Updated 12/15/2022

Exclusive for our US partners, join us for sales training on topics that will help you drive revenue and add customers. Get the tools you need to do more with less and drive focus and efficiency for the new year!

Upcoming sessions:

• • January 17 on Azure Windows & SQL Server Migration
  • January 19 on Modern Work and Security
  • January 25 on Low Code with Power Platform

All sessions will be recorded. Learn more and register here.

Pressures from the evolving global economy are requiring organizations to reduce costs and optimize operations as they continue to shift to a world of hybrid work. Satya Nadella shared his views on how Microsoft can help organizations deliver on their digital imperative so that they can do more with less in the current economic environment and provide differentiated value to our customers.

Do More with Less is a key customer campaign for SMBs in FY23. The messaging, assets, and offers in this field advisory are tailored for SMB customers and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners.

Training opportunities to help you expand your customer base will also be a focus in FY23. Project Lift-Off is a sales and technical enablement training series across core Biz Apps workloads for partners in the SMB space. Learn more and register below for this hands-on series of workshops that kicks off on October 31, 2022.

Pitch Microsoft 365 to grow your base and help customers achieve more, with less

With cost savings top of mind for SMBs, Microsoft 365 provides best-value suites and best-in-class products to help every small business achieve more. Customers can save money through vendor consolidation and decreased travel, increased security, and improved productivity and collaboration, all with one premium product.

Additionally, for CSP partners, the transition from legacy commerce to the new commerce experience creates an opportunity to better address customer needs with cost savings while generating additional revenue.

On September 1, 2022, Microsoft launched the new Do More with Less for SMBs campaign and the SMB New Customer and Upsell Promo to enable partners to grow revenue by acquiring new customers and upgrading existing customers to more premium products. The SMB New Customer and Upsell Promo offers a low-risk monthly commitment on any of the following products: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Apps for Business, Microsoft Teams Essentials, and Microsoft Defender for Business.

For full campaign details and partner assets, visit the SMB Partner Portal.

Reserve your seat for Project Lift-Off

Partners are encouraged to attend Project Lift-Off, an SMB-focused sales and technical enablement training series taking place October 31 – November 17, 2022, across core Biz Apps workloads.

Sales-focused sessions will cover:

• SMB adoption facts for Business Central, Dynamics 365 Sales, and Power Apps.
• Enabling a remote workforce for SMB customers.
• Getting a bigger picture with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power platform ecosystem.
• Customer case studies and objection handling.
• SMB qualifying criteria.

Project Lift-Off is intended for:

• Individuals responsible for demonstrating Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Business Central, or Power Apps. Workshops are targeted at functional, technical, and pre-sales professionals.
• Any Microsoft partner with plans to add the above workloads to their cloud offerings.
• Any Microsoft partner with zero to minimal previous experience with the above-mentioned Dynamics 365 products.

Session schedule

*Seating is limited and registrations subject to approval.

Related posts

• Go Big with Hybrid Work: Equip customers with the best Microsoft 365 solution for their business
• Modern Workplace announcements and opportunities for our SMB partners

Join the conversation

Have something to contribute to this conversation? Take your questions and insights to Microsoft and other US partners the US Partner Zone within the Microsoft Partner Community. ]]> http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/americas-partner-blog/2022/10/04/the-new-microsoft-cloud-partner-program-is-live-2/ Tue, 04 Oct 2022 21:25:30 +0000 https://msftuspartnerblog.azurewebsites.net/en-us/us-partner-blog/?p=46393 On October 3, 2022, the Microsoft Partner Network evolved into the new Microsoft Cloud Partner Program, as we can continue to grow our partnership and help you grow your business. We’ve simplified our partner programs and aligned to how we go to market and meet customer demand—validating partner capabilities to deliver successful customer outcomes and investing more in your profitability.

The new program transforms the existing 18 competencies into six Solutions Partner designations that are aligned with the Microsoft Cloud.

This new, single-tier designation model combines today’s silver and gold tiers. As of September 30, 2022, legacy competencies and associated badging are no longer valid. Partners that have competencies by this date will retain their benefits and have time to learn and assess how the Solutions Partner designations fit in to the strategic plan for your business. Partners have until their anniversary date to make decisions.

Learn, assess, and activate

We’re here to help guide you through your transformation journey. Start by knowing what to learn, what to assess, and how to prepare to activate the changes ahead:

Learn more about the requirements and benefits of the Solutions Partner designations.

