Microsoft announced this week the availability of Office Next Customer Preview

The next release features an intuitive design that works beautifully with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard across new Windows devices, including tablets. The new Office is social and unlocks modern scenarios in reading, note-taking, meetings and communications and will be delivered to subscribers through a cloud service that is always up to date.

With this blog post we want to draw your attention to some key assets that were made available:

Steve Ballmer announced this week the new Office. Explore the keynote here.
Get Office Customer Preview here.
Get your Office 365 Tenant here.
Get the Exchange/Lync/Sharepoint server bits here.
More information on Technet is available here.
More information on MSDN is available here.

Please already bookmark our key events after holiday:

• 2012 Partner Connect (Sales Event) 11^th October
• Partner Bootcamp Week ‘The One and Only’   16^th – 18^th October
• October 16th Exchange & Office 365 “What’s New” Technical training Register now!
  October 17th SharePoint & Office 365 SMB Technical training Register now!
  October 18th Lync Community Technical Training Register now!
  October 19th SharePoint Enterprise “What’s New” Technical training Register now!

You can find an overview of all technical and sales readiness activities concerning Office Next and reserve already your seat at the Office Next Partner Page.

Enjoy Office Next & Enjoy your Holiday!

Office 365 Hands-On Session: April 3rd

Come and attend this first occurrence of this Office 365 hands-on session on the 3rd of April, from 14:00 to 17:00 ! Come and try for yourself the product ! Office 365 is a simple, competitive and easy-to-use collaboration tool in the Cloud!! Come and see how the Cloud can work for your business. Office 365 enables you to: > keep familiarity—while getting flexibility > keep reliability—while getting scalability > stay in control—while going virtually anywhere Agenda of the session · Presentation of Office 365 (the Cloud offer, how your data is kept secure, the pricing …) · Concrete examples of Belgium SMEs who have chosen Office 365! · Hands-on ! Come and try for yourself this simple collaboration tool with the other attendees Important: you don’t have to be technical to attend this session. All types of profiles and users are welcome! Speakers: Patrick Viaene, Cloud Sales Manager at Microsoft Belux Jacques Denies, School Technology Innovation Center Manager at Microsoft For more information and to register click

Practice Accelerator for Microsoft Office 365

Build a Services Practice to Fast Track Your Business

Practice Accelerator (PA) is a Microsoft offering designed to help partners build a technical services practice around Microsoft solutions. PA is a comprehensive set of reusable tools, resources, and best practices introduced in training delivered via Microsoft Live Meeting. PA enables you to identify customer requirements, analyze their needs, scope projects, plan solution requirements, and deploy Microsoft solutions. Practice Accelerator can help you build your business capacity. The complete, reusable documentation set includes project guides, templates, architecture guidance, and planning and design guides, as well as leave-behind materials for your customers.

PRACTICE ACCELERATOR FOR OFFICE 365

Become ready to help your customers transition to the cloud with Practice Accelerator for Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 takes the industry’s most recognized set of productivity and collaboration tools and delivers them as a subscription service. With these cloud services, your customers’ organizations can lower overall costs and deliver the right set of tools for the right users, all with appropriate layers of security and compliance.

You can use your Partner Advisory Hours to pay for Practice Accelerator. Ten advisory hours will be deducted from your organization upon registration.
FREE FOR CLOUD ESSENTIALS & CLOUD ACCELERATE PARTNERS

 

REGISTER NOW!

 

DELIVERY INFORMATION Cost – 10 Partner Advisory Hours (Partner Advisory Hours are the payment method for Practice Accelerator). Cloud Essential and Cloud Accelerate Partners can participate in this Practice Accelerator at no cost.

Attendees –Participants should have basic to intermediate (100- 200) technical level in the solution, but we recommend a 200 level to get the most out of Practice Accelerator.

Delivery method – PA for Office 365 is presented by Microsoft experts via Microsoft Office Live Meeting for 4 hours per day over 4 consecutive days (totaling 16 hours). Daily outline can be found by clicking HERE.

Ready for System Center 2012? New sales, licensing and technical training available !

