(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Canadian-based hosting provider Tenzing Managed IT Services (www.tenzing.com) announced on Thursday that it has joined the Microsoft BizSpark program and Software + Services Incubation Center.
The programs are part of a project developed by Microsoft to provide software startups with free access to some of the tools they need to develop their applications on the Windows platform. It also works to help these software firms develop relationships with hosting partners that can help them distribute their applications via Microsoft’s “software + services” model.
Detailed information on the BizSpark program is available from the Microsoft BizSpark website.
Having joined the BizSpark program and Incubation Center, Tenzing will be included in the pool of hosting providers from which those relationships will be developed, providing the hosting company with a source of new business. Tenzing, in turn, will provide participants in the program with hands-on guidance and expertise in setting up the technical side of software as a service delivery.
“Many ISVs and startups want to build a SaaS application, but lack the hosting expertise required to deploy and manage it at scale,” says John Zanni, general manager for the software plus services industry in the Microsoft communications sector. “Microsoft BizSpark and the Microsoft Software + Services Incubation Center Program help ISVs and startups realize their potential with affordable access to software. One-on-one business and technical guidance from an established managed services provider like Tenzing helps them avoid pitfalls and deliver applications to market faster than the competition.”
Tenzing says it has developed a comprehensive SaaS enablement service engagement for starts and ISVs to help them avoid some of the technical and business pitfalls common to SaaS delivery.
“The cornerstone of this program is our award-winning, comprehensive ‘Summit with Tenzing’ approach to the delivery of business-critical Internet applications,” says Tenzing CTO Kelly Beardmre, quoted in the press release. “This approach provides new SaaS providers the sound business and technical planning needed to mitigate the risks inherent with SaaS delivery.”
To qualify as a participant in the program, a software firm must be in its first or second year, with revenue of less than $1 million. Qualified participants receive free access to development tools including MS Visual Studio Team System & Team Suite, MS Expression Studio and MS Visual Studio Team System & 2008 Foundation Server, as well as production software licenses for Windows Server 2008, MS SQL Server 2008 and SharePoint Portal Server 2007.
The BizSpark program has been growing steadily since launch, adding new hosting partners regularly. The most recent addition being SoftLayer, earlier this month.
More information on Tenzing’s involvement with the program is available from a section on the company’s website.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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