Microsoft moves in

Virginia Business
June 2005

Who says customer service is dead? Certainly not Microsoft Corp., which recently invested millions in a state-of-the-art technology center at its office in Reston. “It’s 100 percent dedicated to customers,” says Joe Bennett, director of the facility, the sixth such Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) to be built in the U.S.

The site provides local business customers with a place to learn about and try the latest available development and collaboration tools, server products and software. They also can get help from Microsoft technical personnel in designing system architectures while enjoying the luxury of being able to build prototypes and test them before putting them to work.
Reston MTC technicians will follow up with customers on-site to make sure everything runs correctly.

MacroLink LLC, a systems integrator based in Vienna, recently used the Reston MTC to help it launch a set of custom plug-in products for Microsoft applications used by government clients. As a result, says James B. Justice, the company’s senior vice president, the products time to market “was drastically reduced, resulting in a considerable competitive advantage and potentially millions of dollars.”

The MTC site features a wealth of state-of-the-art resources to help customers. These include the latest hardware and software, including servers. The Reston MTC also will have a public-sector focus, helping clients address compliance with complex legal and regulatory requirements and even supporting them on bids for government contracts.