Broadview Networks Wins Microsoft Partner Program IMPACT Award

Broadview Networks announced today that it has been selected as the winner in the Marketing Innovation Award - Small, Medium Business at the 2008 Microsoft Partner Program IMPACT Awards.

The Big Easy Offer 2.0

The Big Easy Offer 2.0 gives you choices on Microsoft products and solutions that fit your needs. Now you can find the right solution for your organization, while earning money back on your purchase in the form of a partner subsidy. For every qualifying product you purchase, Microsoft pays you partner subsidy funds to purchase more products and services from the Microsoft Partner of your choice.

Reduce costs with Broadview Networks

Broadview Networks is continuing to invest in the development of solutions for our customers to provide return on investment through reduced costs, improved productivity, and we will maintain our delivery of technical services to help our customers maintain, manage, and support their technology infrastructure.

Windows Essential Server Solutions Products Launch

The Windows Essential Server Solutions products launched on November 12, 2008 in a virtual online launch event! This recent announcement from Microsoft propels the solution stack for small and medium sized organizations into the Server 2008, Exchange 2007, and SharePoint Services v3 editions, making a great combination for security, performance, and return on investment for Microsoft customers.

Canadian technology partners’ and their commitment and leadership in the channel community recognized at annual Microsoft Awards

Winnipeg, MB – November 14, 2008. Broadview Networks announced today that it has been selected as the winner in the Marketing Innovation Award - Small, Medium Business at the 2008 Microsoft Partner Program IMPACT Awards. The sixth annual IMPACT awards recognize excellence across the large and diverse community of Microsoft’s Canadian technology partners. The winners were announced at a gala event in Toronto on November 13, 2008.

“As real leaders in their fields, technology partners like Broadview Networks continue to help customers optimize their business performance,” said Lora Gernon, Senior Director, Partner Group, Microsoft Canada Co. “Our annual IMPACT Awards celebrates top technology partners who have shown true passion through their tremendous service to customers and innovative solutions.”

Broadview Networks was chosen as the winner in Marketing Innovation Award - Small, Medium Business in recognition of a marketing campaign initiative. Building on the momentum of the Microsoft "Heroes Happen Here" launch events, Broadview Networks held information sessions for customers to deliver specific supplementary information about launch products and was successful in Turning Heroes into Superheroes!

About the Microsoft Partner Program IMPACT Awards
In 2003, Microsoft Canada replaced all of its previous technology partner awards with a unified program that also recognizes customer service, marketing, and contribution to the community. The IMPACT Awards include categories that recognize top technology partners for excellence in four categories: Solution Awards; Business Awards; Marketing Awards; and Community & Initiative Awards.

The Microsoft Partner Program IMPACT Awards are open to Systems Integrators, Large Account Resellers, Direct Market Resellers, Value Added Resellers, Distributors, Systems Builders, Authorized Education Resellers, Certified Partners for Learning Solutions, Microsoft Certified Partners, Independent Software Vendors, Channel Suppliers, Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) Partners and Original Equipment Manufacturers.

For a list of all 2008 winners, and more information on the Microsoft for Partner IMPACT Awards, please visit http://www.microsoft.ca/awards.

About Broadview Networks

Broadview Networks is one of Canada's leading advanced IT infrastructure companies. The company is recognized as one of the fastest growing businesses in Manitoba and is also acknowledged as one of the top Gold Certified Microsoft Partners in Canada. Broadview Networks has a distinct focus on simplifying complex technologies for clients across Canada, ranging from SMB, Mid-Market and SME organizations. For additional information visit Broadview Networks online at http://www.broadviewnetworks.ca

What is a Partner Subsidy? A Partner Subsidy is a check made payable to the Microsoft partner of your choice. This subsidy can be used to enrich and implement your overall solution as it allows you to purchase additional products or services from that Microsoft partner. There are three factors that can increase your subsidy:

• When you purchase from more than one product group.
• Buying licenses with Software Assurance.
• Purchasing advanced or Enterprise Editions.

How does it work?

• Make a qualifying purchase between August 25, 2008 and December 31, 2008.
• Register your purchase by January 30, 2009 at http://www.microsoftincentives.com/bigeasy/
• Receive your partner subsidy check from Microsoft.
• Spend your subsidy funds with Broadview Networks within 90 days of receipt!

Use the Big Easy Offer 2.0 calculator to help you estimate the potential subsidy dollars you can earn with this offer. How to use the calculator:

1. Select the product group(s) you plan to purchase from, and select the product version from the lists provided..
2. Select the license type for each product version.
3. Enter the number of licenses for each product.
4. The calculator will determine your total and per-category subsidy projections!

By adding products from multiple product groups (for example, Windows Server System and Office System), you can increase your subsidy amount! If you would like assistance with assessing your Big Easy eligibility or if you would like more information about the types of product licenses please contact your Account Manager at Broadview Networks for assistance.

The Big Easy Offer 2.0 is applicable to the following products:

Microsoft® Office
Microsoft® Exchange Server
Microsoft® Internet Security and Acceleration Server
Microsoft® Office Communications Server
Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server
Microsoft® Forefront™ Security
Microsoft® Windows Server®
Microsoft® Windows Server® 2008 Datacenter
Microsoft® Windows® Small Business Server
Microsoft® Windows® Web Server 2008
Microsoft® SQL Server®
Microsoft® Office Project
Microsoft® Office Visio®
Microsoft® Expression®
Microsoft® Visual Studio®
Microsoft® Visual Studio® Team Suite
Microsoft® System Center Essentials
Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager
Microsoft® Dynamics® CRM

For more information about the Big Easy 2.0 promotion and for any questions you have about how this can be best utilized for your organization, please contact Broadview Networks.
 

