In order to maintain the advantages of channels, at Microsoft's annual partner conference, ALLISON WATSON, head of the company's channel, said that the company will add $ 200 million in investment in the new fiscal year. In this way, Microsoft's annual channel budget reached $ 1.7 billion.
Reduced cost does not affect channel input
Microsoft hopes to use this fund, block Linux aggressive offensive in the channel, and also hope to handle the trust of Windows due to security vulnerabilities.
As a vice president of Microsoft's partner marketing department, Watson believes that the additional budget fund will cause partners to deploy more Windows-based solutions. She expects that the sales of Microsoft software products will be very strong this year, which will make Microsoft partners' service business experienced large rebound.
Watson said: "This year we will configure various resources, enhance the efficiency of partners and customers."
She revealed that this year Microsoft's channel budget will be mainly used to fund some market promotion projects and training programs. Microsoft will add more than 200 pre-sales technical experts to help partners win orders. In addition to this 1.7 billion budget, Microsoft will also take 200 million US dollars to promote sales of desktop software, and draw 57 experts to promote Windows XP and Office 2003 software.
Microsoft CEO Balmo has said that Microsoft will cut $ 1 billion in the new fiscal year on July 1st. However, this did not affect the company's budget in channel.
Microsoft will not break the 1.7 billion budget to each partner, but it will launch a series of cooperation projects for the ISV, installeders and program providers of SMEs.
An industry insiders who have played many years with Microsoft said that Microsoft has achieved good results in the channel in the past three years, and the company's links between the branches and partners have become more close. NPA is Microsoft's gold certification partner. Teri Green of the company's senior manager said: "To change the specific operator's attitude towards the channel. Now, from the perspective of daily work, we are with Microsoft operators Cooperation is more orbiting. "
Bundle branch and partner
To do this, you need to bundle branches with partners. In the new fiscal year, Microsoft requires its global 67 branches to bring local marketing budgets, with partners to carry out market activities. This proportion increased by 5% from the previous year. Microsoft's high-level representation, in the US market, this proportion will be higher, and the SME market is even more likely. This means that Microsoft's grassroots institutions will invest more funds in channel cooperation projects.
In terms of marketing, Microsoft has hired 200 technical experts to help partners have completed pre-sales support while enriching the Comphot support system. The purpose of the Comphot Support System is to help partners compete in linux and other Windows alternative software in bidding. In addition, Microsoft also launched a series of new cooperative projects to accommodate third-party ISV and program providers products and services. In these new collaboration projects, the most typical Microsoft plans to create a Windows MarketPlace website.
Windows Marketplace is a dedicated trading website that lists Microsoft and third-party software, hardware, and attachments that will integrate into Windows's "Start" menu. However, all transactions on the site will be directly operated by partners, Microsoft does not record or track related transaction information.
Windows MarketPlace will be officially released this fall, Microsoft has begun to encourage partners to submit their own products and services to the site. Many partners have expressed welcome to this plan.
A program provider practitioners said: "I am very happy to see Microsoft. Microsoft If you clear all obstacles during the purchase process, I will actively participate."
Provide Marketing Tool Series Support Services
Microsoft will also provide partners with a series of support services named Marketing Tool, focusing on SMEs, if they are directly transferred, they can receive free resources. If the seminar is organized, they can be funded. Under the Marketing Tool Framework, Microsoft will provide many market promotion materials that can be distributed in the name of partners, but also use parties to distribute. In addition, Microsoft will also provide outsourcing marketing support services. Marketing Tool will be officially available in early 2005.
Ross-TEK is a program provider mainly engaged in small business server business, which participated in the test of Marketing Tool's launch. The company recently held a seminar and obtained Microsoft's funding. At the seminar, ROSS-TEK successfully signed three orders. Frederick Johnson, the company, said: "Microsoft began to discuss support services a year ago, and now get closer and closer to Marketing Tool."
However, Johnson also said that he hopes that Microsoft puts the center of gravity in the help of partners to develop vertical industry markets, rather than placing Linux.
Launched Partner Learning Center online learning site
Microsoft also focused on partner training. This year, Microsoft is significantly in helping partners have obtained certification in 11 key capabilities, and to promote partners to better cooperate with Microsoft in market activities.
Microsoft will launch a Partner Learning Center online study site this fall and will share funding partners in technology and program sales. Microsoft's high-level examples said that the company's gold partners will have a training worth about $ 20,000, while the certification partner will obtain a training worth about $ 2,500.
Microsoft will also launch a global cooperation project called Channel Builder this fall to promote the cooperation between ISV and program providers.
In the new fiscal year, ISV and installeders will also get more attention. For example, Microsoft is preparing to introduce a special Windows XP version to the installer. In terms of ISV, Microsoft adds the free consultation time involved in the original Empower project to help ISV application development. Gold Certification ISV will receive a 20-hour free consultation time, and the certified ISV will receive a 15-hour free consultation time.
Does Microsoft's investment in channels have been returned, and they still have to be observed. Kevin Johnson, vice president of global marketing, said that the company will better utilize its channel assets this year to prove that Windows and Office value is better than Linux. Johnson said: "We have a more obvious value advantage, this is the difference between us with Linux."
Some plan providers said that IBM made a big investment in the Linux market, which caused great pressure to Microsoft, Microsoft had to add investment in partners. Although it is facing Linux invasion, Microsoft's channel strength is still unparalleled. The person in charge of CIS: "For the system integrator and the entire IT service industry, Microsoft is their oxygen."
From:
sina
