Microsoft Virtual Academy Competition
The Microsoft Virtual Academy offers free, easy-access training on a wide range of Microsoft technologies. It enables you to up skill on the latest cloud technologies.
Sign up by 31st March 2012 to go in the draw to win 1 of 3 Microsoft Arc Touch Mice, 1 of 2 Microsoft Arc Keyboards, or a Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Keyboard!
You may have heard of the Microsoft Virtual Academy, but do you really know what it is? It is a “cloud-based learning portal”, but what we really mean is that it makes learning new technologies easy. Just pick a track that you care about – there are 21 so far, covering a wide range of topics: Azure, SQL Azure, Security, Virtualisation, Private Cloud, System Center, High-Availability Solutions, Office 365, Visual Studio Lightswitch – all have courses dedicated to them.
Depending on how familiar you are with a topic, you can select the courses which are most suited to your level of expertise. Let’s say you want training around Microsoft’s Private Cloud offering. If you’ve never looked into it, maybe start with how the private cloud can help your business. If you already have some background knowledge, jump to infrastructure management. When you’re comfortable with that, maybe move on to application services management.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to choose individual courses, you can do the entire Private Cloud specialisation, an end-to-end training solution that covers all the private cloud courses. So it doesn’t matter how advanced (or unadvanced!) your knowledge is, the Microsoft Virtual Academy is the right place to get free online training.
So what are you waiting for?
Microsoft Virtual Academy Competition - Terms and Conditions:
Eligibility
1. By entering this competition you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
2. To be eligible for the competition, you must be a New Zealand Resident using a New Zealand WindowsLiveID.
How to enter
3. To enter you must sign up to the Microsoft Virtual Academy with a New Zealand WindowsLiveID, between 13 February 2012 and 31st March 2012.
4. Each and every valid Microsoft Virtual Academy registrant will go in the draw to win 1 of 3 Microsoft Arc Touch Mice, 1 of 2 Microsoft Arc Keyboards, and 1 Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Keyboard.
5. Prizes will be awarded in the following order. You can only receive one prize. Each entrant who receives a prize is ineligible to receive an additional prize in a later prize award category.
(a) The winner of the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Keyboard will be awarded first;
(b) The 2 winners of Microsoft Arc Keyboards will be awarded second; and
(c) The 3 winners of Microsoft Arc Touch Mice will be awarded last.
General
6. Prizes will be allocated by the 31st of June 2012, and winners will be notified by the 20th of July 2012, via the email address provided when the registrant signed up to the Microsoft Virtual Academy, as specified in clause 3.
7. Microsoft is not responsible for entries not received and incomplete, illegible, 'hacked' or otherwise fraudulent entries are not valid.
8. Prizes will be delivered to the New Zealand address the winner nominates, at Microsoft's expense.
9. It is a condition of accepting any prize that the prize winner agrees to participant in publicity generated by Microsoft (or Microsoft’s marketing partners), and agrees to the use of their name for promotional purposes.
10. Employees of Microsoft (and each of their immediate family members) and independent contractors of Microsoft (and each of their immediate family members) are not eligible to enter.
10. Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash. If you are unable or unwilling to accept your prize, Microsoft may award it to an alternate winner.
12. If you accept a prize you will be solely responsible for all applicable taxes related to accepting the prize.
13. If for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, Microsoft may substitute the advertised prize for another prize which has approximately the same recommended retail price.
14. If there is a dispute as to who submitted the winning entry, the winner will be the authorized account holder of the email address used to register for the Microsoft Virtual Academy.
15. Microsoft New Zealand Limited is the promoter of this prize draw and may modify these terms and conditions without notice.
16. Microsoft reserves the right to cancel, suspend or change the competition or any element of the competition for any reason, including any cancellation, suspension or change necessitated by any event outside Microsoft’s control.
17. The judge's decision in relation to the winners or any other aspect of this prize draw is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
18. Microsoft may disqualify, from participating in this prize draw, any person who tampers with the entry process, or submits an entry not in accordance with these terms and conditions.
19. Microsoft is committed to complying with the Government gift and ethics policies. Employees and independent contractors of the Government must adhere to gift and ethics policies applicable to them when entering this prize draw or accepting any prize.
20. Microsoft is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, servers or providers, or any combination thereof. Nor is it responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilised in this prize draw, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the course of the administration of this prize draw.
21. To the extent permitted by law, Microsoft, its retailers, suppliers, associated companies and agencies will not be liable to you for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever, including personal injury, which is suffered as a result of, or arising from, your participation in the prize draw or winning (or not winning) any prize.
22. At Microsoft, we are committed to protecting your privacy. Microsoft will collect and use your details for the purposes of running this prize draw and to send you promotional material that may be of interest to you, as set out in clause 23 below. You can access or request correction of your details by emailing uptodate@microsoft.com.
23. By entering this competition, you consent to Microsoft New Zealand Limited sending you marketing and promotional material by email or using any of your other contact details Microsoft may have.
24. Microsoft reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to withhold the award of any or all prizes if entries do not meet the criteria set out in these terms and conditions.