• • Read the blog Evolving Microsoft Partner Network programs for partner growth and customer success.
  • Read the blog Evolving the Microsoft Partner Network programs.

Assess your current score and track progress towards new designations via the Partner Center dashboard.

Activate your business plan in the new program with the following calls to action:

• • Hold a discussion as a part of your business rhythms to ensure awareness of the change.
  • Confirm your status in the new Partner Center dashboard.
  • Outline steps for how you can be ready for the transition to the new Solutions Partner designations.

Secure your infrastructure and control access

Transition to GDAP

As part of the Zero Trust security model, Microsoft urges partners to take a step-by-step approach to securing their infrastructure and access to their customers’ tenants in order to minimize fraudulent and abusive activities.

To help secure the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) ecosystem, partners are being advised to transition from delegated admin privileges (DAP) to granular delegated admin privileges (GDAP). GDAP is a security feature that allows partners to control more granular and time-bound access to their customers’ workloads.

Cybersecurity continues to be one of the top challenges of our digital age. Partners in the CSP program are responsible for their customers’ consumption of Microsoft Cloud Services. It’s important to be aware of, and take steps to mitigate and remediate, security issues that affect you and your customers. Microsoft has extended the time partners have to make the transition from DAP to GDAP. However, partners in the CSP program are advised to take the necessary steps now:

• Review DAP report and remove DAP relationships that are not required.
• Leverage the bulk migration tool to transition to GDAP.
• Find relevant links and guides in the Operations Readiness gallery.
• For technical documentation, review the introduction to GDAP and API overview.
• Sign up for CSP Security Q&A sessions and check out these GDAP resources to learn more.

Help promote security best practices

Help your customers understand the full value of the Microsoft 365 platform and implement the best Microsoft 365 solution for their business. First, you need to understand their current path and how to guide them to the next level.

Know the top 10 reasons to choose Microsoft 365

Before starting the conversation with customers, be prepared to discuss the top 10 reasons to choose Microsoft 365:

1. Unleash your best ideas with rich desktop and web-based apps.
2. Thrive in hybrid work with a modern collaboration platform.
3. Connect and engage with intelligent intranet and social networking.
4. Work smarter and make informed decisions with advanced analytics.
5. Efficiency-manage work with lists, automation, bots, and more.
6. Protect sensitive data everywhere, even in motion and when shared.
7. Detect and investigate threats with built-in intelligence.
8. Secure the modern workplace with unified management.
9. Gain visibility, build insights, and control data with management controls.
10. Manage compliance with built-in, comprehensive coverage.

Read this blog for more information and resources on Microsoft 365 and hybrid work.

Start the conversation

To help your customers move to the best Microsoft 365 solution for their business, you need to first understand the path that they’re taking and how to guide them, no matter where they are on their cloud transformation journey.

The new Land and Expand Toolkit is designed to help you identify opportunities to upsell and cross-sell and provides the resources you’ll need for the task. Use it to strengthen your pitch and develop conversations with your customers around making hybrid work more productive and secure while enabling more collaborative workflows and reducing costs.

Toolkit resources include:

Partner resources

In addition to the upselling guide discussed above, here are a few more resources and tips to get you started:

• Watch the webinar Growing your partner business with hybrid work.
• Read Hybrid Teamwork: A Guide to Flexible Work to help customers navigate the future of the modern workplace.
• Create a successful hybrid work plan with these practical guides.
• Assess your employee engagement to deliver a great employee experience in the new hybrid world. This five-minute assessment will help you design strategies and prioritize technology investments to address key strengths and gaps for your organization.

Related Posts

• Modern Workplace announcements and opportunities for our SMB partners
• Build your managed services practice with Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Join the conversation

Want to join the conversation between Microsoft and other US partners? Head over to the US Partner Zone within the Microsoft Partner Community!

Looking for partner training courses, community calls, and events? Refer to the Events Calendar that’s updated regularly as we learn about new offerings. To stay in touch with us and connect with other partners and Microsoft sales, marketing, and product experts, join our US Partner Community on MPC.

