Editor's Note: This is the first in an series of articles that examines Microsoft's strategy of gaining market share and driving new solutions to market through its partner base.

BOSTON—As Microsoft starts providing software solutions in new areas, like the High Performance Computing and security space - it is once again turning to partners to help it gain traction and market share in those markets.

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While the Redmond, Wash., software maker pays tribute to its loyal existing partners, who generate more than 90 percent of is revenue, at its annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Boston from July 11 through July 14, the company is also trying to woo a new set of partners to help leverage new markets.

One of the ways the software giant does this is by inviting successful non-Microsoft partners to an all-day event known as the Partnering Executive Summit—held on July 10 this year—prior to the start of its main partner conference.

The summit is designed to show what is involved in being a Microsoft partner, as well as how they would navigate through the company.

But no Microsoft event would be complete without the company giving its take on the competitive landscape and how its solutions—new and old—are positioned to compete with the current platforms.

Potential partners are also invited to stay for the main partner show, attend sessions and talk to existing partners.

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"We want them to see what Microsoft is all about, and allowing them to attend the conference and talk to our existing partners helps them understand how the company approaches partnering. Some 600 people from 320 organizations will attend this day-long event this year," Don Nelson, Microsoft's general manager of managed partners, told eWEEK in an interview.

Read the rest of this eWEEK story: "Microsoft Pulls Out All the Stops to Get New Partners"