How to cook cats, or the attraction of unprecedented generosity from Microsoft

Ear as the quintessence of fishing

Often I hear from different people that Microsoft de greedy: “Yes, you have overeat your ears there!”, Well, other, more solid expressions.

To which I reasonably object - cats need to be able to cook, gentlemen. After all, in fact, for IT shnyh companies Microsoft, with proper skill, is a very generous partner. There are a number of techniques for fish fishing, which is why the resultant ear becomes much more rich.
I will not immediately disclose all the secrets, I will leave it for later, but now I will tell you what the most common web designer / developer can get from Microsoft.
Suppose I do sites, and I have an IP. Well, or LLC. In short, somehow I solve the issues of interaction with my native state. I develop sites, say, in FARA, on HTML version 4, and for particularly complex MySQL sites I still have a tie, my admin is not worse than Bitrix, and I even always use InnoDB, not MyISAM. Here I am such an unrealistically harsh kid (I wanted to write from Chelyabinsk, but since I know that there are many web pros in Chelyabinsk, excellent dumplings and a decent Pokrovka street with beautiful metal statues, I will refrain).

What can a simple mouse and cursor worker get with Microsoft? In fact, a lot of different utilities can be obtained. Let's talk about this and talk.

Professor burdock, but the equipment - with him!

Before turning to practice, a little theory. Microsoft now wants to make friends with web developers and web designers. Someone will immediately say that Bill and Steve will force everyone to program on .NET and in general, it’s worthwhile to put the dark side of power into the soul, as you immediately find yourself in life slavery and have to wear an uncomfortable white helmet, which is stuffy, you can't sneeze and blow your nose.
')
I even heard a version from one little nervous person, that under the huge data centers that are built in the Mississippi Valley for Azure and BPOS, there are actually secret jails for web developers, where they encode for 18 hours a day in pairs on the BASIC and they are pedaling electric generators ... and so he, out of harm's way, won't even talk to me on the phone ... To be honest, one day, leaving late at night from the office in Krylatskoye, I heard wild screams and howls from somewhere in the basement, but it turned out that this is one blonde on the underground with Tojanka crushed her mini-cooper, and she pressed all of them with infrasound ...

Actually (by the way, this phrase is used by manipulators to create a confidential atmosphere, be careful!) Everything is simpler. The facts are that a huge number of web designers / developers with what Microsoft offers for the web are completely unfamiliar. And if someone thinks that in MS at the moment there are people unfamiliar with the real situation, then you are in vain :)
Neither I nor my colleagues around are like clinical idiots ... and how could we all get a driver's license?

In general, the task of enslaving web developers is not on the agenda. The task is to make friends and get acquainted (as they say on dating sites, for a mutually-enjoyable pastime).

Elephants and gingerbread

People we are all practical (ie, lazy), so we understand that it’s just that [no less practical] web developers will not get acquainted with the MS web platform. There is a reasonable question about gingerbread for harsh web designers in the spotlight and not only.
What gingerbread can Microsoft offer for web developers? In my opinion, the most delicious and fast-cooking gingerbread two.

Champagne - all!

The first gingerbread is licenses, both for internal use and for deploying websites.
If a web developer is not one, but 2 or more (and even more), then for internal use I would recommend to subscribe to such a wonderful thing as MAPS with a special extension of licenses for web developers. Web developers (as well as hosters and all Microsoft partners) can get a license package from 10 Windows, 10 Offices, 1 Windows Server, Dynamics CRM and a whole bunch of less popular among boys, but potentially useful software, for a total of 10 seconds. too much kilobaksov.

