Network World — If there is a silver lining to the frustration caused by Microsoft's new Ribbon menus, it is this: the company has created a program geared to end user training of Office 2007 and Windows 7 comprised of more than a dozen (mostly) free tools. Microsoft (MSFT) calls this program "Cultural Adoption of Software in the Enterprise" or CASE (as in, "making the CASE" for new software, or maybe "get off my CASE" -- I'll leave that interpretation up to you.)

[ For complete coverage on Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system -- including hands-on reviews, video tutorials and advice on enterprise rollouts-- see CIO.com's Windows 7 Bible. ]

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The program was developed by Redmond's global sales team, though you don't have to be a global enterprise to get most of these tools. A Softie friend of mine, a salesperson for Microsoft, filled me in on the details. Essentially CASE is a collection of training items such as step-by-step videos, instructional pamphlets and ready-made SharePoint sites, training presentations and more. There are also a few fee-based items, but most of these are available as a Software Assurance benefit, for those who  have an SA contract.

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I joke about the pain of the Ribbon menus (and several training tools are dedicated to it), but the truth is, after rolling out new PCs or software, IT professionals naturally want to see a great return on that investment. That doesn't always happen quickly. A lag in productivity occurs while users figure out how to use the new software even when IT provides training. This is unavoidable. People have different ways of learning (audio, visual, tactile) and different speeds at which they assimilate information (immediately, with some practice, with much repetition).

Traditional classroom training also puts IT at risk for the increased expense of more help desk calls. To add insult to injury, after rollout, IT often spends time fielding requests for features and functionality that already exist.

By offering users a wider variety of training types and beginning the "training process" before you even roll out the software, you can limit this lag time and reduce help desk expenses.

Below are a list of the training freebies that Microsoft is giving away. It includes the links where you can access the item directly, if it is available on one of Microsoft's public Web site.

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