Microsoft OEM Competency Getting Started Guide

Business Opportunity for OEMs, System Builders, Device Makers and Resellers
The launch of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, plus the release of Office 2010, has created significant demand for new PCs, laptops, servers and devices: According to IDC, nearly 350 million new PCs shipped in 2010.
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Nine out of every 10 newly acquired PCs run a Windows operating system.

IDC predicts that Windows 7 Professional will make up approximately 75 percent of all business PC 3 shipments with a Windows operating system in 2011.

In todays competitive environment, the Microsoft Partner Network can provide a wealth of program benefits and resources and eligibility for a direct relationship with Microsoft that can help you become more successful driving business with your customers.

IDC, Market Analysis, Worldwide PC Market: 4Q10 Review, Doc.#227492, April 2011 IDC, Worldwide Windows Client Operating Environment 2011-2015 Forecast: Maturity with Renewed Potential for Disruption, Doc.#227551, March 2010 3 IDC White Paper Sponsored by Microsoft, Microsoft Windows 7 Professional: The OEM Opportunity, Bob ODonnell, September 2010
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OEM COMPETENCY GETTING STARTED GUIDE

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Contents
Business Opportunity for OEMs, System Builders, Device Makers and Resellers ....................................................................... 1 About the OEM Competency ........................................................................................................................................................................... 2 OEM Competency Benefits ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3 OEM Competency Requirements ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 OEM Competency Enrollment ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

About the OEM Competency Value to Partners

For Microsoft partners who want to be leaders in the marketplace, earning an OEM competency can enable your business, expand customer opportunities, and differentiate your companys expertise in designing and delivering quality hardware solutions optimized with the latest Microsoft software. The OEM competency can help you: Gain insight for planning your target markets and customer segments Develop relevant skills that customers expect Create demand for your hardware and solutions and brand your business Improve sales tactics that accelerate the buying cycle Support and resolve customer issues more quickly Retain and earn more business from existing customers

Earn a Silver OEM competency. The silver competency helps your business demonstrate its consistent capability to design and deliver hardware solutions optimized with the latest Microsoft software. Differentiate your expertise by attaining a Gold OEM competency. The gold competency helps your business demonstrate its best-in-class capability to design and deliver hardware solutions optimized with the latest Microsoft software.

Demand for Experts: Thousands of customers come to Microsoft.com each month to find experienced partners who can deliver hardware solutions that meet their specific needs.

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OEM Competency Benefits

By joining the Microsoft Partner Network, you get a set of core benefits provided to all network members each time you enroll or re-enroll to help you save time and money. By earning an OEM competency, you will also get additional competency-specific benefits like further internal-use licenses and a Microsoft Partner Network OEM competency branded logo. The result is a wealth of benefits to help you grow your business. Explore the core and competency-specific benefits you may be eligible to receive, depending on your membership, organized according to stages of the partner business cycle. All benefits are provided per partner organization for one year of membership and are renewed when you renew your membership in the Microsoft Partner Network. Core benefits are open to all partners within a qualifying membership, are available in most regions of the world and are provided in a minimum of 11 languages.

MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITY Business Cycle Stage Multiple Stage Core Benefit1 Technical advisory services: Choose from the many offerings provided by Partner Technical Services to get expert guidance from Microsoft consultants for training, technical pre-sales, and delivery support.2 News and information: Stay up to date with the latest news, business opportunities, trainings, and more using our partner newsletter. Internal-use software: Get first-hand knowledge of features and capabilities with internal-use licenses for Microsofts latest software. Plan Talent recruitment: Find the most qualified technical students for entry-level and internship positions with Students to Business (S2B). Licensing assistance: Get help recommending Microsoft Volume Licensing products and solutions with Microsoft LicenseWise. Training: Build technical and business skills with role-based training at the Partner Learning Center. Participate in a Purchase a Community Subscription 10 Partner Advisory Hours3 Earn a Silver Competency 20 Partner Advisory Hours Up to 25 licenses of each product Attain a Gold Competency 50 Partner Advisory Hours -

Up to 10 licenses of each product4

Up to 100 licenses of each product

3 MSDN for Microsoft Action Pack Developmen t and Design subscription3 1 TechNet for Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider license5

5 Visual Studio Premium with MSDN subscriptions 3 TechNet for Microsoft Competency Partners licenses

10 Visual Studio Premium with MSDN subscriptions 3 TechNet for Microsoft Competency Partners licenses

Enable

Developer resources: Get access to tools, software, communities, and resources for developers and testers with an MSDN subscription.

IT Pro resources: Get access to tools, software, communities, and resources for IT professionals with a TechNet Subscription.

