerings. Installments paid in connection with Software Assurance for your original Volume Licensing software will not apply toward your purchase of coverage for licenses acquired through Solutions Pathway.
OEM Customers: Your installation of this new software acquired through Solutions Pathway may void your support agreement for the original software provided as part of the server hardware by your OEM. Contact your server manufacturer for its support policy when installing this new software on server hardware. If you need software product support, Microsoft will provide support for the new software and not the server manufacturer. There may be fees associated with such support. Please see www.microsoft.com from more information on its support policies for Windows Essential Server Solution products before purchasing. NOTE: Your original software that was sold as part of the OEM hardware is not transferable. It should be removed from the server. The software, including any recovery media, is not licensed to be used or installed on another server.

And just a reminder that if the customer had already purchased SBS2003 with Software Assurance, he or she doesn't have to pay any additional monies to have that copy of SBS2008! Yay for SA!

Get 50% off Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) Hands-on labs workshops near you

josephan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:35:00 GMT

At Worldwide Partner Conference, we announced the introduction of the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), which will be launching in the near future. Now, you have a chance to participate in a Hands-on labs workshop near you to get to learn much more about this solution. Plus, if you register prior to October 8^th, you can get 50% off the registration fee!

This one day event is focused on educating partners around the deployment and administration of Business Productivity Online Suite. Training will be delivered through a series of presentations that focus on developing the skills required to subscribe, deploy, co-exist, migrate, administer, and support the online services. Here is a list of the dates and cities these events are being offered:

Oct 21, 2008 Greenwood Village (Denver)
Oct 21, 2008 Edina (Minneapolis)
Oct 23, 2008 San Diego
Oct 23, 2008 Washington
Oct 28, 2008 Irvine
Oct 30, 2008 Houston
Oct 30, 2008 Waltham (Boston)
Nov 04, 2008 San Francisco
Nov 05, 2008 Oakbrook (Chicago)
Nov 06, 2008 Exton (Philadelphia)
Nov 06, 2008 Atlanta
Nov 12, 2008 Bellevue (Seattle)
Nov 13, 2008 Tampa
Nov 13, 2008 Dallas
Nov 14, 2008 Mason (Cincinnati)
Nov 18, 2008 New York (Manhattan)
Nov 18, 2008 San Jose
Nov 19, 2008 Carmel (Indianapolis)
Nov 20, 2008 Phoenix

Click here to register or learn more.

FREE Licensing Bootcamp in Charlotte, NC?

josephan — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:30:00 GMT

If you are new to Microsoft Licensing, need a refresher course, or want to hear about some new programs/products to help build your business, you may want to check out the Microsoft Licensing Bootcamp at the Microsoft Charlotte Campus on October 15th.

The gist of the invite is below, but you can read more about it and register for it here: http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032386548&Culture=en-US

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Dear Partner,

Demonstrating your expertise in providing licensing solutions and services to customers opens new opportunities for you to earn additional income, develop continuing revenue streams, and expand your services business. Attending this bootcamp can help you differentiate your services from your competitors and most importantly, help you be recognized as a Microsoft Partner specializing in providing licensing solutions and services.

We will teach you in plain English what you should know about Microsoft’s licensing programs for small & medium business customers, how to choose the right licensing for your customer, how to leverage Microsoft tools to accurately quote customers, and how you can increase your revenue by leveraging the right licensing programs.

Licensing Bootcamp

Date: October 15, 2008

Time: 9:30 am registration

10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Location:                        Charlotte, NC

PRESENTED BY MICROSOFT
Presented by JJ Antquino, Partner Solution Advisor at Microsoft.

Licensing can be a very confusing topic that raises a lot of questions.
             What are the different licensing programs?
             What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
             Which one is the right one for my client?
             Is each product licensed differently?
             How do I know if I’m quoting my customer correctly for licensing?
             And, most importantly, how does licensing help me make money?

   If you have ever asked one or more of these questions, then we can help.

Earn Additional Income. Build Continuing Revenue. Expand Your Services Discover, learn and take advantage of the opportunities offered by Microsoft^® Licensing. This interactive half-day bootcamp will help build your capabilities in the areas of Open License, Open Value and Financing Options. The new pricing and licensing changes will be covered, and the entire session will also be infused by the most common licensing scenarios.

