HP/Microsoft Frontline Partner Newsletter March 2008
  Resources for our joint partners – HP/Microsoft Frontline Partners – to win more business
Featured this month
Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008
• Launch resources
• FLP at launch events
• Free vouchers
• Create IT dollars
• Cash for sales reps
• Campaign reporting
• New FLP campaigns
Spotlight
• Excellence award winner
Promotions
• SMB Summit savings
• Bring IT Together prizes

Survey says...

What is the most valuable benefit provided to your business by the HP/MS Frontline Partnership?

a. The joint campaigns
(the possibility to entirely customize them with my own logo and company information is so easy!)
b. The marketing development funds (there is nothing like cash, baby!)
c. The Microsoft Across America truck (a free truck just for my business for an entire day!)
d. The marketing literature and resources (those banners and brochures are really helpful!)
e. I don’t see any benefit
 

"The FLP Customization Tool was a great addition to Verticomm Technologies' ongoing marketing program. We selected the e-mail marketing and website templates related to Exchange Server 2007 and easily customized them to meet our needs."

Aimee Miller,
Marketing Consultant
Verticomm Technologies, Inc.

 

All the super powers you need:
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and HP BladeSystem

As an HP/Microsoft Frontline Partner, you can take care of service and support demands, and leave the super-power solutions to Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 and the HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure.

The combination of the new state-of-the-art virtualization capabilities of Windows Server 2008 with the unique innovations of the powerful, yet elegantly simple, HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure offers your customers a smarter way to build an IT infrastructure to support the vital applications their businesses require. Using advanced technologies like HP Thermal Logic, HP Virtual Connect and HP Insight Control, the HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure: improves energy efficiency during every second of operation; enables fast and easy replacement or addition of blades; and offers centralized management of the entire system from one control panel.

So when your customers ask you for the best solution for their tough business challenges, you can answer with confidence that solutions built on Windows Server 2008 and HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructures—delivered by you, our Frontline partners—provide all the super-power they need to boost productivity, efficiency, agility and success.

Frontline partners: There are plenty of Windows Server 2008 resources already available to you!

Your customers and prospects may be wondering about the newly released Windows Server and HP servers. Invite them to view a special webcast about HP Industry Standard Server Solutions for Microsoft Windows Server 2008.

In the coming months, you may need to conduct Windows Server 2008 demos. Why not do so on a brand new HP server? Check your eligibility for the HP discount demo program as you may be able to acquire a new demo server at 40% off Net Dealer Price (NDP). Instantly see what you are eligible for: Login, click on Programs, Frequently Used Links, Demo Equipment, View Details; scroll to bottom of page and click on Web-based Claim Tool, Enter Site.

Some Frontline partners have already deployed Windows Server 2008 on HP servers! Thanks to those partners who participated in the Rapid Deployment Program. Click on each partner name to access their Windows Server 2008/HP case studies: bIT360 Inc., Heartland Technology Solutions, NetVision Consulting, Compudyne.

If you are running your own events around Windows Server 2008 and HP servers, you may want to use a 4’ x 2’ Frontline Partnership banner to give your display pep and color! An FLP banner is a component of the free Frontline Partnership Welcome Kit. Request yours today. Also, you may be eligible for FLP Marketing Development Funds. Consider applying for these funds to help offset the cost of your events.

Neil Pearlstein, PC Professional
San Francisco, CA launch event

FLP partners participating at the Windows Server 2008 launch events!
The FLP team thanks the partners who are representing the Frontline Partnership at the 60 Windows Server 2008 launch events. A big thank you to each and every one of you!

Free Microsoft certification vouchers
Be among the first 100 to claim a free certification exam voucher for a technical person on your staff. This offer is exclusive to Frontline partners, and valued at $125. Enable your technical people to register for a Windows Server 2008 certification exam before June 30, 2008 at no cost. This certification exam is part of the Microsoft New Generation Certification program that provides shorter certification paths for specific job roles or technologies, so individuals can more quickly acquire relevant credentials to prove their expertise. This new certification will also help you maintain your Microsoft Partner Program membership status, as it counts towards competency requirements. Send an e-mail to claim yours (maximum 5 vouchers per OID)!

Available exams are as follows:

Exam Name

Exam #

Certification achieved

Certification progressed towards

TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring

 70-640 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration MCITP: Enterprise Administrator
MCITP: Server Administrator

TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring

 70-642 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring MCITP: Enterprise Administrator
MCITP: Server Administrator

TS: Windows Server 2008 Application Platform, Configuring

 70-643 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

Open Value Subscription + the Big Easy Offer help you pass along significant Microsoft savings and free up IT $$ to use on HP hardware
The new Open Value Subscription program allows businesses to get Microsoft software through a subscription instead of buying licenses. Current Microsoft software owners can receive up to a 50%* discount on their first year when moving to this exciting new program. Combine these savings with the Big Easy subsidy to create IT dollars for your customers to spend on HP hardware. But the savings aren’t just for your customers—there’s value for you as well!

*Prices based on Estimated Retail Price (ERP)

New cash rewards for your sales reps
Any partner sales rep who sells a new Open Value Agreement between March 3 and June 27, 2008 to a company with between 5 and 250 PCs earns a $100 SPIFF. This is not a company level promotion; this SPIFF is for the individual rep. There’s no limit to the number of SPIFFs earned per rep.
Time to report
If you have completed a campaign using the HP/Microsoft Frontline Partnership Customization Tool, it’s time to start reporting your results. Start sharing your sales pipeline and/or closed deals and claim your reward: a $100 e-coupon added to your account balance for additional printing or mailing services.
New FLP marketing campaigns
Look for the announcement of new customization tool campaigns featuring Remote Access, SharePoint and, of course, Windows Server 2008 in upcoming newsletters. Based on your feedback, we’re also updating the First Server, Right Server campaign to reflect more appropriate spotlight server models for first-time server implementations. Stay tuned!

PC Pro wins marketing excellence award
Frontline partner PC Professional of Oakland, CA, won Microsoft’s quarterly partner award for marketing excellence. PC Pro combined FLP assets—the proposal program and Microsoft Across America truck—to conduct an Exchange and Unified Communications marketing campaign. The campaign yielded an opportunity to display unified communication expertise to current clients and the ability to introduce several new clients to PC Professional. Multiple Exchange opportunities and blade sales were derived from campaign.

“The partnership between the HP/Microsoft Frontline program and PC Professional showed how if resources are pooled effectively, along with a specific vision of a campaign end goal, a finished product that usually is suited for much larger partners can be put together in a professional manner lending to true ROI results,” said PC Professional Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Neil Pearlstein.
Save on SMB Summit registration
Register for the SMB Summit with promo code “SMBMURPH” and save $100 on registration costs. Gain valuable readiness skills for your customers at the summit.
Win a trip to Hawaii
Earn your chances to win great prizes, including a Hawaiian adventure. Sell products from two or more categories on the Bring IT Together Phase II program list of qualifying products, and submit proof of sales.

Your feedback about this newsletter is very important to us. Please e-mail us to share your questions, comments and requests. Your valuable voice could be featured in future editions!

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