Welcome Are you ready for System Center 2012? Corporate has created an abundance of training courses across sales and technical roles to help you drive readiness—including six just-released Private Cloud Sales Training Modules for SIs and LARs. Check out the training resources available for you today, and remember to to bookmark and visit the SC 2012 learning paths created for SIs and LARs. What’s New ? § Sales Expertise: Private Cloud Sales Training. These six short training videos will help you sell the Private Cloud solution and achieve accreditation (beginning in March) as a Private Cloud Sales Specialist. While you’re at it, don’t forget the How Partners Can Make Money Selling Microsoft Private Cloud Solutions course—a great primer for sellers. o Module 1 – Setting up to sell the Private Cloud o Module 2 – Starting Conversations with Customers o Module 3 – Understanding the Microsoft Private Cloud o Module 4 – Competing with VMware o Module 5 – Increasing Your Revenue o Module 6 – Partner Sales Tools and Resources § Technical Expertise: Creating & Managing a Private Cloud with System Center 2012 Jump Start. In this virtual class, you will learn how to deploy, manage and maintain Microsoft’s private cloud solution. § You can always find the latest training by bookmarking and visiting the Learning Paths for LARs and Learning Paths for SIs. Sales & Licensing (On Demand) On January 17th, we announced significant changes to System Center 2012 and ECI licensing that dramatically reduce complexity. You are more crucial than ever to our success in this area, and we need your help in telling the Private Cloud story. A rich set of readiness resources have been created for you. § System Center 2012: Understanding the Private Cloud § Storyteller – System Center 2012 & The Private Cloud Ross Brown explaining the Private Cloud value propositions: § The Microsoft Private Cloud and Partners LAR (Licensing) Readiness: § Getting Started: Microsoft System Center 2012 Licensing § Product and Program Overview: Microsoft System Center 2012 Licensing § Pricing and SKU Overview: Microsoft System Center 2012 Licensing § Software Assurance Migration Rights: Microsoft System Center 2012 Licensing § Microsoft® System Center 2012 Live Q&A Series with Microsoft Licensing Experts The “Get Licensing” webcast is now available on demand in the PLC: § System Center 2012 Services Provider Value Proposition & Licensing Overview Now available: Beta MOC courses! LS partners should get these courses on the schedule:  § Course 10747AB: Beta: Administering System Center 2012 Configuration Manager § Course 10748AB: Beta: Deploying System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Additional On Demand Sales Courses: § Overview of Private Cloud and Datacenter Management with System Center 2012 § Private Cloud and Datacenter Infrastructure Management with System Center 2012 § Private Cloud and Datacenter Application Management with System Center 2012 § Maximizing FY12 Revenue Through Selling the Private Cloud with System Center 2012 § Driving FY12 Revenue with a Deep Dive on Datacenter, Private Cloud and System Center 2012: Session 1- Fabric Management § Driving FY12 Revenue with a Deep Dive on Datacenter, Private Cloud and System Center 2012: Session 2- Application Management Sales (Partner Academy Live Sessions) § System Center 2012 Services Provider Value Proposition & Licensing Overview Tech 100-200 (On Demand) § Overview of Private Cloud and Datacenter Management with System Center 2012 § Private Cloud and Datacenter Infrastructure Management with System Center 2012 § Private Cloud and Datacenter Application Management with System Center 2012 § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Configure and Deploy the Private Cloud Fabric § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Configure and Deploy the Private Cloud Infrastructure § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Configure and Deploy Applications § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Configure and Deploy Service Delivery and Automation § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Monitor and Operate the Private Cloud Fabric § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Monitor and Operate the Private Cloud Infrastructure § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Monitor and Operate Applications § Datacenter and Private Cloud Management with System Center 2012: Monitor and Operate Service Delivery and Automation	Learning Paths § System Center 2012 Learning Path for Large Account Reseller (LAR) Partners § Private Cloud (SC2012): SI § Private Cloud/Virtualization: Existing VMware Partners § Private Cloud: Existing Microsoft Virtualization Partners § Private Cloud: New to Private Cloud and Virtualization

Top Ways to Maximize Your MPN Technical Service Benefits

 

Webcast Date: 14/03/2012
Presented by: Sharon Collins, Riyaz Jaffer
Webcast Start Time: 8:00 AM (Pacific)
Take advantage of your Partner Technical Services benefits. Attend this webcast to learn about your benefits and how to get started using our expertise and insights with the right information to win the business; get more from our technology by deepening your Microsoft product knowledge to maximize the sales potential of individual products; improving your skills with training workshops and best practices; and staying up-to-date with guidance on deploying the latest technology to run in your IT environment.   Registration link here!

Azure lunches: Food for thought

We believe that many companies out there still have questions and second thoughts when it comes to Cloud. That’s why we are setting up some Azure lunches, open for all and free to attend. The set-up is simple: we’ll bring the food, you bring some thoughts.

  During the lunches, Azure Microsofties will be available to think with you about your questions. Our hope is to inspire you and help you with your next step into the Cloud. So why not spend your lunch time at Microsoft – Here are a few dates we’re proposing, pick one and Register Now

- Thursday 23/02

- Thursday 08/03

- Thursday 22/03

- Thursday 05/04

- Thursday 19/04

- Thursday 03/05

- Thursday 17/05

In case you have a problem when registering – just send a short mail to agency@microsoft.com with your date of preference. Feel free to bring along a customer, partner or friend. The lunches are open for all !