You should attend IF:
You are a reseller or interested in learning more about Microsoft Licensing
You are a Sales Manager, Sales or Tech Sales role in your organization
You have attended a previous Microsoft licensing boot camp and are looking for a licensing “refresher”

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ATTN: Atlanta Area Partners!

josephan — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:41:00 GMT

Atlanta Tech Days Starts Tomorrow.... There's still time!

Atlanta area Partners, be sure to register for the upcoming TechDays ’08 event!

If your business is fueled by technology, TechDays '08 is an event you won't want to miss. Loaded with exclusive product information presented by insider experts, TechDays '08 is designed to show developers, IT professionals, IT executives, and partners how Microsoft technology can take their business to the next level.

Whether you attend just one day or all three, you'll walk away with a greater understanding of the business value of Microsoft's technology solutions. Plus, you'll have the chance to take a closer look at Microsoft's latest development tools. Check out the tracks to the right and register for these exciting sessions today!

Expert Insights. Greater results.

Also, one lucky winner will be selected each day to win an 8 GB Zune!

Make $$$ Selling Open Licenses with Tech Data and Microsoft!

josephan — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:03:00 GMT

With all of the licensing programs and promotions out there, which ones work together to help save your customer money and also help you make money? Sign up for this webcast presented by Tech Data Senior Product Sales Champion, Patrick Duroseau, and hosted by J.J. Antequino of the Microsoft TS2 Team where we will discuss The Big Easy Offer, Open Value VAR Rebate and more to help “show you the money!”

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 11 a.m. – Noon (PST)

Essential Business Server (EBS) Preview Available!

josephan — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:06:00 GMT

As a number of folks have mentioned, it's time for you to give it a shot: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc184869.aspx

Here are some details:

Brief Description Public Preview Software – Release Candidate 0 Windows Essential Business Sever 2008 is an integrated and affordable solution that offers the Microsoft software midsize businesses require - preconfigured, integrated and manageable from a single administrative console, and at a significant discount compared to standalone products.

Quick Details

Version: 6.0 Date
Published: 5/12/2008
Language: English
Download Size: 11092.1 MB

Overview Designed and priced for midsize businesses, Windows Essential Business Server 2008 simplifies your daily activities with a Centralized Administration Console that gives you a single point of access to your IT environment. Windows Essential Business Server 2008 also provides an integrated and predictable platform, allowing you to view, deploy, manage, and administer third-party applications from one starting point.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Server 2008

Notes: Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Standard Edition is only available as a 64-bit operating system As this is not final release code, you may not install the software in a live operating environment

Processors

Systems with Single Core CPU - x64 with a 2.5 GHz minimum clock speed
Systems with a Multi Core CPU - x64 with a 1.5 GHz minimum clock speed
Systems with Multiple Physical CPUs - x64 with a 1.5 GHz minimum clock speed

RAM

Management Server - 4 GB of RAM
Security Server - 2 GB of RAM
Messaging Server - 4 GB of RAM

Hard Disk Drives

Operating System Drive Partition – Minimum of 40 GB of free disk space
Application Data Drive Partition – Minimum of 20 GB of free disk space

Happy 1st Anniversary to the Miami SBS User Group!

josephan — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:38:00 GMT

This past Wednesday, I had the opportunity to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Miami SBS User Group. We went over the highlights of SBS and EBS as well as the Big Easy Offer, Open Value Subscription, MS Financing, and MS GearUp.... but we still had the chance to socialize at Cafe Tu Tu Tango's for a bit after the meeting. Just like all of the other Florida IT groups I've had the pleasure of working with, the Miami SBS Group truly embraces community, collaboration, and comraderie.

If you are looking for more information about the Miami group, send Alex (atunon@athenix-group.com) or Richard (RBlanco@athenix-group.com) an email.

