1.000 Microsoft Partners Will Support Windows Vista

The software partner momentum that has built around the Windows Vista operating system will be the source of applications and solutions for the OS from more than 1.000 Independent Software Vendors worldwide. Through its partnership strategy Microsoft has already committed to deliver the platform, tools and guides building a collaboration infrastructure of profitability. The only concerns addressing the matter are the repeated delays of Vista and Office that will have long-term repercussions on Microsoft's partners.

In the context of Vista, partner ISVs are striving to develop next generation applications and solutions to implement high standards of security, complete user experiences and to help create an infrastructure of communications.

"Consumers and businesses are extremely concerned with keeping data safe from the multitude of online threats," said Lane Bess, president of North America operations at Trend Micro. "The immense response we've seen to our PC-cillin Internet Security beta currently available for Windows Vista beta customers show that Trend Micro is working closely with Microsoft. We are developing products and threat expertise to complement Windows Vista, offering significant advancements in security."

"Windows Vista offers many features that create compelling opportunities for enterprise software vendors," said Efrat Ravid, manager of the SolidWorks Solution Partner Program. "We are particularly excited to develop our new computer-aided design (CAD) software with the powerful 3-D graphics capability of Windows Vista, which enables our customers to create powerful 3-D designs."

"We're pleased by the momentum we see building around Windows Vista in the partner community," said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Client Marketing at Microsoft. "A vibrant partner ecosystem encourages rapid and broad deployment of Windows Vista, and enhances the great software experience that Windows Vista delivers. We'll continue to innovate with our products and support our partners as they prepare to roll out new versions of their applications and services."

The recently launched Project Glidepath will be among Microsoft's measures meant to ensure partner access to technical resources, application and compatibility testing, community programs, and specialized training and certification.