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MEMBERSHIP OPPORTUNITY Business Cycle Stage Core Benefit1 Online partner directory: Make your solution profile accessible to tens of thousands of potential customers in online marketplaces with Microsoft Pinpoint. Marketing tools & resources: Save time and money with customizable marketing resources, including campaign materials and activity guides, at the Partner Marketing Center. Microsoft branded logo: Show your unique expertise to customers by using Logo Builder to create a custom logo that identifies your capabilities. Sales tools & resources: Use Microsofts Partner Sales Resources site to help you sell products and solutions more effectively. Custom demos & tools: Create compelling sales presentations using the rich, customizable demos from Demo Showcase. Sell Financing for your deals: Close more sales by offering your customers tailored financing options using Microsoft Financing.6 Incentives: Become eligible to earn incentives for driving strategic technology areas with Microsoft 7 Partner Incentives. Participate in a Community Standard search ranking Purchase a Subscription High search ranking Earn a Silver Competency Higher search ranking Attain a Gold Competency Highest search ranking

Create Demand

Silver Competency Logo

Gold Competency Logo

Eligible

Eligible

Eligible Licensing and Online incentives Online support: Unlimited Phone support (critical): Unlimited Phone support (non-critical): 5 Incidents

Eligible Solution, Licensing, and Online incentives Online support: Unlimited Phone support (critical): Unlimited Phone support (non-critical): 5 Incidents

Online incentives Online support: Unlimited

Online incentives Online support: Unlimited Phone support (critical): Unlimited

Service

Technical incident support: Resolve technical issues quickly with support from Microsoft engineers and community experts provided by Partner Technical 8, 9 Services.

Retain
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Customer feedback tool: Get insights on customer satisfaction and loyalty with the Customer Satisfaction Index survey solution.

Benefits are provided per partner organization for a year of membership and are renewed annually when you re-enroll in the network. Partners are allocated Partner Advisory Hours to be used as currency for Partner Technical Services. Partners with silver or gold competencies will not be charged hours for pre-sales services used for deals worth $3,000 or more. 3 Microsoft Action Pack Development & Design subscribers only. 4 Most products have up to 10 Client Access Licenses and server products have 1 license. See the Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider Software page or the Microsoft Action Pack Development and Design Software page for details. 5 Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider subscribers only. 6 Available in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 7 Partners must meet additional eligibility requirements for Solutions and Licensing incentives, including enrollment in specific competencies. 8 Online response times vary between 4 hours and 2 days, depending on membership opportunity. See the Online Technical Communities page for details. 9 Critical incidents are defined strictly as severe customer issues that immediately impede the operation of a customers business (server-down).

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OEM Competency Internal Use Software

For internal use and testing purposes, Microsoft partners with an OEM competency receive an array of products like the ones listed below. Use the licensing calculator to model current core membership license benefits and incremental silver competency or gold competency licensing benefit and learn about licensing caps. Read the Software Licensing Benefits FAQ for details on license sharing across partner organizations. Microsoft Business Contact Manager Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack Microsoft Dynamics CRM Microsoft Exchange Microsoft Forefront Windows HPC Server Microsoft Office Communications Server Microsoft Office Groove Server Microsoft Office Professional Microsoft Office Project

Microsoft Office Visio

Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) Microsoft Search Server Windows Server

Windows Small Business Server Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft System Center Microsoft System Center Operations Manager Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager Windows Web Server Windows 7 Enterprise

Microsoft OEM Partner Resources

In addition to the OEM competency benefits, as a Microsoft OEM partner you have access to many marketing, sales, and technical resources. Access the System Builder Quick Reference Guide for details on resources like the OEM Pre-Installation Kits and System Builder marketing campaigns available to you through the OEM Partner Center and product-specific training modules available through the OEM Training Zone.

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OEM Competency Requirements

Competency requirements are closely aligned with customer needs. To earn the Silver OEM competency or Gold OEM competency, you must meet the following requirements.
REQUIREMENT SILVER OEM COMPETENCY Meet one of the following: Employ or contract with two Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) who have passed eligible exams. Qualifying exams are provided below.1 Credentials Submit a device that has passed the Designed for Windows 7 Logo Program test. GOLD OEM COMPETENCY Meet one of the following: Employ or contract with four MCPs with credentials not assigned to any other gold competencies who have passed eligible exams. Qualifying exams are provided below. 2 Submit two devices that have passed the Designed for Windows 7 Logo Program test. Have one of the following current direct OEM Microsoft Agreements:3 o Desktop Operating System (DTOS) Microsoft Agreement o OEM Master License Agreement (MLA) o Refurbishment License Agreement Revenue Not applicable Provide three unique, verifiable customer references that feature: Hardware solutions (PC or server) shipped preinstalled with genuine software licenses for the Windows client operating system or Windows Server operating system. Customer Evidence Hardware solutions (PC or server) that have passed the Designed for Windows Logo Program test or that feature customer technical support services delivered by inhouse MCPs. Each reference must feature a project that you have completed within the last 12 months, and will be verified with your customer. Complete a full profile. Pay the silver membership fee.6 Meet a minimum revenue commitment.4 Provide five unique, verifiable customer references that feature:5 Hardware solutions (PC or server) shipped preinstalled with genuine software licenses for the Windows client operating system or Windows Server operating system. Hardware solutions (PC or server) that have passed the Designed for Windows Logo Program test or that feature customer technical support services delivered by in-house MCPs. Each reference must feature a project that you have completed within the last 12 months, and will be verified with your customer. Customer references from the silver competency can be used toward the gold competency. Participate in the Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Index. Complete a full profile. Pay the gold membership fee.6