New posts on the US Partner Community blog

• September 2022 Hot Sheet partner training schedule
• Learn, Assess, and Activate: FY23 partner transformation priorities
• Modern Workplace announcements and opportunities for our SMB partners
• What to do after Microsoft Inspire to grow your business 
• Together We Grow: Creating Opportunities Through Partnership
• Build your managed services practice with Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Inspiring the future through mixed reality
• Momentum builds for Power Platform at Microsoft Build 2022
• Build your managed services practice with Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Microsoft partner leads in digital transformation
• Want to be a Microsoft Partner? Start at Microsoft Inspire
• The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program – How Indirect Providers Can Help
• The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program – Partner Capability Score Dashboard
• CSP renewals shifting to new commerce exclusively
• What you need to know about the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program

Upcoming community calls, events, and webcasts

Microsoft Partner Network news

• Partner investments and incentives: upcoming portfolio changes
• Let’s seize the opportunity of an accessible future, together
• Enabling your customers to secure their hybrid workplace
• Help make us all better: Join the Microsoft Partner Research Panel
• Eight co-sell tips to help you acquire new customers
• New licensing benefits make bringing workloads and licenses to partners’ clouds easier 
• How to build technical and sales capability in a time-starved world
• Partners are building success with Microsoft Azure solutions
• Celebrating Black futures this Juneteenth
• Explore Microsoft virtualization options during DISRUPT on Tour 2022
• Evolving the Microsoft Partner Network programs
• Counter cyber threats as a Solutions partner for Security
• This year’s Microsoft Build introduced additional ISV partner opportunities
• Accessibility enables greater innovation for everyone
• Drive cloud transformation with Azure-related solutions partner designations
• Small business: the opportunity for business transformation

Featured videos

• Modern Analytics Academy Vignette: Power BI Incremental Refresh and Hybrid Tables
• (34) Modern Analytics Academy – Azure Synapse Link for SQL – YouTube
• Top Azure DevOps Announcements at Microsoft Build 2022
• Modern Analytics Academy Vignette: Power BI Incremental Refresh and Hybrid Tables
• Modern Analytics Academy – Azure Synapse Link for SQL
• Azure Data Academy – MySQL Flexible Server Migration Options
• Modern Analytics Academy – Azure Synapse Link for CosmosDB
• Azure Data Academy – Azure Database for MySQL Deployment Options: Terraform, CLI, ARM, Bicep
• Azure Data Academy – MySQL Flexible Service High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR)

Learning news

• Skill up with Microsoft Learning Partners
• Skilling up on Azure? Explore this quarter’s key new resources
• Walking the walk of a ‘Keep Learning’ culture at Tietoevry
• Microsoft Learn exam readiness provides exam prep strategies
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Microsoft 365 on Microsoft Learn
• New exam structure for Dynamics 365 certifications for customer engagement apps
• Improvements to the Exam Accommodation Process
• How has Microsoft training and certification impacted your career? Survey date extended!
• 1,100 more colleges to get skilled up through Microsoft Learn for Educators
• Announcing the new certification for cybersecurity architects
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Security, Compliance, and Identity on Microsoft Learn
• Announcing the new support engineer certification for Microsoft Exchange Online

Modern Work Build Intent Workshops

In FY22, partners that leveraged Modern Commerce Incentives (MCI) Build Intent Workshops generated twice as much incremental revenue compared to customers who did not participate. To build on this momentum, in FY23 we continue to invest and evolve workshop programs to accelerate partner and customer success.

MCI Build Intent Workshops enable partners to assess customer needs, demonstrate art of the possible for hybrid working, and build actionable deployment plans that accelerate opportunities for Modern Work.

Explore the new workshops and get started today!

Project Orland for Microsoft 365

Project Orland will enter the next phase of our launch roadmap, entering public preview in October 2022. The tool provides customer insights and recommendations across the acquire, retain, and grow phases of Customer Lifecycle Management (CRM), empowering CSP partners to proactively engage with and deliver value to their customers at every stage of their journey. Read this blog to learn more.

Sign up here if you’re interested in joining the Project Orland public preview.

SMB Workshops Continuing in FY23

We’re excited to announce the return in FY23 of the Modern Work SMB Workshop program. Partners can use these Microsoft-funded demand-gen events to drive customer interest on net new “Dark to Cloud” SMB customer acquisition. New for FY23, a Windows 365 workshop was added to the catalog in July, with plans to develop a standalone Microsoft Defender for Business workshop in the fall.

Visit the Microsoft 365 Partner Portal to learn more about the program and how to apply.

