NEW ORLEANS, July 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at its annual partner conference, Microsoft Corp. outlined a bold road map of products and services that the company will deliver to partners and customers in the coming year. With upcoming launches of Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 and a major revamp of the company's partner program, Microsoft is equipping partners to drive innovation, save customers money and compete confidently despite the economy.

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In her keynote address, Allison Watson, corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft, kicked off the event with the launch of the Microsoft Partner Network.

"Microsoft is entering the biggest year of product launches in its history, and partners will play a pivotal role in bringing to market what customers want - choice, flexibility and cost savings," Watson said. "With the Microsoft Partner Network, we're creating a community based on our continued commitment to serve the needs of our partners that will help them reach their full potential. Working together, we continue to focus on creating innovative solutions that drive profitability and sustain competitive advantage." More details are available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/jul09/07-13PartnerNetworkPR.mspx.

Bill Veghte, senior vice president for the Windows Business at Microsoft, revealed new partner offerings and opportunities around Windows 7, which is slated to be released to manufacturing later this month and launch in October. Details are available on the Windows Team Blog.

Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division, announced that Office 2010 and related products have reached the technical preview milestone, disclosing new Office 2010 features and highlighting the opportunity that these products will represent for the partner community when they become available in the first half of 2010. More details are available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/jul09/07-13Office2010WPCPR.mspx.

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, July 13-16 in New Orleans, is Microsoft's premier event for the more than 640,000 business partners who sell, customize, build upon, implement and support Microsoft solutions, generating more than 95 percent of Microsoft's revenue.

Additional news from the Worldwide Partner Conference today includes the following:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Passes One Million User Mark and Expands xRM Initiative
• Microsoft Equips Microsoft Dynamics Partners to Seize Vertical Opportunities
• Microsoft Introduces Microsoft Surface Partner Program
• Microsoft Expands Services Ready Program
• Banking Industry Architecture Network Alliance Achieves First Major Milestone
• More Than 5,000 Partners Have Joined the Partner Program for Microsoft Online Services
• Microsoft's Bob Kelly Discusses Maximizing Opportunities with Core Infrastructure
  

On Tuesday, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, and Bob Muglia, president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft, will share new details about the company's software-plus-services vision and offerings.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For more information about the Worldwide Partner Conference:

News and new digital content will be posted continually throughout the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. For the latest content, please visit the event newsroom at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/wwpc.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

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