Commitment

Partner organizations can attain multiple silver competencies. If your employees or contractors pass the eligible competency exams for multiple silver competencies, then your organization is eligible to count those exams toward attaining multiple silver competencies. 2 Partner organizations can attain multiple gold competencies, and individual employees and contractors may take and pass multiple gold competency exams. However, if your organization employs or contracts with someone who holds multiple certifications, that persons credentials will count toward only one gold competency. 3 Partners with a signed and current direct OEM agreement can learn more about requirements for the OEM competency by contacting their Microsoft Partner Account Managers. 4 Partners must agree to meet a minimum Microsoft-related revenue commitment that is determined based on the partners geography and the competency the partner organization is working to attain. Both transacted and influenced revenue counts toward this commitment. Microsoft will begin measuring relevant partner revenue in October 2011, and partners will need to meet their revenue commitments the first time they renew their memberships after October 2012. 5 You may use customer references from your silver competency toward a gold competency. 6 Silver competency and gold competency fees vary by geography. You must pay the silver competency or gold competency fee one time per yearno matter how many competencies your organization has attained. If you attain a gold competency after first attaining a silver competency, then you pay only the difference between the two membership fees, unless you are within the 90-day renewal period, in which case the full membership fee is due.

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Qualifying Exams
The qualifying exams are based on the latest Microsoft software and apply to both the Silver OEM competency and the Gold OEM competency. Access the OEM Competency Attainment Guide for learning paths to help you prepare to take the qualifying exams. Take advantage of current exam offers to help you pass the qualifying exams.
Exam 70-684: TS: OEM Reseller Exam 70-169: TS: Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard, Configuring* Exam 70-577: TS: Windows Embedded Standard 2009 Exam 70-635: TS: Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2008, Desktop Deployment Exam 70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure Configuration Exam 70-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Application Infrastructure Configuration Exam 70-648: TS: Upgrading from Windows Server 2003 MCSA to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specializations Exam 70-649: TS: Upgrading Your MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist Exam 70-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring Exam 70-681: TS: Windows 7 and Office 2010, Deploying Exam 70-682: Pro: Upgrading to Windows 7 MCITP Enterprise Desktop Support Technician Exam 70-683: TS: Windows 7, Preinstalling for OEMs

The OEM competency opened up new areas that I didnt know existed. Jeffrey Dempsey Global Aeronautica

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OEM Competency Enrollment

To enroll in the OEM competency, you must first be a member of the Microsoft Partner Network. If you are not already a member, visit the Microsoft Partner Network Enrollment page to register your business. You will be asked to sign in with your Windows Live ID, tell us about yourself and your company, and agree to the terms and conditions. Once you become a member of the Microsoft Partner Network or if you were already a member, you may find that your business meets some or all requirements for the OEM competency. Follow these steps to track your status, associate any outstanding qualifications and enroll.

Track Your Status

From the Partner Membership Center you can follow these steps to track your progress for earning an OEM competency. 1. 2. 3. From the Requirements and Assets drop-down menu in the top navigation, click Competency Summary to display the Manage Competencies page within the Competency Summary tab. To view the status for your organization, go to the Select Location area, click the down arrow, and select Organization from the top of the list. Then click Select. For a view of the status of any location, follow the previously listed steps and select the desired location.

The screen displays your progress toward meeting each available competency for the organization or the location you have selected. To view details for the OEM competency, click the arrow to the left of the competency. The view will expand to show each of the OEM competency requirements, including which requirements must still be met.

Associate Your Qualifications

From the Partner Membership Center Manage Competencies page, in the detailed view of the OEM competency requirements, click on the name of the requirement within the list to go to screens where you can: Add the required MCPs Add tested products Create customer references

Note: If a link is disabled, you do not have administrative rights for the location. If you have a signed and current direct OEM Microsoft Agreement and would like to use this option to meet the gold competency requirements, you can contact your Partner Account Manager to request a manual override through the Regional Service Center. To commit to meeting the gold competency revenue commitment requirement, click the Agree link on the Partner Membership Center Competency Summary page. The Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Index surveys are automatically associated with your organization or location.

Enroll in the OEM Competency

When you have met all OEM competency requirements and they are associated with your organization or location you can finish enrollment. On the Partner Membership Center Managing Competencies page, under the OEM competency section, a green message will indicate that you have met the requirements for the OEM competency and a link will be provided to attain the competency. To complete enrollment, click on the link to update your profile and pay the applicable membership fees. For further information about the OEM competency, please contact your Regional Service Center at https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40032423. OEM COMPETENCY GETTING STARTED GUIDE Page 8