Microsoft, CompUSA To Pass Opportunities To Small-Biz Partners

CompUSA will now refer clients that need additional services or support outside its expertise to the 3,750 Microsoft SBSC partners in the United States. The SBSC partners must first register as a CompUSA TechPro Business Provider.

Microsoft SBSC partners will complement CompUSA's current TechPro Business Providers program, according to a CompUSA spokeswoman. Specific arrangements will depend on the local market and the specific opportunity but could include installing NAS, VPN or other IT solutions, she said.

CompUSA and MIcrosoft could not estimate the potential revenue opportunity for SBSC partners but said the services leads would be generated through CompUSA's remaining 103 stores in 39 states, as well as online and telemarketing sales from CompUSA, according to a Microsoft spokeswoman.

The computer product retailer recently announced it was closing 126 stores in the next 45 to 60 days. Those stores will not be part of the program, the CompUSA spokeswoman said.

Gregory Geodakyan, managing partner at SoftNet Technology, an Iselin, N.J.-based solution provider, has partnered with CompUSA on services for about six years. He said the formalization of a partner program will benefit all involved.

"It's about time. This is a good market. Until this point, it's been up to us to shake the business out of their business services guys for the leads. Now with the formalization of the program and with Microsoft throwing some might behind it, it will raise the profile of the program," Geodakyan said.

In the past, a typical opportunity with CompUSA might have involved resolving a server or an application issue for a current customer or helping a new customer set up an office, he said.

Some of the CompUSA locations that SoftNet counts as partners are closing, but Geodakyan said he expects the relationship to continue unabated.

"They're still leaving the business groups pretty much intact. We may even do some joint office situations with them," he said.

The retail deal is the first of its kind for Microsoft's SBSC partners, but the Redmond, Wash., software giant is looking at other partnerships, too, the Microsoft spokeswoman said.

"Microsoft has been actively seeking out opportunities in the retail channel to further enhance our SMB customers. More than 60 percent of technology purchases from small business is through the retail channel. It's a good area to work with to get more attention and more effective use from our Small Business Specialist community," she said.

CompUSA tested the program with a number of Microsoft Small Business Specialists, according to the CompUSA spokeswoman. The SBSC partners will be identified as such to the end user, she said.

CompUSA plans to market the program in the store and through external advertising, the spokeswoman added.

It isn't the first time that CompUSA has teamed with a developer. Last June, the retailer announced a deal to push NetSuite's hosted ERP service into small businesses.