NEW DELHI
SEPTEMBER 18, 2006

Microsoft Corporation India today announced the Small Business Specialist program, an initiative to create greater business opportunities for partners that specialize in providing solutions and services to the small-business segment.

Partners who enroll into the program will have access to training and resources specifically designed for them – including marketing materials and special promotional offers. Microsoft plans to recruit, enable and activate 100 small business specialist partners, across top 13 cities in the next 10 to 12 months, a Microsoft statement said.

To reach out to system integrators, VARs, system builders and the retail channel Microsoft is organizing a three-city event, called 'small business is big business' in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. This is a worldwide initiative, which Microsoft is now rolling out in India.

The company said that the partners would also gain increased visibility via preferred placement in the Microsoft resource directory and the small business partner finder (located on the Microsoft small business center website). Additionally the partner will also get access to the exclusive small and medium business specialist private managed newsgroups. Depending on the partnership level, small and medium business specialists will also be entitled to registered member benefits, certified partner benefits or gold certified partner benefits.

Commenting on the occasion of the launch, Rajeev Mittal, Group Director, Small and Medium Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) Group, said, "We are committed to helping small businesses around the world be more efficient and better serve their customers through the use of technology. The program will not only help partners differentiate themselves as small business solution experts, but will also enable small business customers to quickly identify technology partners best suited to support them."

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