In particular, he was very articulate on issues ranging from open source and Linux to driving partner velocity, which will open opportunities for partners to take on new business or gain market share over competitors.

'Too much of the dialogue around Linux and OSS has been religious, when business should really be focusing on cost benefit. I am beyond being convinced, and will take on any argument that Linux at client level is not viable, and a number of technology announcements in the coming months will see Microsoft making headway in Linux-dominated areas, such as Web hosting and high-performance cluster computing,' Ballmer said.