Up until yesterday, Microsoft had two “Spark” programs:
- BizSpark – a program for startup businesses
- DreamSpark – a program for students
Yesterday, Scott Guthrie announced on his blog the new WebsiteSpark program. This program is geared toward independent web developers as well as web development companies. Here is a list of what’s provided with this program:
- 3 licenses of Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
- 1 license of Expression Studio 3 (which includes Expression Blend, Sketchflow, and Web)
- 2 licenses of Expression Web 3
- 4 processor licenses of Windows Web Server 2008 R2
- 4 processor licenses of SQL Server 2008 Web Edition
- DotNetPanel control panel (enabling easy remote/hosted management of your servers)
Like the other Microsoft “Spark” programs, these licenses are available for use for a total of three years without any cost. There is, however, an exit cost of $100 once the three years have elapsed.
The only requirements for joining the program are:
- Your company builds web sites and web application on behalf of others.
- Your company currently has less than 10 employees.
For full details, check out the Scott’s post and the WebsiteSpark site.