Houston, Texas – (The Hosting News) – July 30, 2009 – The Planet IT hosting provider, has joined the Microsoft BizSpark Program, where The Planet can provide early-stage startups with free Microsoft software, which otherwise may be unaffordable for certain companies.

As a gold-certified Microsoft partner, The Planet offers the program to qualified companies through its status as an official Network Partner and Hosting Provider. Eligibility requirements, as outlined by Microsoft, are simple and direct. Companies must be actively engaged in the development of a software-based product or service; the company must be privately held and in business for less than three years; and it must generate less than U.S. $1 million in annual revenue.

Urvish Vashi, general manager for The Planet’s Dedicated Servers line of business offered, “Both The Planet and Microsoft are committed to lowering the barrier to entry for small and emerging companies,. As entrepreneurs develop business plans and face the stark reality of start-up costs, they look to save money so they’re able to preserve hard-fought capital for their development resources, particularly in today’s difficult economic environment. Coupled with a hosting solution from The Planet, the BizSpark program offers extraordinary value.”

The BizSpark program provides qualified start-ups with access to vast resources that would otherwise be unavailable to emerging companies:

Software: Companies gain access to full-featured development tools, including Visual Studio Team System, plus production licensing for Windows Server and SQL Server. The only fee is a $100 program offering, payable to Microsoft at the end of participation in the program.

Support: BizSpark provides professional technical support from Microsoft, connecting participants to a global community of business experts who can help guide start-up companies through the hurdles of growing a business.

Visibility: Companies gain global visibility to audiences of potential investors, clients and partners.

The Planet is a leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 20,000 small- and medium-size businesses and 18.5 million Web sites worldwide. Customers have the power to choose from the broadest range of hosting solutions in the industry, from dedicated servers, Managed Dedicated Servers, Northstar Managed Hosting and data center colocation, all backed by 24x7x365 support. With the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class service, backed by state-of-the-art data centers and an enterprise-class network.

To learn more about BizSpark, please visit: www.theplanet.com/BizSpark.

For additional information, please visit: www.theplanet.com.

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