Introduction

Traditional summer storms in the US Midwest did not deter over 8,000 partners to visit this year's Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston – and seeing first hand Microsoft's demonstrated commitment to its partners. This commitment remains strong as ever for Identity and Security partners, as several new offers for partners were announced, as you will read in this month's Security highlight. This event was also the first to present the newly established Microsoft Identity & Security business. Another highlight was for me to get to meet several of you face to face, at the Identity & Security lounge.
As always, if you have any question on SSA or wish to submit feedback, or suggestions for improvement, please contact us through your Regional Support Center (RSC). Frederic Pinchon, SSA Program Manager

Your Calls to Action

Forefront Security Pricing and Licensing Overview

Learn how Forefront security products are sold via Microsoft subscription licensing and how to protect your customers using these leading-edge products for desktops, servers, and the edge of our customers' networks. Click here for on-demand viewing.

Browse the Forefront Team Blog regularly and get the inside scoop to new releases and announcements context.

Securing Your Customers' Microsoft Infrastructures Toolkit

Build your credibility, help customers secure their infrastructures, and drive services revenue. Combining software, sales tools to help protect servers, messaging, clients and remote access, the Securing Your Customers' Microsoft Infrastructures Solution Toolkit includes materials for seminars, customer meetings, security assessments and a sales guide.
Download the toolkit

Uncover Your Revenue Opportunities: Partner Success Stories

Find out how partners are leveraging Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft System Center solutions to offer their customers security-rich, reliable infrastructures. Use these success stories to help you discover new opportunities, and close more sales.

Forefront Promotions

Microsoft Forefront Client Security

Grow your business by offering your customers the opportunity to switch to and standardize on Microsoft security products. Your customers can purchase Forefront Client Security at 25% off the estimated retail price with no upfront licensing cost. In addition, customers who own Configuration Manager or Systems Management Server can get an additional 10% discount off Forefront Client Security. More details here. Promotion has been extended through:
December 31, 2008

Time Limited SSA Jumpstart Promotion for New Partners

If you're a new partner filing your first SSA claim, until September 30 you are eligible to receive—at the end of the promotion—an additional bonus payment of 50% of the amount of the filed claim. You'll also receive two Microsoft Learning exam vouchers to help you qualify for the Security Solutions competency. The vouchers qualify two Microsoft Certified Professionals to take any of the following exams for no charge:

Antigen for Exchange

This offer provides customers who renew Antigen for Exchange a 30% discount when they purchase Forefront Security for Exchange before October 31, 2008.

This month's Security Highlight:

WPC 2008 Announcements
 

Identity & Access (IDA) products added to Forefront Security products in SSA
To capitalize on the rapidly converging market for identity and security solutions, Microsoft has merged the IDA and Security & Access business groups into the Identity & Security Business Group. As an immediate benefit, Identity & Access products have been added to SSA, and partners can claim up to 10% of the product list price as advisor fees, when they recommend and deploy Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager (ILM 2007 and ILM “2”) and/or Active Directory Rights Management Services (RMS). Eligible pricing levels include Open Value, Select A-D, Academic and Government, for initial license sales, excluding renewals at this stage. Find more details here.

SSA 'Jumpstart' promotion for newly active SSA partners
Partner enrollment in SSA has jumped to over 23,000 partners worldwide. To engage newly enrolled partners, the SSA Jumpstart promotion offers partners a 50% bonus payment on top of the amount of the partner's first claim. Furthermore, partners will receive two exam vouchers to get employees certified and qualify to attain the Security Solutions competency.
This limited time promotion runs from July 1st through September 30th 2008. Find more details here.

Partners in the News
Congratulations to the Microsoft Security Partner Of The Year Award winners.

And finally, congratulations are in order as well to the lucky individual from SyCom Technologies in Richmond, VA, USA, who won a cool Mini Cooper car by visiting 3 of the eligible Security locations (kiosks, sessions or lounge) at WPC. Over 900 attendees took part in the sweepstake and tried out the smartcard–based authentication infrastructure powered by Microsoft Identity & Security technologies and implemented by Gemalto.

If you could not attend WPC this year, not everything is lost! You can browse Digital WPC and replay videos of the Keynotes sessions and soon the breakout sessions here.

Forefront in the News

Microsoft Sells Partners on Security from eWeek.com

By Darryl K. Taft, published July 14 2008, can be found here.

Microsoft Fuses Identity and Security from RCP

by Lee Pender, published July 9, 2008, can be found here.

Microsoft security partners get bonuses for selling identity products from SearchITChannel

by Colin Steele, published July 9, 2008, can be found here.

Other Industry News

Symantec Takes Big Deals, Renewals Direct from ChannelWeb

by Stefanie Hoffman, published July 15 2008, can be found here.

Next Month

Everything you always wanted to know about the Identity & Access products portfolio

As you read in this issue, Identity & Access (IDA) products were added to the Forefront portfolio. Next month's highlight will dig deeper into these products and why they bring increased opportunities for Microsoft partners when combined with Forefront.