What are Solution Accelerators?

Solution Accelerators are not products per se but are a form of prescriptive guidance that evolved from what used to be called Microsoft Solution Offerings (MSOs). (See “Integrated Solutions Push Server Software Sales” on page 10 of the Jan. 2002 Update and “Solution Guidance Expanded” on page 13 of the Sept. 2002 Update.)

Solution Accelerators consist of documents, templates, sample code, and tools targeted at many of Microsoft’s most common customer scenarios, particularly those that require extensive integration work. (Other MSOs evolved into pure prescriptive documentation called “Patterns and Practices” guides.) Accelerators are freely downloadable (www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions), but often reference or require other products and tools, including for-fee Microsoft and third-party hardware or software products. Microsoft designs Solution Accelerators to be useful to corporate IT personnel as well as Microsoft service provider partners and calls them “accelerators” because they are designed to speed up adoption of Microsoft technologies by reducing some of the learning curve and major pain points.