Alternatively (or additionally), if you find yourself a little further north, you can check out the South Florida Technology Network (www.southfloridasbs.com) and the Palm Beach IT Association (www.palmbeachit.com)

And if you're in Orlando or Tampa, look into attending the next meeting of the Orlando IT Professional Association (www.orlandoitpro.com) and the Tampa Bay SBS User Group (http://www.tampasbs.com)

Looking for Service Pack 1 for Vista NOW?

josephan — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:22:00 GMT

As of March 18, it is available in 5 languages from our download center.

Here are the links:

x86: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b0c7136d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en

x64: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=874a414b-32b2-41cc-bd8b-d71eda5ec07c&DisplayLang=en

Enjoy!

Build Your Business with a FREE Managed Services Audiobook!

josephan — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:32:00 GMT

If you attended our TS2 Events last year, you probably learned about some of the great benefits that come along with a Managed Services Practice. We were fortunate to work with Erick Simpson and Matt Makowicz in developing that content and I'm hoping you all benefited from everything we talked about!

Erick is hosting a live Webinar on March 25th and is offering his "The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice" just for attending. During this Webinar, Erick will be joined by Cisco's Sameer Jayakar to go over Cisco's SMB network monitoring solution.

Here's what Erick sent me:

Join me for our next Live MSP University Webinar Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 Join me for our next live Managed Services Webinar on Tuesday, March 25th at 8:00am PST, where our special guest will be Sameer Jayakar, Senior Manager, SMB Network Management for Cisco Systems. Mr. Jayakar will take us on a tour of Cisco's new Monitor Director Managed Services solution and discuss Cisco's Managed Services strategy for Partners. Cisco's Monitor Director enables Managed Services Providers to deliver comprehensive 24-hour remote real-time monitoring and management of data and voice services for SMB customers with 5 to 250 users.

As a special bonus - all attendees will receive a FREE AUDIOBOOK DOWNLOAD OF OUR BEST-SELLING BOOK: The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice! - a $59.99 value!

CLICK HERE to register for this Webinar on Tuesday, March 25th, at 8:00am PST.

Make even more money selling Open Value Subscription Agreements!

josephan — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:06:00 GMT

Here are the details on Eric Ligman's Blog:

http://blogs.msdn.com/mssmallbiz/archive/2008/03/10/8126682.aspx

If you're wondering what Open Value Subscription is, please read about it here:

https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40055360?PS=95000124

Or watch the webcast here:

https://training.partner.microsoft.com/plc/details.aspx?publisher=12&delivery=243309&site=US&lang=EN

Want to become an SBSC? You'll need to pass an exam first!

josephan — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:48:00 GMT

The good news is, we've got some great webcasts to help you pass! And they are free !

70-282: Designing, Deploying, and Managing a Network Solution for a Small- and Medium-Sized Business

http://www.msreadiness.com/TrainingSearch.aspx?prodid=0&keyword=70-282

70-631: Configuring Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

http://www.msreadiness.com/TrainingSearch.aspx?prodid=0&keyword=70-631

74-134: Pre-installing Microsoft Products and Technologies

http://www.msreadiness.com/TrainingSearch.aspx?prodid=0&keyword=74-134

Let's make a SPLASH in Palm Beach next week!

josephan — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:41:00 GMT

Whenever I head out to South Florida, we usually get big turn outs at our TS2 Events in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.... And that should be the case next week and in December.

But NEXT week, I hope that Palm Beach can rival that turn out!

At the Palm Beach TS2 we have a WHOLE day of Partner Goodness for you... You might as well tell your spouse you're taking a vacation day without him or her :)

From 10-12 AM we will be hosting an MS101 for our broad channel partners. If you have been wondering what the best way to navigate the Microsoft Partner Program might be, this is the session for you. You can read more about this and register here: http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032358939

All of our MS101 attendees will receive a $10 Chili's Gift Card to satisfy their stomachs before our TS2 presentation starts in the afternoon.. I believe the closest one is about 3.5 miles away on State Road 7.

From 1-5 PM we will hold our TS2 Seminar. We will be discussin System Center Essentials, Forefront Client Security... AND a section of Building a Successful Managed Service Practice hosted by Matt Makowicz, the author of: A Guide to SELLING Managed Services – faster, easier, & for greater profit

Here's the registration link for the TS2 in Palm Beach: http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032346163

After the TS2 Seminar we'll all head out to a restaurant where I will treat you to some appetizers. You'll also have the treat of having Matt there to talk with some of you one-on-one in a less "formal" setting :) We'll anounce WHERE we'll end up at the TS2 Seminar itself.

