Partner News: Get Software, Training, Support to Build Your Business

View this email in your browser Follow us: Microsoft Partner Network Newsletter | August 26, 2010 You are receiving this newsletter at your request. To manage your subscription, go to the Microsoft Subscription Center and sign in with your Windows Live ID. Join the Microsoft Partner Network The Microsoft Partner Network has been evolving to offer new opportunities to help you strengthen your capabilities, grow your expertise, spark innovation, and make connections. When you join the Microsoft Partner Network, you can choose the membership option that best fits your company's needs. Participate in the Microsoft partner community. Order a subscription. Earn silver or gold competencies. Through Microsoft competencies, you can get the right resources, tools, and customized learning paths to take full advantage of current product and service opportunities to grow your business. Benefits include internal software rights, training, demand-generation resources, customizable logos, and extensive technical support, along with benefits tailored to each competency you earn. Learn more about the value of earning a competency. Why Join? | Microsoft Partner Portal | Enroll in the Partner Network Build Your Business Drive Business Forward with Partner Benefits Enroll in the Microsoft Partner Network today and gain access to the Partner Learning Center, Microsoft Financing, and customizable sales and marketing tools. And gain a valuable edge over the competition. Save Planning Time with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 5.0 Reduce IT infrastructure planning time and expense with new features, including LAMP and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 data management software discovery, and readiness assessments for the Microsoft Office 2010 suites and the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems. Network News Share Microsoft Partner Network News with Your Colleagues Join the Microsoft Partner Network and link coworkers to your membership so they can get the latest news, downloads, resources, and offers. Prepare for New Microsoft Partner Network Requirements Get current, competent, and certified on the latest software. Meet new assessment requirements. Take advantage of exam offers and savings. Training and Readiness Reach into the Cloud Cloud Services Readiness Day Training-including offerings for the Windows Azure technology platform and Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite-is now available online. Update Your Application Platform Skills Join the Microsoft Partner Network to take the latest application platform training. Discover what's in session at Application Platform University (requires sign-in). Find training about the latest application platform software, including SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 development system, and Windows Server 2008 R2. Become Faster, More Efficient, More Productive Learn how Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange Server, and SharePoint 2010 can help improve productivity for you and your customers. Also get more in-depth training about Microsoft Office 2010, designed for your role. Not yet a Microsoft partner? Enroll in the network now to get started. Stack the Numbers in Your Favor Sign up to be a Microsoft partner today to learn how to help customers make smart, informed decisions with Microsoft business intelligence (BI) technologies, including Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, and SQL Server 2008 R2. Offers and Promotions Take Windows 7 Training and You Could Win a Flip SlideHD Camcorder Join the Microsoft Partner Network, complete any of the qualifying Windows 7 training sessions, and you could be a winner. Licensing Learn about Two New Software Assurance Benefits for Virtual Desktop Environment As of July 1, 2010, the Windows Virtual Desktop Access benefit and Roaming Use Rights for Office, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Visio benefit help extend the value of virtual desktop environments. Visit the New, Interactive Office 2010 Volume Licensing Buyer's Guide Use this online tool to help answer customer questions about Microsoft Office 2010 licensing, product activation, and configuration. Follow Us on Twitter Like Our Page on Facebook In This Issue Unlock New Knowledge with Training Save on Exam Fees Share Partner News In Other News Explore SQL Server 2008 R2 Training for Your Role Review Visual Studio 2010 Training Opportunities Subscribe to Microsoft Action Pack Like Microsoft Online Services on Facebook Join the Windows Azure Conversation on Facebook Follow Microsoft Learning on Twitter Visit the Microsoft Partner Network Portal Newsletter Legal Information This newsletter was sent by: Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, Washington, USA 98052 Sign Up for Other Newsletters | Update Your Profile © 2010 Microsoft Corporation.    Terms of Use | Trademarks | Privacy Statement

