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Premier Support Proactive Services
Build on some of the industry's leading know-how with Microsoft Services.

Proactive Services

Benefits Features Premier Foundation Premier Standard
Premier Plus		 Premier Ultimate
Horizontal Rule
Identifies platform risks

Reduces risk, including during technology migration

Maximizes productive use of technology

Helps increase platform flexibility and agility

 Health Checks and Supportability Review 3-day Risk Assessments and HealthChecks Included Included – Custom Package
Workshops and WorkshopPLUS Workshops only Included – Custom Package Included – Custom Package
Operational Excellence Solution Not available Available * Included – Custom Package
Remediation Services Not available Available * Included – Custom Package
Dedicated Supportability Engineering Not available Available * Available *
Business Expertise for Microsoft Dynamics* Available * Available * Available *

Risk Prevention and IT Optimization Services

Improve IT operations according to leading best practices to minimize risk and operate proactively.

  • Desired Configuration Management for System Center Configuration Manager
  • Desired Configuration Management provides hands-on assistance, showing IT groups how to apply Microsoft IT and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices, processes, tools, and knowledge to improve service availability. It enables IT groups to define and apply standard configurations for their systems, and then monitor compliance with those standards. Desired Configuration Management for System Center Configuration Manager operates in the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager environment and is currently available for the following technologies: Microsoft Exchange Server, Windows Core Services (Active Directory), Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server.

  • Desired Configuration Management Workshop
  • Learn the concepts behind implementing and maintaining complex system configurations for optimal performance and reduced downtime.
  • Operations Strategic Review for IT Service Management
  • The Operations Strategic Review develops a high-level, 12-18-month roadmap for process improvement in support of IT's business-validated vision, strategy, and project plans. This includes defining immediate actions to address pressing needs and scheduling longer-term continuous improvements. This road map is developed by uncovering significant weak points and identifying corresponding solutions that deliver specific levels of IT service to the business. Operations Strategic Review is delivered as a series of recommended continuous process improvement programs.

  • Proactive Monitoring with Operations Manager
  • Proactive Monitoring with Operations Manager combines the implementation of incident and problem management processes with technical tools and reports to tune Microsoft System Center Operations Manager for your environment. In collaboration with your monitoring and Microsoft solution teams, Proactive Monitoring with Operations Manager from Microsoft helps you create Incident matrices, major problem reviews, and structure for a sustained engineering team.

  • Proactive Monitoring Workshop
  • Learn how to help reduce operational costs with enterprise-tested, server monitoring processes and tools.

  • Roles and Knowledge Management
  • Designed to deliver sustainable improvements in IT operations and the detailed guidance needed to maintain a high quality of service.

  • Service Level Management for Systems Center Operations Manager
  • Service Level Management for Systems Center Operations Manager 2007 is designed to help IT groups evaluate the availability of their enterprisewide IT infrastructure services, and manage by a set of agreed-upon metrics to keep their Microsoft-based server infrastructures running at peak efficiency and availability for all users. With Service Level Management for Systems Center Operations Manager, Microsoft provides hands-on assistance, guiding IT groups on how to apply Microsoft IT, ITIL, and Microsoft Operations Framework best practices, processes, tools, and knowledge to improve service availability.

  • Service Level Management Workshop
  • Understand and learn the concepts behind defining your IT services and measuring their availability to meet the business requirements.

  • Service Management Assessment
  • The Service Management Assessment solution provides a comprehensive approach that:

    • Helps your business identify and qualify service improvement projects that will contribute to business value.
    • Helps your business select, deselect, and prioritize justifiable improvements
    • Provides a documented road map for action with built-in progress checkpoints
    • Provides specific guidance for improvement.
  • IT Service Mapping
  • IT Service Mapping (SMAP) is designed to help IT and business unit groups model IT services end to end for their organization. Service Mapping help customers ensure that all dependencies and cross-functional areas are captured and accountability identified. Specifically, Service Mapping assists with the following:

    • Establish and improve communication and service agreements with IT and the business units
    • Encourage alignment between supporting IT services
    • Understand dependencies and thereby operate as an optimized service
  • Software Update Management
  • The Software Update Management process definition and creation engagement provides your staff with Microsoft best practices and specific recommendations that help improve your software update management process. Accomplished by streamlining your software update management cycle, this process is designed to help your IT team improve business operations and decrease incidents while quickly and efficiently deploying software updates in your company.

