ORLANDO — Microsoft is out to convince software vendors that they should join 'em, rather than try to beat 'em.

Microsoft has kicked off at the start of March a road show designed, ultimately, to get independent software vendors (ISVs) to build into their future products so they embed some or all of Microsoft's underlying software stack. Microsoft is providing attendees with a two-day strategy and product roadmap, emphasizing the Microsoft Business Solutions' small- and mid-size business products.

In April, Microsoft is planning to launch a number of new programs targeted specifically at ISVs. Among these programs is a new initiative called "Empower," which is aimed at bringing new Microsoft ISV partners into the fold.

Microsoft executives detailed some of the company's ISV program plans this week at Convergence, the Microsoft Business Solutions customer and partner conference in Orlando.

"A lot of ISVs are looking at all the Microsoft acquisitions and are worried about Microsoft buying 500 companies and totally taking away their space," acknowledged Mitch Ruud, product planning manager for Microsoft Business Framework.

The ISV road show is an attempt to alleviate these concerns, and also to engage with partners earlier to get their feedback on future Microsoft software products and plans, company officials said.

Microsoft is committing to support ISVs with whom the company partners, even if they compete at some level, said Doug Burgum, president of Microsoft Business Solutions.

Microsoft is offering ISVs different "opportunities," based on how much of Microsoft's software stack they are willing to embed.

At the lowest level, Microsoft is reaching out to ISVs who simply want their products to run on top of Windows. At the next level, Microsoft is looking for platform ISVs who will build their software to make use of the functionality that is built into Windows, the .Net Framework and SQL Server. At the following level, Microsoft is seeking out ISVs who will commit to all of the base software, plus agree to embed the Microsoft Business Framework into their wares. (MBF is a set of class libraries and tools that build on top of the .Net Framework.)

At the most engaged level, Microsoft is looking for ISVs who are interested in embedding all of the aforementioned components, plus actual Microsoft applications, such as MS CRM, software, into their third-party software offerings.

"We are looking at this as a source of revenue," said Don Nelson, head of channel operations for Microsoft's newly combined Microsoft Business Solutions and Solution Provider channel operations. "We will have embedded opportunities with CRM and other future products."

Microsoft already offers several ISV partner programs already, including, at the highest level, Microsoft Certified and Gold Certified Partnerships. Empower falls somewhere in the middle of the ISV partner scale, in terms of required commitments and cost, say sources.

For a $750 enrollment fee — plus an agreement to launch a product on one of Microsoft's platforms within 12 months — Empower participants will get MSDN Universal subscriptions; internal software-use licenses for a handful of Microsoft's most popular products (Windows, Office, Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint Portal Server); and newsgroup support, according to Microsoft's documentation.

"The Microsoft Empower Program for ISVs is intended as a training ground for future Microsoft Certified Partners and is therefore not available to existing Microsoft Certified Partners or Microsoft Gold Certified Partners," reads the fine print. "Membership is for twelve months and cannot be renewed."

Microsoft officials declined to offer further specifics on Empower.