CSP Customer Adds Accelerator and Strategic Incentives

We’re increasing our investment in the new Modern Work Customer Adds Accelerator in FY23. Partners enrolled in Microsoft’s Partner Incentives program will now earn an incremental 15% incentive on any new customers’ CSP revenue generated up to the first 12 months of a new customer acquisition. We’re introducing a Net Paid Seat Add accelerated growth investment (AGI) to support top global indirect providers growth in SMB.

Learn more about the new incentives and investment programs.

Windows 365 Enterprise Trial Experience for CSP Customers

We’re excited to announce the launch of Windows 365 Enterprise trial experience for CSP customers. This new offer is a perfect opportunity for CSP partners to introduce and pilot Windows 365 with their customers. With the Enterprise edition, partners will be able provide deployment and management services, using such tools as Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Lighthouse.

Learn more about the Windows 365 Enterprise promotion for CSP customers.

Microsoft Defender for Business Server Protection Now in Preview for SMB Customers

Earlier this year, we launched Microsoft Defender for Business as additional value in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and as a standalone SKU for SMB customers with up to 300 users. Endpoint security for Windows and Linux Servers for small and medium-sized businesses is now available to preview within Microsoft Defender for Business. The Microsoft Defender for Business servers experience delivers the same level of protection for both clients and servers within a single admin experience inside of Defender for Business, helping you to protect all your endpoints in one location.

Read this blog and explore the Microsoft Defender for Business partner kit to learn more.

News About Teams Essentials

Stay in the know on the latest Teams Essential news and information:

• Watch these videos showcasing a customer story and partner case study.
• Download the Profitability Calculator, available to help partners understand the profitability opportunity with Teams Essentials.
• Visit the Partner Portal to access Teams Essentials sales materials and technical training content.

Join the Conversation

Want to explore this and other topics you care about with Microsoft and other US partners? Head over to the US Partner Zone within the Microsoft Partner Community!

Joining the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program on the list of top three transformation priorities for partners in FY23 are Security and the new commerce experience (NCE). We’re here to help guide you on knowing what to learn; understanding what to assess for your business; and the actions you need to take to prepare for and activate these upcoming milestones.

In honor of National Black Business Month, we celebrate the impact and opportunities that arise when our partners collaborate. We are privileged to work with many innovative, game-changing small businesses.

We aim to deepen our relationship with these partners through programs like the Microsoft Black Partner Growth Initiative that support our small-to-medium (SMB) sized partners as they create a profound impact on the Microsoft Partner ecosystem.

As part of this commitment, in Q3 of FY22, select partners within the Microsoft Black Partner Growth Initiative participated in the BPGI Accelerator program, which facilitates community building and business growth among the program participants.

Four BPGI partners came together to demonstrate how close collaboration can help all of us achieve more. These four partners built a new framework in what is now called “Information Technology Partners” (ITP). They include:

• Jody Mitchell, CEO and founder of Directed Analytics, based in Washington DC
• William Storey, founder and CEO of Advanced Consulting Experts, LLC of Columbus, GA
• John Igbokwe, President, TechAxia headquartered in Denver, CO
• Dele Ojelabi, a professor of computer science at Marquette University and Principal at Comcentia, of Milwaukee, WI

A Cooperative Network of Smaller Tech Businesses

The four partners recognized that their unique areas of expertise meshed well, and each had been looking for ways to create lasting partnerships, lend their unique subject matter expertise, and draw on the skills and talents of the others—without sacrificing their individual ventures.

That realization led to the creation of Information Technology Partners, a hub connecting the four companies, pooling resources, skills, and brainpower to create a more competitive and complementary suite of offerings for their clients.

Dele Ojelabi explained, “For each of us, being smaller companies, the challenge is having the resources to compete against big companies. By working together, we bring all those skills to the table, with experts behind each of them, making us much more competitive than we would be individually.”

Jody Mitchell said that it was the BPGI Accelerator that provided the environment for this collaboration. “As entrepreneurs, we only have so much time and so many resources available to us,” he said. “I am always looking for ways to optimize my processes and to grow in ways that get the best results. With the Black Partner Growth Initiative, there was an immediate atmosphere of organic trust and a willingness to at least listen, if not work together. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.”

John Igbokwe added, “As soon as we began talking, and now as we’ve been working together, we realize we have complementary skill sets that allow us to access markets and client networks that we may have never had access to as individuals.”

