Systems Integrators (SIs) and Value added partners (VAPs) signing up to the Dip into Windows Azure Trial* will understand how they can bridge innovation with current investments for both themselves and their clients.  The trial puts the partner in a position to start discussing Azure with their clients and through testing the platform enables partners to take the first step to building their Azure practice/offering.

As the hub of the software-plus-service initiative from Microsoft, the Windows Azure Platform gives SIs and VAPs the opportunity to both streamline their own infrastructure investments and help their clients to do the same. System Integrators can:

• Develop a new portfolio of expertise. In these early stages of software development for the cloud, businesses will be seeking the best advice on what this means for their current and future technology investments. Stay ahead of the curve and help your customers understand what cloud computing and development means to their business today and how they can pivot and extend their investments to maximize its value tomorrow.
• Deepen your customer relationships. SIs and VAPs have played an important role in deploying some of the most robust and flexible on-premises infrastructure available to businesses today. With that intimate knowledge of their customer’s on-premise solutions, SIs and VAPs can expect to deepen their relationships in bridging that investment to the cloud. 
• Focus on your core competencies. The Windows Azure Platform provides on-demand capacity and is based on industry standards, so system integrators are free to focus their internal resources on developing IP or integrating disparate services critical to the success of their clients. Making it possible for solution providers to focus on delivering value rather than investing in cost centres such as data centres and network hardware, is a defining value of the Windows Azure Platform.
• Be efficient. With the ability to shift consumption of your IP off premises and into the cloud, the product life cycle is made easier. Resources once used to test deployment scenarios across multiple customer environments may be deployed against projects representing higher return for the SI’s or VAP’s business.

Sign up for the Dip into Windows Azure limited free Trial here.

*The Dip into Windows Azure Trial is on the CTP version of Azure. Click here to find out more.