by Sharon Collins, Microsoft U.S. Cloud Partner Lead
Earlier this month, the Worldwide Partner Group announced the Microsoft Cloud Deployment program. This new program is designed to meet the needs of partners that are deploying Office 365 to enterprise customers. According to Josh Waldo, Senior Director for Cloud Partner Strategy, “The Cloud Deployment program benefits build upon the foundational tools and resources that partners are entitled to in Cloud Essentials and Cloud Accelerate including free Office 365, Windows Intune and CRM Online licenses for use to run your business, online services/advisor incentives, delegated administration tools, and training.” 
If your company is enrolled in Microsoft Cloud Accelerate, you are eligible to join the enablement phase of the Cloud Deployment program. The benefits of this program will help you build a thriving cloud deployment practice. Your Cloud Deployment program membership benefits include:
- Ignite technical training for the next release of Microsoft Office 365.
- Cloud onboarding planning support– use your partner advisory hours to connect with a Partner Technology Consultant for technical presales and deployment planning assistance, as well as help vetting your deployment plans.
- Deployment and break/fix support– access standard deployment and break/fix support, plus receive access to our new dedicated Cloud Partner support team during business hours (6:00am – 6:00pm Pacific Time, Monday thru Friday).
- Cloud onboarding and deployment planning tools.
Access to marketing benefits
For incremental marketing benefits that include the Cloud Deployment Partner designation, marketing kit, and premium online marketplace listings, you will also need to earn the Messaging competency at the country level. The initial enrollment period for the Cloud Deployment program is through February 28. After that date, you will need to meet additional requirements.
How to get started
The Microsoft Cloud Deployment partner page on the U.S. partner portal is your primary source of program information, and includes a link to the online enrollment form. For assistance, contact the Microsoft Partner Network support team through http://aka.ms/uspartnersupport.
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Additional, cloud-related resources for Microsoft partners are available on our Cloud Partner programs page at https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/us/pages/solutions/cloud-programs.aspx. There, you’ll find links to information about obtaining and deploying internal-use software benefits, resources to drive demand and sell/service, and links to get support and training.