Dave Sobel, was presented with Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for his work with virtualization technology. The Microsoft MVP Award is an annual honor that recognizes technology leaders worldwide who actively share their high quality, real-world expertise with Microsoft and its users.

Core News Facts:
•Microsoft has been recognizing IT leaders with the MVP Award since the early 1990s.

•Microsoft often gives MVPs early access to products, and typically solicits feedback and recommendations about product design, development and support.

•To receive MVP Award status, individuals are nominated by technical community members, current MVPs and Microsoft personnel. A panel that includes MVP team members and product group teams evaluates each nominee's technical expertise and voluntary community contributions in the past year and considers the quality, quantity and level of impact of the MVP nominee's contributions. Active MVPs receive the same level of scrutiny as other candidates each year.

Quotes:
Ryan Bolz, Senior MVP Lead, Community and Online Support, Microsoft, stated “Dave Sobel’s contributions to the IT community represent exactly what Microsoft seeks to recognize with the MVP Award. Sobel donates his wealth of knowledge in his regular blogs and opinion pieces, sharing new and innovative ideas across the enterprise. Microsoft is happy to recognize him as an MVP and welcomes his product feedback.”

Sobel commented “Microsoft’s MVPs are a world-renowned community of experts who regularly contribute great work and insight within their spheres. To be a part of this group and recognized by Microsoft for my work within the IT community is a great accomplishment.”

About the Microsoft MVP Award Program
Microsoft began the MVP Awards as a way to recognize members of the general public who devoted their time and technical expertise to helping users in various online technical forums. Over time, the program evolved, and awards are given to members of technical communities worldwide for their contributions to communities including third-party Web sites, user groups, blogs and wikis.

More information about the MVP Award and the 2009 MVPs can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/mvp or http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram/.

More information on Microsoft technical communities can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/communities.