So say the posters adorning the Microsoft Redmond campus, announcing the launch of company's latest independent-software-vendor partner initiative.

Microsoft quietly has taken the wraps off its "ISV Buddy Program," that is designed to match up Microsoft employees and software vendor partners.

"It's about putting a face to Microsoft and helping you get timely answers to your questions and requests. Through this 1-on-1 relationship, your Microsoft buddy will be able to guide you to resources and to help you succeed in building solutions on Microsoft platforms," according to information on the program that appears on the Microsoft Web site.

The ultimate goal of the Buddy program is to encourage more software vendor partners to sign up for one of Microsoft's partner programs. For ISVs, these include the Microsoft Empower Program, Microsoft Certified Partner Program, and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Program.

Microsoft is expected to talk up these programs, as well as new partner incentives and initiatives, during its Worldwide Partner Conference, which kicks off in Toronto on Saturday.

Microsoft has been honing its ISV Buddy program for more than six months. Known originally as the "Adopt an ISV" program, the Buddy initiative pairs up Microsoft staffers with partners with similar interests for a term of one year. ISVs can choose among researchers, marketers, testers, evangelists and sales people who work across all of the company's product groups.

As of July 1, Microsoft claimed 800 employees had signed up to participate in the Buddy program. (The internal incentive — a contest with the prize of a 42-inch plasma TV — probably didn't hurt.)

Over the past couple of weeks, Microsoft's been steadily supplementing its collection of ISV-focused resources. In June, the company launched the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) ISV Community Center. Also in June, Microsoft began rolling out some resources for ISVs who are interested in jumping on Redmond's "smart client" bandwagon.

Microsoft officials have said publicly that they realize they've done a lackluster job of explaining and evangelizing what they mean by "smart clients.". Microsoft's publication of a new Smart Client Design is one element of the company's attempt to spell out smart-client vision.

In April, Microsoft invited about 150 of its ISV partners to its Redmond headquarters for two days to hear first-hand its plans to encourage partners to embed more Microsoft technologies into their own products, as well as about its future marketing and evangelism plans. Company officials outlined new Microsoft beta programs, such as its Technology Adoption Program (TAP), as well as the less-exclusive "Ascend" and "Touchdown" beta programs that are for ISVs only.

(This article includes information that originally appeared in the December 4, 2003, and June 24, 2004, issues of the Microsoft Watch newsletter.)

This article was first published on microsoft-watch.com.