TechNet subscriptions now offer more content and greater customization for international markets.

TechNet: Plenty of CDs, Plenty of Value

TechNet subscriptions now offer more content and greater customization for international markets.

• By Mona Bonaci
• 03/01/2000

If it’s been a while since you’ve checked into TechNet CD subscriptions, now would be a great time to do so. Just a few years ago, a subscription delivered only one or two CDs per month. Today, subscribers receive more than 60 CDs with their 12-month TechNet or TechNet Plus subscriptions. Both subscriptions now include Seminar Online CDs, along with the complete Microsoft KnowledgeBase, all the Microsoft Resource Kits, service packs, utilities, case studies, white papers, evaluation guides, and more.

In addition, TechNet Plus ships select beta releases for those who wish to evaluate and test new software as soon as possible. And TechNet international subscriptions are now more customized to meet the needs of specific markets. Eligible customers in the U.S. and Canada may request 128-bit encryption software, when available, in addition to the standard 40-bit versions. Subscribers outside the U.S. and Canada receive additional technical information, service packs, and utilities for products localized for their specific region.

The subscriptions deliver great convenience, powerful searches, and enhanced productivity. And subscribers realize this. For example, Melanie L. Owen, an MCSE and network engineer at Albuquerque’s Presbyterian Healthcare Services, uses her TechNet subscription almost daily to look up errors, install service packs, and optimize Windows NT and Windows 9x workstations. Jim Roscovius, network administrator at Gateway Computer, finds the CDs a “top-notch” way to access content when he’s working at home. And Tom Sandberg, an MCSE and MCSD at Toyota Corp., finds that the Seminar Online CDs eliminate the problems he experienced accessing the seminars from the Web through a firewall and proxy server.

In addition, subscribers have told us the subscription costs are reasonable and among the most beneficial IT investments they’ve made. A TechNet Single-User license subscription is $299; a TechNet Plus Single-User license is $449. Or if you’d rather, you can always access the free TechNet Web site (www.Microsoft.com/technet), which includes 95 percent of the content delivered with a standard TechNet CD subscription. The Web site also provides MCPs with an opportunity to interact with peers and share technical tips and tricks through discussion groups and technical online chats.

Microsoft recently made several changes to the MCP benefits package to support our ongoing relationship with you. Those changes include an expansion of the free, online resources available through the secured MCP Web site, the addition of products and services from selected companies, and a 50 percent discount off a 12-month Single-User license TechNet or TechNet Plus CD subscription for newly certified MCSEs and MCDBAs. We think that TechNet CD subscriptions are a great deal, and we’re continually improving them. Look for a new, improved search engine to debut this spring and a new DVD subscription to reduce the number of CDs you need to juggle.

Interested? It’s easy to subscribe. Visit us online at www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/subscriptions/Default.asp.