Two new programs aim to improve transfer of expertise from the Microsoft IT organization to Microsoft consultants, Consumer Support Services (CSS) employees, and customers. These programs could help customers and partners solve operational problems in Windows-based environments and also showcase the cost and operational benefits Microsoft IT has realized through adoption of newer Microsoft technologies, such as Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003.

The IT Fellowship program is a recently formed training program for Microsoft consultants and product support personnel. Trainees run through a two- to three-week course that includes classroom coursework led by IT employees and hands-on training in IT data centers. The program currently offers training on running Windows and Exchange in a large-scale IT environment, but Microsoft IT plans to extend the program to include other operational practices, such as managing application and network security, and Microsoft technologies, such as Windows SharePoint Services and SQL Server.

The Exchange Center of Excellence, which includes employees from the Microsoft IT Messaging Services group (which runs Microsoft’s internal Exchange installation), Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), and the Exchange product team, will develop documentation and training to help Microsoft consultants, partners, and select customers solve Exchange problems. For example, an Exchange "risk assessment" process, planned for 2005, will include tools and documentation that could help customers pinpoint performance problems in their Exchange installations and take corrective actions. The Exchange Center of Excellence intends that all customers with Premier support agreements run the Exchange risk assessment by the end of 2005.

Consultants and select customers could also have the opportunity to work directly with members of the Microsoft IT Messaging Services group. This could involve hands-on training in Microsoft data centers and consultation with Microsoft IT workers. In some cases, members of the Messaging Services team may visit customers’ data centers to assist in troubleshooting and correcting operational or performance problems in those customers’ Exchange infrastructures.

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