Risk and Health Assessment Program

The Microsoft Risk and Health Assessment Program (RAP) can help evaluate, identify , and remediate problem issues in your IT environment to optimize availability, increase stability, and maximize performance for a range of Microsoft products and technologies. All of the RAPs use collective field knowledge and understanding to help maximize the guidance around best practice and proactive behavior.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Active Directory and Microsoft Online Services
  • The Microsoft Risk and Health Assessment Program for Active Directory (ADRAP) solution provides crucial insight into the health of your directory service. Using Microsoft IT tools, skilled Microsoft engineers take a snapshot of your production Active Directory environment. Analysis of performance, configuration, and event data for each domain controller in your forest helps engineers provide clear steps for maximizing the performance of your Active Directory investment.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Cluster Server
  • The Microsoft Risk and Health Assessment Program for Cluster Server (CSRAP) solution assesses your production Cluster Server implementations to ensure productive use. It includes an extensive environment review completed by a highly skilled, accredited field engineer. The onsite engineer will also complete hands-on knowledge transfer with your engineering staff, passing on some of the best real-world knowledge. The solution also includes the Risk Assessment and Diagnostic Tool and a results report that details health, risk, key findings, and recommendations.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Microsoft Exchange Server
  • The Microsoft Risk and Health Assessment Program for Exchange Server (ExRAP) solution is used to assess your production Exchange implementations to ensure productive use. It includes an extensive environment review completed by a highly skilled, accredited field engineer. The onsite engineer will also complete hands-on knowledge transfer with your engineering staff, passing on some of the best real-world knowledge. The solution also includes the Risk Assessment and Diagnostic Tool and a results report that details health, risk, key findings and recommendations.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server
  • The Microsoft Risk and Health Assessment Program for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSSRAP) solution assesses your production Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Windows SharePoint Server implementations to ensure productive use. It includes an extensive environment review completed by a highly skilled, accredited field engineer. The onsite engineer will also complete hands-on knowledge transfer with your engineering staff, passing on some of the best real-world knowledge. The offering also includes the Risk Assessment and Diagnostic Tool and a results report that details health, risk, key findings, and recommendations.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for IT Operations
  • The Risk and Health Assessment Program for IT Operations (OPSRAP) provides critical insight into the health of a customer’s service management processes and functions. Experienced Microsoft consultants work to gather data about current customer practices. The solution uses the best practices of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF), and also focuses on core areas as outlined in the International standards IEC/ISO 20000. During the engagement, customers will gain experience in the practices and standards by working with the consultant.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Microsoft SQL Server
  • The Microsoft Risk and Health Assessment Program for Microsoft SQL Server (SQLRAP) solution assesses your SQL Server production implementations to ensure productive use. It includes an extensive environment review completed by a highly skilled, accredited field engineer. The onsite engineer will also complete hands-on knowledge transfer with your engineering staff, passing on some of the best real-world knowledge. The offering also includes the Risk Assessment and Diagnostic Tool and a results report that details health, risk, key findings, and recommendations.

  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Windows Desktop
  • Risk and Health Assessment Program for Windows Desktop is used to evaluate and remediate issues with PCs. It includes a review, hands-on knowledge transfer, and a report that details health status along with findings and recommendations.

Proactive Education

Build on your IT staff's skills with enhanced training that takes traditional workshops to the next level.

WorkshopPlus

Advanced technical training exclusively available to Premier customers, WorkshopPlus courses are designed to improve your IT staff's ability to proactively avoid problems and to develop crisis-management skills.
Program enhancements over traditional workshops include:

  • Accredited trainers who are Microsoft engineers with specialized technical knowledge.
  • Incoming and outgoing assessments to measure knowledge transfer.
  • Action-planning exercises to apply learning to the workplace.
  • Virtual, hands-on lab exercises modeled after real-world scenarios.

Following is a list of current WorkshopPLUS courses. Please check with your Technical Account Manager if a course is available in your region. Click on the title to see the detailed datasheet.

For more information contact your Microsoft Technical Account Manager or Microsoft Services Sales Office