Ps: max 6 persons per lunch

Guidance for Partners Selling into SMB

If you work with small and medium business (SMB) customers, you know they have specific needs. In many cases they also face limitations on time, resources, and even budget.

To guide you through sales conversations with this unique market segment, I’ve outlined a few key priorities and products you can focus on. Here are some recommendations on training and readiness to get you up to speed:

First, lead with the cloud. It’s a buzz word for a reason! Cloud solutions enable businesses of all sizes to reduce overhead and storage costs. This is an especially vital selling point for your SMB customers.

There’s real value for you as a Microsoft partner. Those who lead with the cloud earn more revenue from on-premise product deployments of Microsoft technology.

Get more training through this Cloud Sales Training – SMB Partners learning path.

Next, pull through Small Business Server. This is the optimal server platform solution for your SMB customers because it’s affordable, and simplifies small business IT. Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is a great option for businesses with up to 25 users. It enables those customers to organize and access business info from virtually anywhere — safely. Small Business Server 2011 Essentials integrates with cloud technology — providing a way of seamlessly introducing the server into a cloud conversation. Check out this Windows Small Business Server 2011 Sales learning path as a starting point.

Finally, continue to sell Microsoft Office 2010 with Windows 7. They work better together to help your SMB customers optimize the desktop, work and collaborate better, stay productive anywhere, and protect their work. We have learning paths for both Office 2010 and Windows 7 to help you get started.

Questions on readiness for selling to SMBs? Ask  Brigitte Hayes !

Dive into the fundamentals of a Lync System & Beta Exam Live

 

Lync MCM Insights: Volume 1 Available Today in the Partner Learning Center!

Join us for a deep 300 level technical training on Lync Server 2010, presented to you by Lync MCM experts. The Lync MCM Insights video series will come in three volumes. In volume one’s video series, the first five sessions cover the fundamentals of a Lync system. Lync Internals covers the basics of the Lync client and Lync server. The Lync client section focuses on the sign-in process, provisioning and web service interactions. Whereas, the Lync server section covers the Central Management Store, certificates, user replicator, and several other core server functions. The Lync Edge webinar covers functionality of the three core Edge roles along with the Reverse Proxy. Hardware Load Balancers and Lync Directors are also covered in the Edge session. The Conferencing webinar covers key roles of Lync Conferencing such as the focus, focus factory, and MCUs. The conferencing lifecycle and meeting join process are also covered in the conferencing session. The final webinar covers Lync Migration and Coexistence. This session covers the step by step phases involved in migrated from OCS to Lync, including how to approach a user pilot and performing key post-migration steps.

This training is perfect for those who want to get advanced technical knowledge on Lync, after taking the basic training through Lync Ignite or the MCTS and MCITP related Microsoft Official Courseware. Additionally this is a great prerequisite training towards enrolling in the Lync Masters Certification.

 

 Exam 74-322   Microsoft Lync Server 2010—Advanced Design and Deployment Beta Exam is Live!  Increase your Lync expertise and offer greater differentiation in the marketplace, with the new Microsoft Lync Server 2010—Advanced Design and Deployment Exam (available March/April). Select partners will be invited to take the beta exam, at no charge, and if you pass you will receive credit on your Prometrics transcript. This exam will be required in the Microsoft Communications Gold competency, starting October 2012, so get started today! See here for more details.

 

Click here to take the Beta exam today! (Search by exam title and use the code “lync322” to take this exam for free).

Prepare for the Virtual SQL 2012 Launch event!

