| Matchmaker is a new program designed to facilitate partnerships between Microsoft Certified Partners for Learning Solutions and the Microsoft reseller community. It is designed to facilitate customer access to the following tools in a way that is universally beneficial to Learning Solutions partners, Microsoft resellers, and the customer: Software Assurance benefits activation Learning Solutions Partners can join forces with Microsoft resellers in order to help customers realize their full Software Assurance benefits. Organizational Assessment Both Learning Solutions partners and Microsoft benefit from assessment by helping customers define and prioritize training and technology needs, minimize deployment risks, and realize the full potential of their employees. FACT: Customers do not deploy their software solutions in a timely manner. Deployment is currently an afterthought to the software acquisition process. Many purchase decision makers just assume their organization will simply use what they buy. Opportunity Skills assessment, training, and reseller services are not currently integrated into many sales engagements. Learning Solutions partners benefit by working with Microsoft resellers to promote a comprehensive solution that can be offered to customers more efficiently. Value to customers Realize value of software investment Faster software deployments and migrations Improved business productivity Training solutions aligned to business needs Reduced support costs Value to resellers Software Assurance activation Secure renewals Open up/identify new opportunities within accounts Additional source of revenue Build customer loyalty and satisfaction Value to Learning Solutions Partners Show value in key accounts and participate earlier in sales cycle Activate Software Assurance training benefits and demonstrate training value Drive business value through learning initiative