Microsoft Corp has set up a new programme for independent software vendors who develop and sell industry-specific client-server offerings using Microsoft network products. The programme participants will build client-server products using Microsoft LAN Manager or a run-time version of SQL Server, and then resell this to target industries. Initially, five vertical industries are to be addressed, and they are health care, personnel, broadcasting, legal consulting and newspaper publishing. The first specialists are Madison, Wisconsin-based Dynatech NewStar Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co’s Cardiology Business Unit in McMinnville, Oregon, PeopleSoft Inc of Walnut Creek, California, System Integrators Inc, headquartered in Sacramento, California and The Windows Support Group Inc of New York. Dynatech NewStar provides newsroom computer systems for US television and radio stations, and it has developed a LAN Manager-based application that provides journalists with access to wire services, remote communications, on-air production tools, and control of broadcast machines. Hewlett-Packard Cardiology Business Unit has created the HP TraceMaster electrocardiogram management system based on SQL Server. PeopleSoft develops and markets PS-HRMSTM, a payroll and personnel program for distributed computing environments. It is based on a client-server architecture and has support for multiple relational database systems, mainframes, micros and Microsoft Windows 3.0. The Windows Support Group Inc is a consulting and software development company specialising in the development of client-server applications for large corporations. The company has introduced three products based on Windows and SQL Server. TimeKeeper Windows is a time and expense management system; The Corporate Calendar is a shared diary for large workgroups, and Purchasing Windows is a toolset for large purchasing departments. To qualify for the Industry Specialist programme, software vendors must have completed the development of such an application, anticipate shipping enough copies of the application to meet minimum quantity specifications and must be able to support the product in the field. Participants in the programme can acquire run-time software directly from Microsoft and relicense it, and they will be eligible for special pricing on it. Also, they will receive six months of unlimited priority support on all Microsoft networking products, Microsoft system engineer training, use of the Microsoft Industry Specialist logo in brochures and advertising and free SQL Server or LAN Manager unlimited-user servers for internal use.