TechNet Flash: The cloud and your career

TechNet Flash Mobile | Unsubscribe | Customize TechNet Flash Volume 12, Issue 17 | August 25, 2010     Top Stories     The Role of IT in the Cloud Cloud computing and virtualization are potential game-changers for your career. Find out how to adapt your skills and position yourself for success in the new edition of TechNet ON. Also find specific resources and training options to update your skills. New IT Resource for Debunking Cloud Myths There are currently many misconceptions surrounding the cloud and what it has to offer. Our new TechNet page, "Put the Cloud to Work for Your Organization," provides you with the resources you'll need to guide others to a better understanding of the next steps to take to enable your organization to reap its benefits. Your Featured Content Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM) 2010 Released OMPM helps IT pros discover and assess the compatibility of existing Office documents for conversion from the binary document formats of Office 97 - 2003 (such as .doc and .xls) to OpenXML formats used by Office 2007 and later (such as .docx and .xlsx). Download the System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal 2.0 RC VMMSSP (also referred to as the self-service portal) is a fully supported, partner-extensible solution built on top of Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V, and System Center VMM. You can use it to pool, allocate, and manage resources to offer infrastructure as a service and to deliver the foundation for a private cloud platform inside your datacenter. New SQL Server Migration Tools Ready to Download Looking to cut the effort, cost and risk of migrating to SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, or SQL Server 2008 R2? Microsoft yesterday rolled out two free migration assistants: Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant for MySQL v1.0 and Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access v4.2. Video: Project Server 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 Collaboration Learn what Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 has to offer with features such as Project Sites and Workspaces, version control, task synchronization between Project Server 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010, governance workflows, tagging, wikis, discussion boards, integration of connectivity with remote team members via the web and mobile devices, and business intelligence for dynamic reporting.   Updated Preview Release of Windows Home Server Code Name "Vail" Microsoft has unveiled an updated preview of the upcoming version 2 release of Windows Home Server, code-named "Vail," based on Windows Home Server 2008 R2. Test the latest beta and provide feedback via the Connect program. TechNet Magazine: Track Software Usage with MAP Toolkit 5.0 Tracking software usage for large enterprise customers can be a challenge. This new tool helps provide more accurate assessments. Video: Windows 7 Compatibility - Evaluation and Remediation Explore the importance of application compatibility in a successful Windows 7 deployment. In this video, you'll learn about potential driver and application issues, then how to evaluate the compatibility of your applications using tools like the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit and the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT). New Exchange Server 2007 Security Baseline Available in the Security Compliance Manager Baseline Beta This baseline is the latest release in the Security Compliance Manager Beta. The baseline is formatted to easily import into the Security Compliance Manager tool; it takes advantage of automation based on Windows PowerShell to set, check, and monitor computers running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 for compliance with organizational policies.   TechNet Flash Sponsors LogMeIn and Sunbelt Software: •  Free Trial of LogMeIn Rescue On-Demand Remote Support •  Free VIPRE Enterprise Trial Download for TechNet Flash Subscribers Editor's Note TechNet Flash Editor Mitch Irsfeld Does the Cloud Bring Opportunity or Obsolescence? Most organizations are a few years away from "IT as a service," but even if yours is just getting its feet wet by testing some private cloud solutions, there's no escaping the fact that clouds are agents of transformation. At a strategic level, the business drivers of this change are here to stay. As we learn in the interview with Microsoft CIO Tony Scott, companies emerging from the economic downturn are eager for the next wave of productivity and efficiency.... Read more ADVERTISEMENT Free Trial of LogMeIn Rescue On-Demand Remote Support Remotely support anyone in the world on a PC, Mac, or smartphone. All you need is an internet connection and LogMeIn Rescue. Try it free. Training and Books Free Windows Server 2008 R2 E-book Offer Learn about the features of Windows Server 2008 R2 in the areas of virtualization, management, the web application platform, scalability and reliability, and interoperability with Windows 7. Download Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2, written by industry experts Charlie Russel and Craig Zacker along with the Windows Server team at Microsoft. Save on Microsoft Certification Exam Packs with Free Second Shots Take your IT career to its next destination and save up to 20% with Microsoft Certification Exam Packs with free Second Shot. ADVERTISEMENT Free VIPRE Enterprise Trial Download for TechNet Flash Subscribers VIPRE Enterprise 4.0 delivers performance-optimized endpoint security in a single agent to protect against the ever-changing wave of malware. Try it free today! Events Video: Countdown to Tech·Ed Europe November 8 - 12 Berlin, Germany Get a 10-minute behind-the-scenes peek from the planning committee at Microsoft headquarters. For our first act we cover the basics: the early registration discount - if you register by August 31 you'll save ���200 - and the pre-conference workshops. Resources TechNet Plus Direct Subscription TechNet Flash Feed Blog TechNet Flash Archive TechNet Magazine MSDN Flash Newsletter Security Newsletter IT Management Community Hub TechNet | Sign up for other newsletters | Unsubscribe | Update your profile ©2010 Microsoft Corporation Terms of Use | Trademarks | Privacy Statement Microsoft respects your privacy.  Please read our online Privacy Statement. 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