Microsoft gives $500 million to its partners
InfoWorld | at | by Mike
Microsoft is kicking off its Fusion 2002 conference in Los Angeles with a bang Friday, heralding plans to infuse its partner programs with a cool $500 million. The investment, which will be rolled out in phases over two years starting next July, represents a 50 percent increase over last year's annual spend on partner development and support, according to Microsoft officials. The money will be allocated across three areas, including hiring more field reps to work directly with Microsoft partners; developing new Web-based training tools and the eLearning Center; and boosting the amount and types of partner support. Microsoft plans to allot 20 percent of the money toward the headcount increases, including a $4 million shot in the arm for partner account manager training. Close to 30 percent of the investment will be sunk into Web-based training, including the eLearning Center, which features 11 online courses to date.