Microsoft and Blackstone The Infrastructure Services group at Blackstone specializes in Microsoft technologies as a Gold-certified Solutions Partner. The group provides solutions to clients within the framework of the Blackstone Microsoft Maturity Model, or BM3. This model is based on Microsoft’s Infrastructure Optimization Model and provides a framework to evaluate how advanced an organization is in capitalizing on their Microsoft technology investments. The central tenet of the model holds that organizations that are savvy about understanding, applying and committing to Microsoft’s technology platform can greatly reduce their IT budget spent on technology licenses, integration, training and vendor management. Developing this maturity transforms IT organizations to focus more on building and supporting business value and strategy and less on technology execution. BM3 identifies four levels of maturity for an organization. These levels are applied in three main categories of Microsoft product families that are grouped by the services provided by IT:
	Core - Products focused on critical infrastructure services. These products are not business-facing and focus exclusively on the quality of services provided by IT. Technologies include Active Directory, Exchange, and SQL Server. Application Platform - Key products for creating shared business solutions and applications. These products are the platform for delivering custom-tailored business applications to IT’s client organizations. Technologies include Dynamics CRM, Office SharePoint Server, BizTalk and Visual Studio. Business Productivity - Products focused on improving the effectiveness of individual users. Productivity products focus on improving the day-to-day efficiency of users. Technologies include Office, SQL Reporting and Analysis Services, PerformancePoint, and Live Communications Server.
	Blackstone’s Microsoft solutions are designed to address immediate needs for clients at each stage of maturity within each category. Blackstone consultants will also develop for clients a project strategy and roadmap that combines these offerings with our Integration Services and BPMO offerings to create a single, unified plan for reaching their target stage of maturity and its resulting benefits.
	To find out more about our Infrastructure practice, contact us at: microsoft@bstonetech.com