In July 2007, TiGra's founder Tim Long received Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional award for technical excellence and community participation. The MVP award lasts for one year and we're very proud to announce that Tim has been re-awarded for 2008/9, demonstrating a continued commitment to technical excellence and community involvement. Tim's competency is Windows Server System - Small Business Server, there are currently about 55 such awardees worldwide, only 2 in the UK and TiGra Networks has the only one in Wales, so this is indeed a special honour bestowed by Microsoft.
2008 will be an exciting time for SBS MVPs with a new version of Small Business Server 2008 and the introduction of a new product called Windows Essential Business Server 2008, both slated for public availability in the November 2008 timeframe. One of the roles of an MVP is to help Microsoft improve its products and TiGra Networks is actively involved in the pre-release beta testing for Small Business Server 2008.
The term MVP is less familiar in the UK than in the USA, where it is traditionally used in popular sports such as baseball, American football, hockey and basketball. A player will be nominated MVP, meaning Most Valuable Player, either for one specific game or for an entire season or major event such as the Superbowl. The term MVP is, therefore, fairly well established in American culture and Microsoft has borrowed from its popularity for its own way of recognising leaders in the technical community.
According to Microsoft: The Microsoft MVP Award recognizes exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who voluntarily share their high quality, real world expertise with others. Microsoft MVPs are a highly select group of experts representing technology's best and brightest who share a deep commitment to community and a willingness to help others. Worldwide, there are over 100 million participants in technical communities; of these participants, there are fewer than 4,000 active Microsoft MVPs.
Long is one of only 2 MVPs in the UK who specialise in small business information technology and computing, and the only such MVP in Wales. This award demonstrates TiGra Networks' passion for technology and their engagement with the community in Wales, the UK and worldwide.
Long said: I'm very proud that Microsoft has bestowed this award on me again, especially as the number of SBS-MVPs in the UK has dwindled from 4 last year to two this year.Technology has always been my passion and it's nice to be recognised for doing something you enjoy. Having lived in California's high-tech Silicon Valley for several years, it became clear to me that UK businesses could be making much better use of computers. Many businesses suffer from a failure of imagination when it comes to IT. They use computers as glorified typewriters and fail to comprehend the huge benefits that a properly planned and orchestrated IT system can bring to their business - even the smallest business can benefit. Some regions of South Wales are particularly poor in their understanding and use of technology. My mission as founder of TiGra Networks is to work with business owners to help them understand the possibilities, to embrace IT as a cornerstone of their daily business life, but without them needing to worry too much about the technical details. Our whole philosophy is to make technology as simple and trouble-free as possible, so the business gets all the benefits of productivity and profitability without having to become IT experts themselves.