New designation distinguishes Chris Fraser, as an
expert in small-business solutions and services.
Microsoft Corp. today announced Chris
Fraser at
Fraser Comapny has become the first Small Business Specialist in the
Tampa/St. Petersburg area. To attain this new designation, Fraser has
demonstrated expertise in planning and building solutions for small
businesses. As part of the Small Business Specialist Community, Fraser will
receive a rich set of benefits from Microsoft, including access to training
specifically designed for the small-business industry, small-business
marketing materials for reuse, special partner offers, and the ability to
use the Small Business Specialist logo in marketing materials, which can
help give the company a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
The Small
Business Specialist Community, available as a competency-like designation as
part of the Microsoft® Partner Program, was developed in response
to input from customers and partners that expressed a need to build easier
connections that enable small-business customers to quickly and easily
identify technology partners best suited to support them.
“Small businesses are looking for partner companies that
understand their unique business needs,” said Craig Kampel, Gulf States Area
General Manager, Microsoft Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partner Group.
“With resources like the Small Business Specialist Community and the partner
locator tool on the Microsoft Small Business Center Web site, it will be
much easier for small businesses in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area to
identify local partners that are best able to address their specific needs.
We are confident this offering will help Fraser reach its full potential by
creating more visibility, opportunity and demand in the local small-business
segment.”
“Fraser Company is very pleased with our new status as a
Microsoft Small Business Specialist,” said Chris
Fraser
CPA/CITP,
consultant for Business Technology and IT Risk Management. “This special
designation validates and showcases our expertise with high-value, strategic
solutions for small businesses. With this early visibility into new
Microsoft products, services and programs, we will be able to add even more
value to the small-business clients we serve out of our St. Petersburg
office.”
As one of the requirements for attaining Small Business
Specialist status, Fraser had to pass Microsoft’s Small Business Sales and
Marketing Skills Assessment. This assessment is designed to test the
company’s knowledge of the dynamics and dependencies of the small-business
market, as well as the value to small business of several software
solutions, including Windows® XP Professional, Microsoft Office
2003 and Windows Small Business Server 2003. In addition, at least one
individual in the company had to pass a certification exam that measures the
ability to design and implement solutions for the small and medium-sized
business by using Windows Small Business Server 2003 and the Windows Server
System™.
The Small Business Specialist Community was announced
earlier this month at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2005. To
enroll, partners can
click here. If not in Tampa Bay, to find a Small Business
Specialist in your area, please
click here.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the
worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and
businesses realize their full potential.