14 DAY TRIAL // The Microsoft Hosting Summit 2009 is the stage where the company plans to introduce an updated hosting strategy and bring into the limelight tools and resources available for its partners to drive success. In doing so, the Redmond company is simply looking to catalyze the transition to the world of software plus services, in the context of the global economic crisis. The software giant underlined that its partners would be able to take advantage of its platforms and technologies, through a variety of programs and initiatives in order to ultimately grow their business.
“During these difficult economic times, hosted services are more important than ever as customers look for ways to reduce cost and increase efficiencies,” explained John Zanni, general manager of the Worldwide Software Plus Services Industry for the Communications Sector at Microsoft.
Partners dealing with managed hosting offerings will have the opportunity to leverage marketing tools, but also technical and service operation guides via the Dynamic Data Center Tool Kit. In addition, Microsoft indicated Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center as the platforms and technologies designed to fuel the growth of S+S, promising that it would cut Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) costs.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for hosting providers to partner with Microsoft to transition from mass-market hosting into higher-margin managed services to deliver compelling new solutions to their customers. Microsoft is making major investments in technology innovation and in its partners to ensure that hosting providers are successful as the industry evolves in response to new competition and economic conditions,” Zanni added.
Philbert Shih, research analyst at Tier1 Research, revealed that as businesses increasingly migrated their operations online, hosting providers had no solution but to follow. “It represents an opportunity that is critical to the long-term survival of mass-market hosters. SMBs will continue to grow and move their operations online, and there is no question that they will continue to have expanding and more sophisticated IT infrastructure needs. Being unable to capture this opportunity will leave hosters competing for the less-lucrative, lower-margin and what will eventually be the shrinking portions of the market,” Zanni said.