Welcome With over 157K downloads of the CTP3 and Release Candidates, and the Virtual Launch Event fast approaching, it’s time to brush up on everything that’s new in SQL Server 2012 and make sure you’re ready to leverage opportunities with our enhanced database platform, BI and developer tools. This update is to ensure you are aware of and can take advantage of training available now. Below you can find: 1. Updated exam information 2. Updated Learning Paths 3. Tech 100-200 (On Demand) 4. Technical On Demand, Hands-on-labs Online 5. Developers 1. Microsoft Learning has updated exam information for SQL Server 2012. Those exams and preparatory courses with links have additional information: Exam Name Course 70-461 Core Querying Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 10774 5 days 70-462 Core Administering Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Databases 10775 5 days 70-463 Core Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 10777 5 days 70-464 DP Developing Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Databases 10776 5 days 70-465 DP Designing Database Solutions for Microsoft® SQL Server® SQL Server 2012   70-466 BI Implementing Data Models and Reports with Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 10778 5 days 70-467 BI Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012   The Hands on Labs have been upgraded to Release Candidate. See the Technical section below for the replacement links. Learning Paths 2. Updated Learning Paths – role-based to help partners find training suitable for them. The SI path has been updated with MSL’s instructor-led courses and exams. § SQL Server 2012 (Product) § System Integrators ISVs § LARs § VARs § Distributors § Hosters Scroll down for a list of on-demand training available now in the Partner Learning Center (PLC): 3. Tech 100-200 (On Demand) We have three mini-course (saved searches): 1. SQL Server 2012: Technical Overview for BI Consultants 2. SQL Server 2012: Technical Overview for Database Administrators 3. SQL Server 2012: Technical Overview for Application Developers that include the following titles: For BI Consultants: § Technical Overview of New Features: SQL Server Code Name Denali § SQL Server: Data Discovery and Managed Self-Service BI § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Credible, Consistent Data § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Complete Data Warehousing Solution For Database Administrators & Developers: § Technical Overview of New Features: SQL Server Code Name Denali § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Required 9s and Data Protection § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Blazing Fast Performance § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Organizational Compliance § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Scale on Demand For Application Developers: § Technical Overview of New Features: SQL Server Code Name Denali § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Optimized Developer Productivity § SQL Server Code Name Denali: Extend Data Virtually Anywhere 4. Technical On Demand, Hands-on-labs Online The following Virtual Hands-on-Labs in the PLC have been upgraded to Release Candidate: § Microsoft SQL Server 2012: Exploring Project Power View – level 200 § Microsoft SQL Server 2012: What’s New in Datawarehousing and EIM – level 300 § Microsoft SQL Server 2012: What’s New in Manageability – level 300 § Microsoft SQL Server 2012: Contained Databases – level 300 § Microsoft SQL Server 2012: AlwaysOn Availability Groups – level 400 5. Developers SQL Server 2012 Developer Training Kit contains labs, demos, and presentations to help developers learn to develop database and BI solutions using SQL Server 2012.	Learning Paths § SQL Server 2012 (Product) § System Integrators ISVs § LARs § VARs § Distributors § Hosters Other Resources § Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Release Candidate (RC0) § SQL Server 2012 Developer Training Kit § Tutorials for SQL Server 2012 updated for RC0  § Virtual Launch Event SQL Server Migration Assistants: · Download of the SSMA for Oracle · Download of the SSMA for Sybase · Download of the SSMA for MySQL § Download of the SSMA for Access

 

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM Newsletter

Dear CRM enthousiast, In this newsletter we want to provide you with an overview of important training opportunities on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The subscription links are included in the post. Hope to see you all there !

TECHDAYS 2012

Year after year thousands of technology professionals come together at the TechDays to network with peers and experts, while diving deep into Microsoft technologies and learning about the latest products and solutions. In an effort to broaden the topics of the conference there will also be 3 sessions about Microsoft Dynamics on the TechDays agenda. All 3 of them are scheduled on February 14: 10:45 – 12:00 > Microsoft SharePoint 2010 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – Better Together (Wim Coorevits) 13:00 – 14:15 > Integrating on premise Line Of Business applications with CRM Online (Sam Vanhoutte) 14:30 – 15:45 > Extending the reach of your Microsoft Dynamics AX Application with the next-gen tools (Jeroen Doens) ð You can register to attend these sessions by buying a 1 day TechDays ticket on February 14  but 2 or 3 day packages for the conference are available. ð Don’t forget to invite your customers. In attach you can find customizable email marketing where you can add your logo on it or include in your newsletter. Hope to see you at the TechDays 2012! Questions? Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook or simply via e-mail.

Readiness

NAME OF THE SESSION DATE Details Sales @night CRM 29/02/2012 More info & Registration Technical Evening CRM 21/03/2012 Save the date Sales @night CRM 24/04/2012 Save the date Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Sales from “Click to Close”  On demand training More info & Registration Selling the Business Value of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 On demand training More info & Registration Having the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Customer Conversation On demand training More info & Registration Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online: Pricing and Licensing On demand training More info & Registration Compete to Win: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and Salesforce.com On demand training More info & Registration How to Sell Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 On demand training More info & Registration Click-Through Demos for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011  On demand training More info & Registration

Best regards, Siska Bossuyt Business Group Lead Dynamics CRM Microsoft Belgium and Luxembourg Phone +32 474 99 71 30 siskab@microsoft.com

Microsoft respects your privacy. To learn more please read our online Privacy Statement. If you would prefer to no longer receive this newsletter, please click here. To set your contact preferences for other Microsoft communications click here. Microsoft Dynamics Belgium & Luxemburg – Leonardo Davincilaan 3 – 1930 Zaventem, Belgium