Find out what’s new for Microsoft partners. We’ll connect you to resources that help you become market-ready, connect with customers and prospects, and differentiate your business. Read previous issues of our online newsletter.
We provide real-time updates about the topics covered in this newsletter and other partner-related news and information on our US Partner Community Twitter feed.
To stay in touch with me and connect with other partners and Microsoft sales, marketing, and product experts, join our US Partner Community on Yammer and see other options to stay informed.
Top stories
Digital Partner of Record and more: getting recognized for the work you do
Digital Partner of Record opens the door to competencies and benefits, provides visibility into your cloud business, and gives you information
and insights to help you optimize customers’ solutions and usage. In response to your feedback, we’re optimizing the Digital Partner of Record (DPOR) process and introducing different ways to measure and recognize the work of multiple partners on a single subscription.
- Read the blog post by Gavriella Schuster
- Get partner and customer resources for Digital Partner of Record
Tips for renewing your Microsoft competency
Renewing an existing competency or attaining a new competency takes planning and forethought. Even if your next anniversary date is several weeks or even months away, considering a few things now, and taking a few minutes to prepare, will help smooth out the process.
January 20 – New Partner Orientation call
On this call, we’ll take you through the MPN 101 presentation for a program overview, an explanation of key benefits, and information about how to obtain support and stay informed. We also answer questions from attendees.
- Download the calendar file with call details from Yammer
- See other MPN 101 offerings that help you get more from your membership in the Microsoft partner program
The Microsoft Action Pack helps power your business by empowering your team
The Action Pack is a yearly subscription for partners that want to build a Microsoft cloud practice. It offers benefits and opportunities that include Microsoft software and cloud services for internal use, access to world-class developer tools, training on core Microsoft technologies, and more.
- Learn about and subscribe to the Microsoft Action Pack
- See our “day in the life” infographic about how your team benefits from the Action Pack
- ISVs and App Builders benefit from the Action Pack, too
January 21 – Azure Partner Community call
Join the our US Azure experts for a conversation about Cortana Analytics Suite and the new Microsoft R Server. Guest expert Alan Herrera will join Nick Johnson, Jonathan Gardner, and Frank Campise to talk about the big data and analytics opportunities for partners.
- Register for the January 21 call
- Read the blog series
- Learn more about Cortana Analytics Suite and Microsoft R Server
- Take Big Data courses and Advanced Analytics courses on Microsoft Virtual Academy
- Visit the Cloud Platform roadmap
Welcome to the future of your marketing with ModernBiz
The new, improved ModernBiz platform serves up dynamic marketing assets and resources aligned to common customer business challenges, so you can get to market quicker and attract new customers. Use the pre-made, tailored content in ModernBiz to identify customer challenges, overcome those obstacles, and communicate your solutions and expertise to prospects.
- Read the announcement about the new ModernBiz platform
- See other sales and marketing resources
- Find more blog posts about maximizing your marketing
Resources for building and sustaining profitability in your partner business
Public IT cloud services spending reached US$47.4 billion in 2013 and is expected reach over US$127 billion by 2018, according to a recent IDC study. We have built out a comprehensive library of information and resources for partners to help you understand the opportunities and make the decisions for your business that can help you build and sustain profitability.
- Review our online profitability guide to find resources for your business
- Get the Microsoft cloud profitability scenarios and financial models
- Read the cloud profitability blog series, with posts from Microsoft experts and partners that are capitalizing on the cloud
SMB Live Roadshow events scheduled for February–April: Office 365 and beyond
Register for an upcoming SMB Live Roadshow event in a US city near you. Choose from one of two events in each city. Build Your Office 365 Practice is for partners new to selling cloud solutions, and Expand Your Office 365 Practice with Microsoft Multi-Cloud Solutions is for partners with established Office 365 practices that want to add other Microsoft cloud solutions like Microsoft Azure, Enterprise Mobility Suite, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and SQL Server.
- See all SMB Live events cities and dates, plus agenda and other event details
- Visit the Hot Sheet for a comprehensive partner training schedule
February dates and cities for SMB Live
| Build Your Office 365 Practice | Expand Your Office 365 Practice with Microsoft Multi-Cloud Solutions |
| February 11 in Bellevue, WA | February 12 in Bellevue, WA |
| February 17 in Tampa, FL | February 18 in Tampa, FL |
| February 17 in Washington, DC | February 18 in Washington, DC |
| February 23 in Boston, MA | February 24 in Boston, MA |
| February 23 in Fort Lauderdale, FL | February 24 in Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| February 23 in Nashville, TN | February 24 in Nashville, TN |
| February 24 in Minneapolis, MN | February 25 in Minneapolis, MN |
Meet your partner training goals in 2016 with help from the Hot Sheet
Stay on track with your training goals. Refer to the US Partner Community Hot Sheet for a schedule of in-person training and virtual courses, calls, and office hours are available. The current Hot Sheet includes listings into March 2016, and we’ll add new courses as we learn about them.
- Go to the current Hot Sheet
- Find on-demand technical training on Microsoft Virtual Academy
- Find on-demand sales training from our Sales Excellence series
- Download our one-page partner training reference sheet
New Advanced Support for Partners offers cloud support at an accessible price point
With Advanced Support for Partners, you gain access to a variety of cloud-focused services for Microsoft Azure, Office 365, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Advanced Support for Partners addresses key support requirements for partners building practices on Microsoft Cloud Services by delivering monthly support services in a remote, one-to-many, cost-effective way.
- Learn more about Advanced Support for Partners
- Download the fact sheet about Advanced Support for Partners
- Access unlimited, no-cost technical support as part of your MPN benefits