“We” is Stronger than “Me”

While the Black Partner Growth Initiative and other SMB programs were created as a foundation to help partner communities strengthen their core businesses and go-to-market strategies, what we are seeing—especially in examples like ITP—is that partner-to-partner collaboration yields even greater success.

“There was something different about that first BPGI connection. Meeting so many other professionals in that way was really invigorating,” said William Storey.

“When we looked at our market penetration and performance over the past few years in each of our individual specialties, we realized that as a group ITP is as competitive as many larger technology companies. That’s game changing,” Jody Mitchell said.

The basis for successful cooperative partnership and complementary affiliation begins with trust, according to the members of ITP. In the process of preparing a bid for a federal contract, they realized that one partner was better suited for the work than the collective. The other three partners stepped aside in favor of the one partner submitting the bid, while still contributing time and resources to ensure that the individual bid is successful. “If he wins it, we all win in the long run,” Dele Ojelabi said.

Looking forward, ITP is looking for opportunities for more federal contracts, and to partner with Microsoft to deliver solutions, both as a long-held goal, and as a validation of partners making more possible.

Get involved

• Join the Black Partner Growth Initiative
• Learn more about the Black Partner Growth Initiative accelerator program
• Learn more about how you can support by emailing us at ptnrsupp@microsoft.com
• Connect with the Black Channel Partner Alliance 

The work-from-anywhere world presents new opportunities for partners in the SMB space to provide value-added managed services to their customers. Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a comprehensive toolkit that brings together collaboration solutions like Microsoft Teams with advanced security and device management. By offering security-based managed services, partners have a great opportunity to grow their practice, unlocking new revenue streams while reducing operational costs.

New! Increase your Microsoft 365 Business Premium Sales

Increase your Microsoft 365 Business Premium sales this quarter (Q3) by earning the M365 Business Premium US Local Accelerator, which is now richer in the current quarter (January through March).

Partners who are in the CSP or MCI program and have attained the required competency are eligible to participate. You must perform all registration requirements and qualifying activities, as stated in the incentives guide, before this incentive can be earned.

Please reach out to the M365BP US Local Accelerator Support Team if you have any questions.

Now, let’s dive into some of the benefits and opportunities that Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers.

What are the benefits—to you and your customers?

Remote work is here to stay. With Microsoft 365 Business Premium you can help your SMB customers run their businesses securely, from anywhere. Microsoft 365 Business Premium allows you to:

• Enable remote access and product identity so your customers’ employees can securely access business apps from wherever they’re working.
• Defend against cyberthreats and safeguard business data by providing solutions that allow your customers to control who has access to their business information.
• Easily secure and manage devices by enabling your customers to maintain control over the devices that connect to their business data.
• Encourage collaboration in real time by helping your customers’ employees stay connected and productive from anywhere.

Learn more about the benefits of Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

What are the opportunities for partners?

With Microsoft 365 Business Premium you can create standardized managed services offerings around remote access, productivity, and security that can deliver an ongoing revenue stream and profitability.

	Help customers get secure One in four SMBs are targeted by cyberattacks. Upsell customers by helping them solve security concerns. Support one, integrated solution across productivity, security, and device management that enables customers to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively.	Provide tangible examples to customers about their current security position, using Microsoft Graph with SecureScore. Solve customer needs by providing comprehensive solutions across security vectors. Increase efficiencies and reduce your operational cost by managing an integrated solution.
	Unlock new deployment opportunities Leverage the extensive Microsoft 365 Business Premium technology stack to unlock project-based services.	On-premises-to-cloud workloads Teams deployment and integration Security assessments, implementation
	Differentiate through managed services Deliver ongoing monitoring, remediation, adoption, and support services.	Provide remote monitoring and management of security threats for customers. Manage end-to-end compliance processes with Compliance Manager. Enable bring-your-own-device (BYOD) scenarios and protect email data with Azure Information Protection. Modernize and manage policies with Azure Active Directory and Intune.

Next steps

The Microsoft 365 Business Premium Partner Playbook will provide you with practical guidance about how to build a profitable managed services practice. Visit the Microsoft 365 Business Premium Partner Playbook and Readiness Series page today to learn more and download the playbook.