During uncertain economic times it can be easy to get lost in the news of declining world and local markets, industry and institution bailout programs, and fluctuating energy prices. With dismal news so prevalent, it can become challenging to look ahead and envision a positive outcome to the decline in our business environment. In light of this, we wanted to reach out to our customers with this article to provide some suggestions and ideas to help you manage technology elements in your operation more efficiently, and to outline our commitment to help you survive in these uncertain times.

While no one can predict the future, Broadview Networks is continuing to invest in the development of solutions for our customers to provide return on investment through reduced costs, improved productivity. Broadview is committed to delivering technical services to help our customers maintain, manage, and support their technology infrastructure. Our services and solutions enable customers to gain competitive advantages, even in a tough marketplace!

Here are some of the suggestions that we have to help our customers save money and leverage the investments made in their infrastructure and technology environment.

Reduce costs through core infrastructure optimization:

1. Lower desktop deployment and management costs using the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.
2. Use Windows Vista! Reduce deployment, energy, and maintenance costs. And increase workforce productivity!
3. Leverage Microsoft System Center technologies to reduce server ownership cost and improve data center operations management.
4. Use infrastructure optimization tools to predict and run scenarios to identify ways to save money.
5. Reduce IT complexity, lower total cost of ownership, and improve efficiency with Virtualization solutions.
6. Windows Server 2008 enables consolidation with built-in virtualization technology, allowing you to run more application on fewer servers. Optimize hardware spending and save on power costs and physical space.

Reduce business productivity costs:

1. Microsoft Online Services relieve IT departments from managing and maintaining business systems, freeing resources to focus on other efforts.
2. Reduce travel, meeting, real estate and facilities, and communications costs, while leveraging a platform that fosters increased productivity through collaboration with Microsoft Unified Communications Solutions and Office Communication Server.

Drive competitive advantage and improve workforce productivity:

1. Utilize Microsoft Dynamics CRM to recruit new and retain existing customers with an incredible focus on satisfaction as well as real precision with marketing automation. Precisely track revenue to deliver top line results.
2. Utilize the latest Microsoft Office Productivity Suite to give your staff the most productive tools for managing your business information.

Watch the bottom line and cash flow:

1. Leverage financing options to keep your cash flow in check while allowing your business to operate efficiently. Broadview Networks has relationships with lending partners and can help customers with financing solutions.
2. Microsoft Software Assurance for Volume Licensing provides maintenance benefits and upgrade assurance

In these times when a company’s spending and budget allowances are critical to the overall success of the business, these dozen suggestions above are but a few key ways that a company can save money and help improve profitability. And throughout the process of evaluating these items, you may have questions whether your organization is prepared or if your infrastructure is adequate or capable – contact your Account Manager at Broadview Networks with any questions you might have about how we can help you succeed in a time of challenge.

The WESS family is comprised of two products – First, the well-known Small Business Server product gets an update and is now based on Server 2008, and introducing the newest Microsoft Server solution, Windows Essential Business Server 2008. Both of these products include integrated business solutions for small and midsized companies to enable collaboration, PC and server management, and improved efficiency to help save time and money while boosting user productivity.

Earlier this year, Broadview Networks provided articles in our newsletters to introduce the new Essential Business Server 2008 product and we touched on the two editions of Small Business Server 2008. The launch of these products marks an exciting time for small and mid-sized businesses, who are looking to either grow their current network infrastructure and add security with EBS 2008, or to the smaller network looking to install a first server or to upgrade an existing small network infrastructure to SBS 2008. 

What’s new in SBS 2008?

The biggest news in the SBS 2008 product is that the software suite is now 64 bit only. The largest implication as a result of this architectural change in the product is that there is no method to upgrade in-place from previous products installed on your hardware. A clean installation is required, and out of this requirement, new hardware is typically preferred in order to accommodate both the 64-bit requirement and to ease migration challenges. For customers who currently run Small Business Server or a standard Windows Server based environment, the biggest motivating factor for migrating into SBS 2008 is likely to be aging hardware. 

When to choose EBS 2008?

Small Business Server is a license-limited product; the solution can scale to 75 users or device licenses. If your organization is at the upper end of that spectrum, then the option of Essential Business Server will be attractive – as the EBS 2008 suite can be licensed to handle up to 300 users or devices. Beyond the license count issues, EBS 2008 is really designed for IT environments with dedicated IT support staff. The degree of sophistication in an EBS environment will normally be significantly higher than in an SBS network, in alignment with the higher typical end-user count. 

Considering an infrastructure upgrade?

If your organization is thinking about an infrastructure upgrade and a move into a Windows Essential Server Solution product, Broadview Networks would like to be of assistance as you consider your upgrade project. Our Small Business Specialists and skilled technical resources have developed skills with the products throughout the Microsoft beta release period. Our depth of experience in other areas such as virtualization and security solution development can help you reduce the risk in the implementation of changes in your environment. Please contact Broadview Networks to learn more about SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 and how these products can help you enable your end users to do more, save on IT management costs, and improve the security and performance of your network.