London, United Kingdom — September 4th, 2009 Firstserv Limited, a UK Web Hosting and Cloud Computing Specialist, today announced it has attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner program with a competency in Hosting Solutions, recognising Firstserv’s expertise and impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified Partner, Firstserv has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and a proven ability to meet customers’ needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the channel.
“We are extremely pleased to have attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program. This allows us to clearly promote our expertise and relationship with Microsoft to our customers,” said David Pratt, Sales & Marketing Director at Firstserv. “The benefits provided through our Gold Certified Partner status will allow us to continue to enhance the offerings that we provide for customers.”
“Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and technology capabilities,” said Allison Watson, corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft Corp. “They need to trust in a company that can act as an expert adviser for their long-term strategic technology plans. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, which have certified expertise and direct training and support from Microsoft, can build a positive customer experience with our technologies. Today, Microsoft recognises Firstserv as a new Gold Certified Partner for demonstrating its expertise in providing customer satisfaction using Microsoft products and technology.”
As one of the requirements for attaining Gold Certified Partner status, Firstserv had to declare a Microsoft Competency. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each Competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry. Within select Competencies, there are Specialisations that focus on specific solution areas that recognise deeper expertise within that Competency. Serving as a specialised path to earning those Competencies, Specialisations give direct access to the tools and resources that support that specific area of focus.
The Hosting Solutions Competency is designed for partners that have proven proficiencies in developing hosting solutions based on Microsoft solutions. This competency is vital as partner hosted services play a key role in how customers consume Microsoft software.
“The starting point for promoting partner proficiency in developing hosting solutions to customers is by attaining the Hosting Solutions Competency,” said John Zanni, general manager of the worldwide software + services industry for the Communications Sector at Microsoft Corp. “Partners need resources designed to support their expertise in creating hosting solutions based on Microsoft Solutions for Windows-based Hosting and Hosted Messaging and Collaboration in the context of real-world business scenarios.”
The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in October 2003 and represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognises partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.
Firstserv’s hosting focus and extensive range of solutions provides you with a true one-stop shop. From domain name registration, shared hosting, Virtual Private Server hosting (VPS), dedicated servers and server colocation to Hosted Exchange and Hosted SharePoint, Firstserv addresses all your hosting requirements.
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For more information, contact:
Firstserv
David Pratt,
020 7536 7930
marketing@firstserv.com