Other posts you may like

Microsoft Defender for Business: Security designed for SMBs now included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Join the conversation

Want to hear about what Microsoft and other US partners think about Microsoft 365 Business Premium? Head over to the US Partner Investments Forum within the Microsoft Partner Community!

Looking for partner training courses, community calls, and events? Refer to the Events Calendar that’s updated regularly as we learn about new offerings. To stay in touch with us and connect with other partners and Microsoft sales, marketing, and product experts, join our US Partner Community on MPC.

New posts on the US Partner Community blog

• Microsoft partner leads in digital transformation
• Want to be a Microsoft Partner? Start at Microsoft Inspire
• The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program – How Indirect Providers Can Help
• The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program – Partner Capability Score Dashboard
• Register Now for Microsoft Inspire!
• CSP renewals shifting to new commerce exclusively
• What you need to know about the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program
• Before Inspire: Brush up on Microsoft Cloud for Industry Solutions
• Empowering Partners through the Small Business Digital Alliance
• Healthcare trends & key takeaways from HIMMS 2022
• See what’s new on the Azure Hub for ISVs
• May 2022 Hot Sheet partner training schedule
• How to solve business challenges and grow through Azure Marketplace
• #BuildFor2030: Accelerating solutions for a sustainable future
• New Commerce in CSP: What’s in it for me?
• PwC helps farming co-op streamline finance operations with Dynamics 365
• Skill-up your sales team via the Microsoft Cloud Sales Bootcamp series
• “Get to yes” with the new Partner Sales Acceleration Program

Upcoming community calls, events, and webcasts

Microsoft Partner Network news

• Partners are building success with Microsoft Azure solutions
• Celebrating Black futures this Juneteenth
• Microsoft Inspire – register today!
• Explore Microsoft virtualization options during DISRUPT on Tour 2022
• Evolving the Microsoft Partner Network programs
• Counter cyber threats as a Solutions partner for Security
• This year’s Microsoft Build introduced additional ISV partner opportunities
• Accessibility enables greater innovation for everyone
• Drive cloud transformation with Azure-related solutions partner designations
• Next steps for Rodney Clark
• Small business: the opportunity for business transformation
• Evolving the Microsoft Partner Network programs
• Unlock new opportunities in security with Microsoft Defender for Business
• Azure Cloud Week offers new skills and benefits for Microsoft partners
• Discover how to transform project management in hybrid work environments
• What’s new for Microsoft partners: April 2022 edition
• Becoming a Solutions partner for Modern Work
• Attaining the new Solutions partner designation for Business Applications
• Learn to sell the Microsoft Cloud and drive business transformation with Sales Bootcamps
• Creating a security mindset with Microsoft partner technical workshops: Secure All the Things!
• Learn to sell the Microsoft Cloud and drive business transformation with Sales Bootcamps

Featured videos

• Azure Data Academy – MySQL Flexible Service High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR)
• Top Azure DevOps Announcements at Microsoft Build 2022
• Modern Analytics Academy Vignette: Securing Synapse Pipelines with Azure Key Vault
• Modern Analytics Academy Vignette: Power BI Deployment Pipelines
• Azure Data Academy – Intro to Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server
• Azure Data Academy – PostgreSQL Extensions in Azure Databases
• Modern Analytics Academy Synapse Data Explorer Overview Session
• Azure Data Academy: Introduction to Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server
• Modern Analytics Academy Vignette: Schema Design in SQL Pools
• Sell your SaaS solutions through the Microsoft Marketplace and get Cloud discounts with a MACC

Learning news

• Announcing the new support engineer certification for Microsoft Exchange Online
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Microsoft 365 on Microsoft Learn
• New Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 training: May 2022 roundup
• Use Microsoft Certified: Fundamentals to help open new career paths
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Security, Compliance, and Identity on Microsoft Learn
• Explore technical innovations and skill up at Microsoft Build
• Discover Microsoft Certified: Customer Data Platform Specialty
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Microsoft 365 on Microsoft Learn
• Unscheduled breaks now available in most exams without requesting in advance
• New Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 training: April 2022 roundup
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Security, Compliance, and Identity on Microsoft Learn
• Al-Quds University offers a competitive edge with Microsoft Certifications
• The 2-Minute Recap: Everything new with Microsoft 365 on Microsoft Learn
• Exam DP-500 (beta): Prove your skills as an Azure enterprise data analyst
• Skill up on cybersecurity with a White House Summit-inspired collection
• New certification for Exchange Support Engineers
• New certification for Power Automate RPA Developers
• New Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 training: March 2022 roundup
• New certification for Security Architects

“We decided to bring the learning to where the individual sits, instead of asking them to go somewhere else to find it,” says Casey Trujillo, BrainStorm VP of Sales. “Communicating in the same platform where most of the organization spends their workday just makes sense. It’s a new way of working. Why wouldn’t we do it?”

