Microsoft Commits Multibillion-Dollar Partner Investments

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July 13, 2011
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Microsoft Commits Multibillion-Dollar Partner Investments

Private and public cloud incentives, competencies and benefits align to customer projects.

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. today unveiled updates to the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN), to better help partners grow their businesses and meet evolving technology needs of customers around the globe through tools, training and incentives totaling $5.8 billion for fiscal year 2012.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"Winning together with our partners today, and long into the future, means delivering incredible world-class technologies to meet customer needs, as well as the right partner incentives, tools and training, which will ultimately drive business growth for them," said Jon Roskill, corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft, speaking before more than 15,000 attendees from around the globe at the company's Worldwide Partner Conference. "We are bringing our partners to the cloud with us -- they can use the tools and skills they have now to take their clients to the cloud."

Roskill announced new or extended solutions and online service incentives that are available and aligned to key priorities such as customer projects, accelerated growth of public and private cloud adoption, and tools demonstrating a broad commitment to partners' success. Partners are encouraged to engage through the Microsoft Partner Network to benefit from the incentives.

Align Partner Competencies to Customer Projects

    --  The newly separated Messaging competency and Communications competency
        help differentiate companies with the explicit skill set and depth of
        experience to provide a holistic unified communications solution that
        includes voice and video. The competency split also will enhance
        recognition for partners' investments in advanced capabilities with
        Exchange, Lync and Microsoft Office 365.
    --  The merger of the Systems Management and Virtualization competencies in
        May 2012 will strengthen partners' ability to help customers realize the
        benefits of cloud computing on their terms with Microsoft private cloud
        solutions. Partners can prepare now by attaining the current
        competencies for System Center management and Windows Server Hyper-V
        virtualization.

Incentives to Accelerate Cloud Adoption

    --  New Software Assurance Planning Services will be available in August,
        paying qualified partners to deliver deployment services to Microsoft
        Software Assurance customers for Microsoft private cloud, Windows Azure
        public cloud, SQL Server and software development. These opportunities
        will help partners grow their client base, strengthen customer
        relationships and increase service revenues.
    --  Windows Azure Incentives reward qualified partners in the Windows Azure
        Circle program that influence customer adoption of Microsoft's public
        cloud platform. As a result, partners can build new, sustainable revenue
        streams by helping customers benefit from the public cloud.
    --  Private Cloud Incentives. The Management and Virtualization Solution
        Incentive Program will reward qualified Gold Certified partners that
        influence sales of Microsoft private cloud technologies. This
        complements the Hyper-V Cloud Accelerate program that will fund partner
        and customer private cloud assessments, proofs of concept, and
        production deployments.
    --  The SQL Server Solution Incentive Program delivers rewards to Gold
        Certified partners that drive application platform and business
        intelligence solutions to customers, particularly with the upcoming
        cloud-ready information platform, SQL Server "Denali."
    --  Monetary incentives and license mobility available through Microsoft
        Software Assurance for Microsoft Hyper-V, System Center and SQL Server
        will help hosting solution providers grow their businesses by enabling
        customers to deploy their Server Application licenses with Software
        Assurance on-premises or in the cloud within hosting partners' shared
        hardware environments.
    --  Microsoft is investing in scaled business model transformation
        approaches for high-potential partners (from in-person coaching to
        online self-serve), which will help business decision-makers within
        partner organizations build specific plans, analyze the change
        implications of integrating cloud (e.g., profit and loss shifts,
        staffing needs, etc.), and define commitments and a timeframe to execute
        the shift.
    --  To continue spurring the growth of Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft is
        offering eligible partners an increased Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software
        Advisor Program (CSA) compensation of 40 percent on new subscription
        sales of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online as part of the existing CSA.

Enhanced Partner Tools and Benefits

    --  Expanded Internal Use Rights will offer increased Lync and Windows
        Intune licenses for partners. The number of licenses allotted to Cloud
        Accelerate partners will grow to 100 from 2 and those to Cloud
        Essentials partners will grow to 25 from 10. New partner toolkits and
        opportunity guides will help partners start paving a path to
        profitability with public and private solutions for the following four
        markets: small business, midmarket segment, enterprise and public
        sector.

Wrapping up the keynotes, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner addressed the overall theme of the conference, "Winning Together."

"We understand that partners have a choice in working with us," Turner said. "As they evolve their businesses to embrace cloud technologies, partners can count on Microsoft to provide the tools for cloud training, the resources to generate sales leads, and the ability to boost revenue and increase value for customers. We're committed to our partners' profitability and long-term business success."

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

SOURCE  Microsoft Corp.

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Microsoft Corp.

CONTACT: Erika Bitzer of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, +1-206-576-5531, ebitzer@webershandwick.com, or Weber Shandwick Worldwide, WPC11PR@webershandwick.com, both for Microsoft Corp.

Web Site: http://www.microsoft.com

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