Microsoft and Intel help System Builders get ready for Windows Vista, the 2007 Office System and Intel® Core™2 Duo processors

Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corp. today announced the Ready 2 Rock Road Show, a series of day-long, hands-on events designed to help system builders make the most of myriad business opportunities afforded them by new and innovative products and technologies from Microsoft and Intel. The road show, to be held in 23 cities across the U.S. and Canada, will help system builders be more competitive in the marketplace by providing the training and technical content they need to build and sell customized solutions based on the most powerful Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors, Windows Vista, the 2007 Office system and Intel and Microsoft Server products. Office server products are included in the 2007 Microsoft Office system.

In a single day, attendees will receive technical readiness training on new Intel and Microsoft products, including Windows Vista, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, Intel vPro™ technology, 2007 Microsoft Office System and Intel and Microsoft server products. They will also receive instruction on the unique features and benefits in each version of Windows Vista, how to advise both business and consumer customers on which version of Windows Vista will best meet their needs, and will have the opportunity to build a Windows Vista system on a Verified by Intel® mobile platform. Attendees will also be taught how to use Intel’s vPro Platform technology to deliver services value to their business clients and how Intel Core 2 Duo processor-based PCs deliver rich new computing experiences. A variety of alliance vendors offering complimentary products will also be available in the Showcase portion of the event.

"The upcoming availability of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system, along with powerful processors and technology from Intel, offer tremendous business opportunities for our system builder and distributor partners," said John Ball, general manager of the U.S. System Builder partners group at Microsoft. "We are committed to providing tools and resources that help system builders grow their businesses, and we are excited to be joining forces with Intel to provide training on Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system at the Ready 2 Rock Road Show."

"The innovative new technologies that Intel and Microsoft are bringing to market provide a unique opportunity for our mutual system builder partners to create compelling solutions that deliver unprecedented value to their customers," said Shirley Turner, Intel’s director of North America Channel Partner Marketing. "By coming together in this way, Intel and Microsoft can demonstrate, side-by-side to our channel partners, that we value their business and will continue our collective support to help them in their efforts to increase sales and drive new opportunities around Intel Core 2 Duo based systems."

The Ready 2 Rock Road Show is one component of Microsoft’s plan to train more than 80,000 system builder partners worldwide prior to the release of Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System. For those who cannot attend a road show event, a half-day intensive training course, "Get Ready Your Way," will be offered at 100 locations nationwide as well as online. In addition to the road shows, Microsoft continues to make significant investments in the System Builder Channel through innovative Partner Programs such as the Microsoft Partner Program (MSPP) that includes the OEM Hardware Solutions Competency where partners can get the things they ask for most: technical support, internal use software, branding, marketing and sales materials. Other examples are the "buy local" campaign, Office Ready and the small business customer campaign.

In addition to this unique joint training program, the Intel Channel Partner Program allows system builders and Value-Added Resellers alike to access marketing resources, technical support and sales tools that help them deliver innovative technologies and services to their customers.

More information and event registration for the Ready to Rock Road Show are available at http://www.intelmicrosoftr2r.com/

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Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live.

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- INTEL Corporate Press Relations-