Recognizing the digital transformation moment

Too often, IT professionals are asked to do so much with so little. The challenges of the pandemic and the ensuing Great Resignation added more burden to their already crowded plate. BrainStorm set out to find a scalable experience that didn’t add extra effort for the end user while enabling IT professionals and reducing their workload.

They found the perfect opportunity to showcase this app when they were approached by a global auto manufacturer to help solve this very modern work problem. With only three people in the IT department trying to enact a standardized approach to hybrid work for a company with 30k employees, scaling up was unmanageable. Unfortunately, they found the current setup was leading to poor productivity, decreased collaboration, and dwindling employee satisfaction.

BrainStorm stepped in to create a personalized communication plan with specific goals users could track in the platform. These goals included:

• Reducing internal email while increasing chat in Teams
• Decreasing email attachments and increasing collaborative documentation sharing through Teams and OneDrive
• Decreasing the number of meetings while increasing engagement during meetings

How did the app work? Essentially, BrainStorm developed a 12-week, scalable program offering platform and productivity tips messaged through the BrainStorm-developed Teams app. By building their solution on top of the Microsoft Teams platform, BrainStorm was able to transform a learning tool into a productivity and collaboration platform designed to help customers adapt to a more efficient hybrid and remote work approach. The app communicated with users to ensure a better productivity approach for using Teams and helped them focus on their work-from-home goals. The company was thrilled with the result and how it enabled better collaboration across time zones and continents. As Trujillo says, “It helped eliminate ‘Reply All-itis’.”

Here’s a short video that walks through how BrainStorm enables IT professionals to help their employees take better advantage of their Microsoft productivity stack. BrainStorm also developed a best practices sample comm plan for partners ready for digital transformation

What has BrainStorm learned about finding success as a Microsoft partner?

1. Communicate with your users in a language that speaks to them. They want to know, “what’s in it for me?”
   1. Go to where your users are: That’s why BrainStorm decided to enact digital transformation within Teams.
   2. Speak in the terms of the user: if you can find why it benefits them, it will eventually trickle up to benefit the org as a whole.
   3. Automate it: it should take little to no effort on the user’s part.
   4. Engage the user: If you’ve set up a good program, it should intrigue them to become a part of it and help them want to do more.
   5. Trust the data: We have the data to help give you results of your digital transformation Once you review the data, then you can rinse, lather, and repeat back to step one.
2. Know the Microsoft language, scorecard and who wants to work with you. We have a business development team that aligns with enterprise and the client configuration manager.
3. Familiarize yourself with the Microsoft Partner Network. It’s an everyday go-to for finding resources like plays-in-the-box, starting co-sell actions, and more. It’s regularly updated and available for all partners.
4. Use the Marketplace to drive awareness and visibility. It’s the easiest way to share any changes, updates, and improvements to your platform. Plus, it’s a great help with the transaction process. Microsoft is investing time and resources into growing Marketplace, and we have found that aligning with Microsoft and learning where they are focused is a key way for us to grow so we are investing more there as well.
5. Connect with other partners. One of the fastest ways BrainStorm has scaled their solutions is by teaming up with other Microsoft partners. They recognize their secret sauce and work with other partners to help their customers. “We don’t do deployment or sell licensing,” says Trujillo. “Our whole goal is to enable other partners, like Smartsheet or DocuSign, create a scalable solution to give customer ROI.”

Digital Transformation is daunting, but it’s not as hard as it seems. “Every partner can use our learnings to help them be successful,” says Trujillo. “We also love to form partnerships with other partners and welcome the opportunity to provide additional value to your customers. We created a 90-day free trial experience and any partner with at least 200 users or more can try it out or offer it to their customers.”

Other posts you may like

Want to be a Microsoft Partner? Start at Microsoft Inspire

The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program – Partner Capability Score Dashboard

Before Inspire: Brush up on Microsoft Cloud for Industry Solutions

See what’s new on the Azure Hub for ISVs