Partner Conference Sticks to Basics

Still refining its partner program and awaiting the release of major new products at the end of 2005, Microsoft concentrated on whipping up partner enthusiasm for new product lines and for developing vertical specialties at its annual Worldwide Partner Conference, held in Minneapolis in July 2005.

“Build on Our Platforms”

Attended by a sellout crowd of some 6,500 partners, the conference featured few major announcements. Even CEO Steve Ballmer had no major products or programs to announce at his keynote address on the closing day. The centerpiece of that keynote, as of several other talks, came from partners who were invited up on stage to participate in panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions.

Microsoft focused primarily on encouraging partners to build vertical solutions on top of its Windows Server System and Microsoft Business Solutions platforms and to prepare for major upcoming product releases, notably SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005 (due toward the end of 2005), and the next version of the Windows client, code-named Longhorn and not due until the end of 2006.