Microsoft offers free software to web startups

Microsoft is giving away free software to early-stage Web start-up companies as part of a worldwide program called BizSpark.

BizSpark aims to help startups get off the ground by providing production licenses and technical support for several Microsoft products. The licenses are free for the first three years, after which the startups must start to pay.

As well as helping startups, the program gives Microsoft a way to promote the use of its software at a time when open-source alternatives have matured, and as rivals such as Google and Salesforce.com are promoting their cloud platforms for building Web applications.

Other products covered by the program include Office SharePoint Portal Server, BizTalk Server and Systems Center, with Dynamics CRM to be added soon. Startups also get a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network and a Community Technology Preview of Microsoft's Azure cloud software announced last week.

To qualify for BizSpark, companies have to be privately held, less than three years old, have annual revenue of less than $1 million, and be developing an online service or hosted application.

They also have to be nominated by one of the partners Microsoft is signing up for the program, which include investment companies, university incubators and economic development agencies, said Dan'l Lewin, Microsoft's vice president for Strategic and Emerging Business Development.