I’ll say right away that this is not a [100%] freebie - such a subscription will cost 295 (without VAT) dollars per year. Expensive? MAPS includes elegant packaging with hundreds of disks, postage, etc., who knows - it is easy to consider that it does not smell profit.
In general, they often ask why commercial licenses cannot be obtained free of charge if it is necessary to win the hearts of web people (with an implication about the greed of vendors and copywriters). Greed is nothing to do with (). The question is very tricky, tax and other legislation is mixed up here, lawyers love to discuss it, and we all need to accept it as given.
Learn more about MAPS and steps for getting it - here partner.microsoft.com/40016455?msp_id=MAPSsubscription

The second program is called WebsiteSpark. They have already written about it several times; it is notable for giving licenses for 3 years to develop and deploy sites. It has a restriction - only for offices with up to 10 people, there is no such condition in the MAPS, all developers and hosters can enter there. WebsiteSpark for 3 years, want for it 100 bucks in 3 years.

Many people ask the question how these sums will be collected for websitespark in 2012. I personally think that a detachment of riot police on 2 helicopters will be sent to the address of each debtor (somewhere in Labytnangi) ... but other options are also possible that are less expensive.

Where is the money, Zin?

The second cake for web developers / designers is customers. I would even say, not a gingerbread, but directly our daily bread. The idea, in general, is simple - Microsoft has a cloud of partners, customers and buyers who need websites. Microsoft itself does not do sites and does not intend to do them, but assumes that partners should do sites. With one condition - hosting should be - guessed on Windows. PHP, MySQL - there is, hosting costs the same. Checkered or go? Everyone makes the choice himself ...

If a web developer spent 10 minutes and registered with the Microsoft partner program, he can spend another 10 minutes and send a brief description of his company to webrus@microsoft.com, and thus go to the directory www.microsoft.com/rus/web/ agency / agencies.aspx

If the developer has registered with WebsiteSpark, then he is listed in the Websitespark partners directory www.microsoft.com/web/websitespark/Catalog.aspx

On a natural question, why do folk music instruments need representatives of a cult, the answer is simple - Microsoft promotes these directories. Makes mailings to thousands of users and partners, pays contextual advertising ... Who else, besides your mother and Tefal (who thinks about everyone at all), shows the same concern for partners?
Undoubtedly, behind these proposals lies a cunning and mysterious plan. 2012, according to the Mayan calendar, is the end of the world, and the Websitespark is also up to 2012. This is not for nothing.
Pozhuzhzhim together? :)

Buzz instruction

So, how does a web developer (hoster, IT partner) get MAPS? It is very difficult, almost unreal. This will require 34 minutes of time, approximately 5mb of traffic and an IQ of at least 83.

Go to the MAPS order page at partner.microsoft.com/rus/mapssubscription

1. Login
Click the Sign In button and sign in using your Windows Live ID.
If you do not already have a Windows Live ID,
A message appears asking you to register.
Note. If you are already a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, sign in using
Windows Live ID assigned to your partner account.

2. Joining the Microsoft Partner Network
After logging in, follow step 2 and join the Microsoft Partner Network (if you are not yet a member).
Click the Join button and fill out the profile by answering a few questions.
HERE IS IMPORTANT:
In the area of ​​activity of your organization, select the ISV, and from the list that appears, select Web Applications \ Browser-based applications or Web-service based applications.
Hosters (not only SPLA partners, all hosters) should choose Hosted Solutions.
3. Run a small interactive test.
After you become a member of the Microsoft Partner Network program, click the Launch button to start the training course and test task.
If desired, you can skip the started training course and go directly to the test task.

4. Placing an order
Now you are ready to place an order for a subscription or renew it.
Click the Order Now button to enter your shipping and billing details.

Subscription Order Status
By placing an order for a subscription, you can get information about its status.
Confirmation of an order
After processing the payment, you will receive a confirmation email with the order number. Now you can download software and resources on digital media at www.microsoft.com/rus/msppdd
If you are a new subscriber and have ordered physical media, you will receive a kit with a MAPS subscription in 15-30 business days.
Renew subscription
If the subscription expires or has already expired, at partner.microsoft.com
A “mapssubscription” message appears, containing subscription status information.
You can renew your subscription within three months before the expiration date. Click the Renew Now button to renew your subscription.
Note. Partners must complete an interactive test once every two years.

Conclusion

Have questions? Write to webrus@microsoft.com