Enhancing the Value of your Relationship with Microsoft

By Thomas G. Stephens, Jr., CPA, CITP

How do you enhance the value of the products and services you receive from Microsoft? The answer is simple: Take advantage of some of the lesser-known resources from Microsoft that provide exceptional value to accountants. In this article, three such resources are highlighted – Action Pack subscription, Office Live and Business-Critical Support. When you discover and utilize these hidden gems, you will immeasurably enhance the value of the Microsoft products and services you utilize.

The fact that you are reading this article makes it likely that you are already a member of the Microsoft Professional Accountants’ Network (MPAN). And if you’re not, you should check out all of the benefits – free support, free training and free software – available with a free membership in MPAN. After you have joined MPAN, you are enrolled automatically in the Microsoft Partner Program (MSPP) and, as a Partner, you may be eligible for an Action Pack subscription. An Action Pack subscription includes a range of Microsoft desktop and server applications for running your practice, sales and marketing materials, and quarterly software and informational updates.

Examples of software included in the Action Pack subscription are:

·         Microsoft Office Enterprises 2007 – 10 copies;

·         Microsoft Vista Business Upgrade – 10 copies;

·         Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007 - 10 copies;

·         Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition R2 – One copy plus 10 client access licenses;

·         Microsoft CRM 3.0 - One copy plus 10 client access licenses;

·         Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition - One copy plus 10 client access licenses; and

·         Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007 – 10 copies.

The total value of the software provided in the Action Pack subscription is in excess of $20,000; it, along with the other Action Pack benefits, is available for the annual subscription fee of $299 per year, making the Action Pack subscription one of the very best values available to accountants. For more information on the Action Pack or to enroll, visit www.microsoft.com/cpampan.

Being successful today without a strong web presence is nearly impossible. For many small businesses, creating and maintaining a compelling and dynamic web site can be an expensive and daunting challenge. That’s where Office Live comes in.

Office Live is available in three levels – Basics (free), Essentials ($19.95 per month) and Premium ($39.95 per month) – and, depending on the level chosen, allows users to create and maintain web sites, collaborate with clients and customers, organize contacts, manage projects and tasks, and establish company-branded email accounts. Using Office Live enables you to:

·         Reserve and maintain a domain name at no charge;

·         Access tools for creating and maintaining a web site;

·         Access e-mail, contacts and calendar information from any Internet-connected computer;

·         Obtain reports to assist you in analyzing web traffic;

·         Promote your business using Internet search technologies; and

·         Streamline the process of exchanging data files with clients and customers.

In sum, Office Live provides businesses with a quick, easy and inexpensive way to acquire a very valuable asset – a strong web presence. For more information, visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/default.aspx.

We all dread “that” phone call… the one in which we are informed that our network has crashed and our information technology team is having trouble getting it running again. Now the process of recovering from a critical technology failure does not have to be so time-consuming, expensive or disruptive.

As an MPAN member or Action Pack subscriber, phone-based business-critical support is available from Microsoft engineers at no charge to assist you in recovering from catastrophic failures of business-critical technologies such as server or network outages. With this service, you will have the unwavering support of a Microsoft engineer to assist you in recovering from a business-critical failure. Further, if you are providing support to clients, you can take advantage of this service to help you get your client up and running as quickly as possible.

This service is available 24/7/365 in the United States and Canada to technology providers with legitimate business-down situations and is accessible from a toll-free phone number. With business-critical support available to you, you will never have to face the prospect of recovering from a catastrophic failure on your own.

Beyond using “mainstream” applications and services, accountants have many resources available to them to leverage their relationship with Microsoft.  In this article, three such hidden gems are discussed – Action Pack, Office Live and Business Critical Support.  Be sure to examine each of these resources as a means of enhancing the value of your relationship with Microsoft and solving many of your common and more complex business problems. 

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Microsoft.