SPLA Productivity, a Necessary and Attainable Goal

Ever wonder why the boss always gives new assignments to be the busiest person in the office? Because they simply get the job done. In this spirit, the SMS&P group within Microsoft is getting the job done.

Recently, SMS&P embarked on a mission to support unmanaged partners in 17 subsidiaries worldwide. The effort includes the development and nurturing of a large and activated ecosystem of Hosting Service Providers that support the Windows Server Platform. Impressively, 17 telephone-based partner account managers (TPAMs) in 17 subsidiaries have been hired to more deeply engage the top 2,000 unmanaged Hosting Service Providers.

“The TPAMs are doing a great job supporting this important partner channel and their efforts should serve as a model for SPLA Resellers worldwide who are interested in leveraging the rewards associated with our new SPLA Productivity Program.”
- Matthew Haynes, Industry Director, Hosting, Microsoft Corp.

The approach is proving very successful in the recruitment of competitive Hosters, the activation of existing Hosting partners, as well as opportunities for discussion around right licensing. On the whole, there is enormous opportunity within this initiative. The most common scenario includes cost reduction through virtualization with Hyper-V, and expanding the hoster business model from simple web hosting to application hosting and managed services. The natural evolution of these conversations with newly recruited partners typically yields opportunities for a SPLA commitment as well as adjacent Windows Hosting Platform products to enhance their core offerings.

The evidence is compelling – even at this early stage – and SPLA Resellers should act quickly to incorporate this type of activity into their workflow as a best practice if they have not done so already.