Microsoft Announces Ross-Tek as the new Small Business Specialist in Cleveland, Ohio.

(ContentDesk) September 27, 2005 -- The Microsoft Corporation announced that Ross-Tek has become a Small Business Specialist in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio area. To attain this new designation, Ross-Tek, a Microsoft Certified Partner has demonstrated expertise in planning and building solutions for small businesses. As part of the Small Business Specialist Community, Ross-Tek 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. Ross-Tek has also gained competencies for Networking Infrastructure and Information Worker.

"Small businesses are looking for partner companies that understand their unique business needs," said Steve Guggenheimer, vice president of small business for the Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partner Group at Microsoft. "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 Cleveland area small businesses to identify local partners that are best able to address their specific needs. We are confident this offering will help Ross-Tek reach its full potential by creating more visibility, opportunity and demand in the local small-business segment." "Ross-Tek is extremely pleased with our status as a new Small Business Specialist," said Frederick Johnson, President and CIO at Ross-Tek. "This special designation allows us to effectively promote our firm to customers as having proven expertise in delivering high-value, strategic solutions for small businesses. For Cleveland area customers, the Small Business Specialist status provides Ross-Tek with early line of sight to new products, services and programs from Microsoft, which can extend the value we bring to our client relationships." As one of the requirements for attaining Small Business Specialist status, Ross-Tek had to pass Microsoft's Small Business Sales and Marketing Skills Assessment, 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™. About Microsoft: Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. About Ross-Tek:Started in 1997, Ross-Tek is a nationally recognized technology consulting firm providing Microsoft based small business solutions and services for small to mid-sized businesses. As a Microsoft Certified Partner and a leading expert of Windows Small Business Server, Ross-Tek is recognized as a trusted advisor for hundreds of small businesses. Ross-Tek is a certified minority-owned business and is a current member of the SBA 8(a) program.