The new publication directly serves the Microsoft channel, and will include editorial content that is 100 percent focused on the strategic needs of this valuable group. Redmond Channel Partner is a sister publication to Redmond magazine, which focuses on the strategic and practical needs of Microsoft IT professionals. This family of magazines now addresses all aspects of the Microsoft sales continuum, from product inception, to marketing and sales, and ultimately to the product’s successful management and use.

Redmond Channel Partner will target various types of Microsoft solution providers, including Value-Added Resellers, Value-Added Partners, Large Account Resellers, Systems Integrators, Value-Added Distributors, Microsoft Certified Partners and Microsoft Gold Partners serving all Microsoft-defined competencies.

The magazine will launch in July as a bi-monthly, with additional 2005 editions coming out in September and November. Plans call for the magazine to follow a monthly frequency in 2006.

Redmond Channel Partner is led by an exceptional team of IT and Microsoft publishing professionals. Founding Redmond Channel Partner Publisher Henry Allain re-launched Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine last October as Redmond magazine. Under Allain’s leadership, Redmond outgrew all other titles in the developer/technical category, according to MINS B2B Report. In 2004, Redmond ad pages increased more than 23 percent over the previous year, the highest growth by far of the 20 publications in the Developers/Technical print magazine category.

Redmond Channel Partner editorial is led by Doug Barney, who serves as editorial director. Barney has been a technology journalist for more than 20 years, serving as a writer, news editor and editor in chief for several publications. He was the founding editor in chief of Redmond magazine, and was recently editor in chief of Network Computing. Barney also served as executive editor of news for Network World newspaper for six years, where he ran both print and online news operations.

“I started my career two decades ago covering the channel during the birth of the PC market. Today the channel is more exciting than ever, with new applications that offer competitive advantage, new ways of driving IT efficiency, and of course the need to build systems that are secure against the growing onslaught of viruses, spam and hacker intrusions. The channel is key to building the IT infrastructures of the future,” noted Barney.

Joining Barney as editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner is Paul Desmond, who has been working as an IT trade press reporter and editor since 1988. Desmond spent 11 years at Network World, including three years as news editor and four years as features editor. Desmond’s tenure as features editor, which included responsibility for product reviews and opinion pages, coincided with Barney’s stint heading up the Network World news organization, giving the two primary day-to-day responsibility for the publication’s content. In 2004, the pair once again joined forces when Desmond became the founding editor of Redmond magazine. Prior to that he served more than two years as executive editor of Microsoft Executive Circle magazine, a quarterly publication sponsored by Microsoft.

“Our editorial goal is a simple one that is reflected in our tagline: Driving Success in the Microsoft Partner Community. We intend to help Microsoft channel partners succeed and grow their businesses,” Desmond said. “We’ll accomplish that by offering insights into everything from sales strategies to working with Microsoft and understanding its product plans. We’ll act as a voice for channel partners in talking to Microsoft while also reporting on Microsoft strategy, to help the partner community make the most of what Microsoft has to offer.”

Redmond Channel Partner will launch with 25,000 carefully selected, highly qualified readers, all of whom sell large volumes of Microsoft and third-party software and hardware.

The channel is critical to Microsoft’s ultimate success, as 96 percent of company revenue comes from the channel. Channel partners are also a huge influence on purchase decisions. According to Microsoft, customers go with partner product recommendations in more than 80 percent of sales transactions. Microsoft realizes the value of the channel, and company CEO Steve Ballmer created a new compensation system where executives are held accountable for partner satisfaction.

Redmond Channel Partner magazine has a unique value proposition, and will deliver the Microsoft reseller and partner audience demographics far more efficiently than any other magazine, said Publisher Henry Allain. “The Microsoft community, both vendors and partners, has been screaming for a focused channel magazine like Redmond Channel Partner. We will deliver the very best Microsoft channel coverage and content while building the Redmond brand. Vendors have told us again and again how difficult it is to penetrate this community and communicate the value of their products. We solve this problem by acting as a direct conduit between the vendor and the channel. The market badly needs this publication,” explained Allain.

About Redmond magazine

Originally founded in 1995 as Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine, the magazine was re-launched as Redmond in October 2004 to reflect an evolution and increasing level of responsibility among the readership. Redmond provides cutting-edge product, business and how-to information to network professionals, IT managers and IT directors focusing on the Microsoft Windows platform. For more information, visit http://redmondmag.com.

About 101communications LLC

Founded in 1998, 101communications is an integrated media company aimed at specialized targets within the information technology community. Reaching more than 1.5 million IT professionals around the world, the current portfolio includes nine magazines, more than 30 conferences and extensive digital offerings. For more information about 101communications, visit www.101com.com.



Contacts:

Publisher Henry Allain: 949-265-1556



Editor in Chief Paul Desmond: 508-875-6644 ext. 30