Important MS Partner Question

Important MS Partner Question

• Carolyn

  My company is a member of the Empower ISV program, and we just received notification of the upcoming changes.  The only major change was that we will no longer be eligible for the Team System of VS2005, but will still receive the Professional and SQL Server Express. 
  
  I'd definitely recommend enrolling.  For a few hundred dollars, you can't beat the benefits.  The program has really given us a jumpstart on our .NET development, and our product offerings are certainly more compelling as a result.
  
  Hope this helps,
  Josh Lindenmuth
  
  

• Nazish Ahsan

  I believe it's an automatic process, but you can check with you local Regional Service Center to make sure.
  
  You can find your local contact info on https://partners.microsoft.com/partnerprogram/contactmicrosoftpublic.aspx
  
  -brenda (ISV Buddy Team)
  
  

• Rohit Gupta

  Do we need to do anything as Empower Members in order for this change to take effect, or is it automatic since we don't have to choose a version
  

• Nathan Ie

  I couldn't agree more Matt!  Since we've been beta testing Team Foundation it means we have to go backwards! 
  
  Not a pleasant prospect and having read a lot on the differences, despite being small, we really could well use Team Foundation.  As a very small ISV we couldn't afford the costs either.  If I'd realised we'd not be able to use it until we got certified I'd not have started a particular project we have on the go which is designed to help us get there - leastways I'd not be using beta VS and tearing my hair out - I'd more likely have switched to java.
  
  I don't disagree that its a good product even still, but it kind of feels like our toys are being taken away until we're grown ups.  Had it been another company I'd not even have been surprised, but I've been a MS girl for years now, long before I began my own business, and I've been to date soooo impressed by the way they look after ISV's especially those trying to come through as certified partners.   To date its taken us longer than we'd have liked but we made the mistake of taking two companies on not just one.   I'm currently employing young grads from university.  The majority of them have met anti-MS lecturers at Uni, this so far has been a really good intro into making them MS converts - don't no how much longer for though.
  
  

• John Tom

  The following site is dedicated to Empower support, broken down by worldwide location. They will be able to answer all of your Empower questions:
  https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40010237
  
  I'll also forward your comments to that team so that they can make adjustments to the MSDN subscription information as appropriate.
  
  < xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />-brenda
  (ISV Buddy Team)

  
  
  

• Eric Ma

  Slightly off topic, but have you considered joining the Microsoft ISV Buddy Program
  
  If you're actively developing software solutions on the Microsoft platform and selling to external customers, you're eligible... and best of all, there's no charge!
  
  Based on the profile you submit from http://msdn.com/isv/isvbuddy, we'll look for a match with a Microsoft employee who will be your point person and can help you track down answers and resources within Microsoft.
  
  We have quite a few VS experts available, as well as others across most Microsoft products.
  
  You can learn more about the program at http://msdn.com/isv/isvbuddy.
  
  -brenda (ISV Buddy Team)
  
  

• Florin Raicu

  Please allow me to clear up some of the confusion about the upcoming change to MSDN. Empower for ISVs members will receive Visual Studio 2005 Professional with an MSDN Premium subscription.  This offering is equal to the MSDN Universal subscription that is part of the membership today. 
  
  Regarding the information on our web site: we have not been able to update information on our Partner Pages regarding the changes to MSDN because the site is being updated. We will update it at the earliest opportunity, in mid-November.  The Regional Service Centers have been provided with updated information and should be able to help you.
  
  Marty Byrne
  Empower for ISVs Program Manager
  Microsoft
  

• sahil_m

  Thanks for the replies, this is consistent with other reports/answers I've heard.  I was just confused because the Empower ISV site was updated but still did not have any information about Visual Studio 2005 and the upcoming changes to the MSDN subscription programs.
  
  I definately agree that Empower ISV is still a great bargain, but I think MS is leaving us small ISV's behind.  I'd be happy to pay more than the $375 to have a 5-user license to Team System and Team Foundation, but I simply cannot afford the $20,000+ that it'd cost to outfit my team at/near retail prices.
  
  
• Important MS Partner Question