But if you have suggestions, please ping Dave O'Keefe and think about joining the Palm Beach IT Association. The association's website is: http://www.palmbeachit.com

=======

Miami Partners: Fear not! Matt will also be in Miami to deliver his Managed Services methodology at the TS2 on Wedensday. Here's a link to register for that event: http://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-US&EventID=1032346160

SMB Nation

josephan — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:44:00 GMT

I know it was a couple of weeks ago, but I've been traveling so much, I haven't had a chance to write up a blog entry :(

Although I've been on the TS2 team for a few years, this was my first time to check out SMB Nation in person! I was definitely impressed by the number "Who's who" of SBS'ers in attendance. If there is any place for a potential or current Small Business Specialist to network, this is it!

If you haven't been to SMB Nation or if you don't even know what it is, please check out http://www.smbnation.com. Here's what the SMB Nation Team has to say about it:

"SMB Nation 2007 is the fifth annual edition of the world original and largest SMB channel partner-focused conference. This gathering is essential to all IT consultants that serve small- and medium-business (SMB) customers. This is THE annual convention for Small Business Specialists, registered partners, TS2 attendees, resellers, SMB consultants, VARs and VAPs. It’s also THE event for those who want to become Small Business Specialists."

I helped to host a session on Microsoft Office 2007 Small Business Edition. I hope that those that attended gained some value from what I spoke about. I always feel that if someone comes to a TS2 Seminar or any of my events, and learns just ONE thing that helps them make more money, it was time well spent :)

Here's a link to the deck I presented (hosted in PDF format by SMB Nation): http://www.smbnation.com/SMB%20Nation%202007%20Fall%20Conference/PDF-Videos/PDFs/Session%206D%20Office2007SBE.pdf

At SMB Nation, I also had the opportunity to meet Erick Simpson in person (Finally!). He has just recently published a new book called "The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing Book Ever!" I haven't read it yet, but as I said about my own TS2 Seminars.... If I learn just ONE thing in this book that helps me generate more revenue, it was worth it! And if Erick's Managed Services guide book is any indication, I'm sure this one will be worth it ;) You can read more about Erick's books at http://www.mspu.us.

Thank you Sarasota!

josephan — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:03:00 GMT

Well I just got back to Orlando from Sarasota.... I didn't run into any traffic on 75 or I-4.... Yay!

I just wanted point everyone to the Remote Operations page on the partner site: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/productssolutions/servers/systemcenter/remoteoperationsmanager

Also, just to reiterate that you CAN be a registered partner and still be eligible for ROM:

"Enroll in the Microsoft Partner Program. You must be either a Microsoft Certified Partner or a Registered Member of the Microsoft Partner Program. If you are a Registered Member, you must also enroll in the Microsoft Hosting Program. Each of these programs offers unique benefits to members"

You can read more about this at: http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/spla/default.mspx

===========

For those wondering about Forefront Client Security pricing, here's a great link: http://www.microsoft.com/forefront/clientsecurity/howtobuy/default.mspx

See you all next time!

Norfolk, VA TS2

josephan — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 01:56:00 GMT

A big thanks to the TS2 attendees in Norfolk! It was my first time in Norfolk, and had a great time even thought I was only there for about 24 hours :)

The night before the event, a few of us went to a great Indian restaurant called Rajput Indian Cuisine (http://www.rajputonline.com). Highly recommended even for those "beginners" out there :)

Alot of you have been emailing me asking about the New Client Savings Spreadsheet that will help you show your worth to potential clients. I have forwarded your requests onto Erick Simpson, but if you would like more information about his Managed Services program or would like to get the spreadsheet from him, his email address is: esimpson@ienterprise.us

I hope you enjoyed our TS2 discussion this quarter... and although Steve Deming will probably be presenting to you next time, I look forward to meeting you all again!

Thanks!

J.J.