REDMOND, Wash. - April 28, 1999 - Microsoft Corp. today announced that it is investing $40 million to train more than 150,000 developers, channel and IT professionals worldwide on the Microsoft^® Windows^® 2000 operating system. Through the initiative, customers will get the training necessary to help them gain expertise to plan deployment and development on Microsoft Windows 2000.

This is Microsoft's largest training effort to date to prepare the channel and customers for the release of a product. Companies will benefit from the training investment through a speedier upgrade to Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Server and will get the most out of the technology with internal experts who know how to design and manage the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server network environment effectively. A full range of training offerings will be available through the initiative to address a variety of skill sets, ranging from one-day hands-on deployment to three-day application development training to in-depth Windows 2000 directory services and networking services infrastructure design.

Last year Microsoft announced a similar initiative, investing $20 million in SQL Server™ 7.0 training. To date, the initiative has trained almost 60,000 database administrators (DBAs) worldwide on the product. The investment was well received by customers evaluating Microsoft SQL Server 7.0.

"With the release of beta 3, it's the perfect time for companies to start preparing for Windows 2000," said Nancy Lewis, general manager, worldwide training and certification at Microsoft. "The incredible participation rate and feedback generated from the Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 training initiative showed us that customers are looking to get as much hands-on experience with the product as possible before it becomes an integral part of their business. The $40 million training investment in Windows 2000 will give customers what they are looking for and fuel the industry with an additional 150,000 IT professionals and developers who have received training from the premier training source - Microsoft CTECs."

Windows 2000 training has been available since the release of beta 2. Microsoft estimates that 3,000 Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) are already prepared to deliver the Windows 2000 courseware.

The training initiative is scheduled to begin in the United States in late summer and to include the following courses:

• Accelerated Training for Updating Support Skills and Designing a Directory Services Infrastructure for Microsoft Windows 2000, course 1579 (combination of 1560 and 1561), five days
• Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Networking Services Infrastructure, course 1562, four days
• Designing a Change and Configuration Management Infrastructure for Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, course 1563, three days
• Installing and Configuring Microsoft Windows 2000 as a File and Print Server, course 1594, one day
• Deploying Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, course 1567, one day