(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Microsoft’s communications sector vice president, Austen Mulinder, presented the opening keynote at the Microsoft Hosting Summit (www.microsofthostingsummit.com), one of the top invitation-only events for decision-makers in the hosting industry. His topic was “Winning together.” Fitting, since the Summit attracts Microsoft Partners from around the globe — who use Microsoft solutions to provide value to their customers.
Last year’s highlights included programs for hosting partners such as the Dynamic Data Center Tool Kit, which provides technical expertise, service operations guidance and marketing tools to help hosting partners deploy managed hosting offerings. In addition, Microsoft highlighted the momentum of its platforms including Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V technology and Microsoft System Center, as well as cost-reducing updates relating to Services Provider License Agreement.
In this spirit of exploring strategies to enable hosting providers to be successful, this year’s Hosting Summit launched Wednesday morning with Mulinder explaining that, while the market seems better than it was at the time of last year’s conference, hosts should not become slack because of it. “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do,” Mulinder said, quoting a popular phrase thrown around at Microsoft.
The idea that an IT company can rely on past successes has been proven wrong time and time again. Risk, change, and disruption have to be factored into any enterprise. “We all have an opp to look at this risk… and identify the opportunities that underlie the disruptions.”
And for the moment, hosting is one of Microsoft’s top sectors, however, it doesn’t mean that it should rest. In fact, with change, Mulinder said, there is “even greater potential ahead.” Partners, are obviously an enormous part of this picture. “It’s partners that make Microsoft go ’round”
Really, what Microsoft wants to do is support partners as they strive to succeed in an ever changing business environment. “Many of you are really considering your business model of tomorrow,” Mulinder said. To this goal, Microsoft, at the Hosting Summit and on an individual basis, will provide practical guidance for partners to grow and thrive, listen to partner input to improve products and services to address the challenges of the marketplace, and finally provide transparency. “We want to be completely open… and build a mutually successful model”
No related posts.
