Does your company have the keys to success with Microsoft?

I just read an informative article by Rick Whiting entitled Keys to ISV Success, featured in CRN, which reminded me how difficult it can be to understand all the offerings that Microsoft provides to its partners. I had an earlier post on this topic outlining the different engagement categories Microsoft has with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), which complements Rick’s article.

Rick does a great job highlighting the situation ISVs face and how they engage with Microsoft. With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to outline some of the top resources, to make sense of everything available to you as an ISV:

  • Independent Software Vendor Resource Center: this site launched 6 months ago and was designed to feature our big programs for ISVs. We’re putting a lot of effort into making this a great information hub.
  • Microsoft Partner Program: this is the overall Microsoft Partner Program site. While we’ve linked much of the relevant content into the ISV Resource Center, all the official guides can be found here.
  • Finally, your Microsoft Partner Account Manager (PAM) – for the 2,700 partners that have a dedicated resource - is intended to be your gateway (and guide) into Microsoft. We have committed resources to help enable your business growth. Please take advantage of them!

That reminds me of something else… we will soon begin our FY09 ISV portfolio selection process. Stay tuned for more on that in a future post!

Dan Lohmeyer, ISV Strategy