A news story from the front of this site.
http://www.internetnews.com/asp-news/article.php/1405041USA.net, a Tempe, Ariz.-based eMessaging service provider announced on Friday that it has joined the ranks of Microsoft Gold Certified Partners for Hosting and Application Services.
According to Microsoft, the Gold certification program is designed to provide market recognition to service providers that meet the program's stringent requirements for service readiness, competency and capacity for deploying Microsoft technology.
According to USA.net, membership in the Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Program will provide it with additional resources to develop, deploy and market Microsoft hosting solutions. These resources include business development support, sales support training, priority lead referrals and other joint marketing and sales opportunities.
"Operational excellence, customer service, scalability, security and maturity of operations are all critically important issues to customers in the hosted messaging market, and this certification from Microsoft is a validation that USA.net is maintaining the highest of standards in providing a total eMessaging solution," said David Ramon, president and CEO of USA.net. "Microsoft's gold certification process was meticulous, and USA.net is proud to be one of only a handful of hosting and application service companies to achieve this distinction."
To become a Microsoft Certified Partner, service providers must offer one of the following services:
* Hosted Exchange
* E-Commerce
* Office Online
* Windows Media Services
* Hosted Business Application
Companies must also participate in the Microsoft Services Provider Licensing Program and have a support contract with Microsoft or one of its support partners at the premier support or equivalent level. Service providers must also demonstrate that they have paying, commercial customers, according to Microsoft.
USA.NET lays claim to more than 5,000 business customers including United Airlines, Palm, American Express, Galileo International and Saturn.
End of story
So you have to be ready and competent to offer M$ totally unready and incompetent software services?
You have to offer Windows media services, so what this involves a link to WiMP? You have to have a major security flaw as part of your setup in order to provide M$ services?
And what is more they have to pay M$ for this privalege, buy buying their licensing plan, and their products. Point of fact this sort of relationship is always a failure, if you are a partner you do not pay each other you get paid in the partnership according to your performance, I have seen so many of these types of setup fall into corruption or lower the service given to customers and sour so many possably good business relationships. Not to say that always happens, but it seems a good rule of thumb from my experience.
