Welcome to this week’s issue of the US Partner News Online. We’ll connect you to resources to help you be market-ready, connect with customers and prospects, and differentiate your business. You can read previous weeks’ issues at http://aka.ms/uspnewsletter.
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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
SMB Live Events are Back, and Coming to a City Near You
SMB Live events will be held in 25 cities across the United States in February, March, and April. Register today for a one-day SMB Live event that’s aligned to your role:
- Attract Customers, Grow Sales Workshop. In this one-day, 200-level workshop for business and marketing roles, you’ll get step-by-step, prescriptive guidance to build a marketing campaign that targets your SMB customers.
- Modernize with Hybrid Cloud Technical Training. In this one-day, 200/300-level technical training, technical experts will show you how to use the latest Microsoft server and cloud technologies to deliver hybrid cloud solutions to small and midsize organizations.
February 24 Webcast: What is Partner Practice Enablement?
If you're ready to join the cloud partner ecosystem, Partner Practice Enablement technical boot camps will help you get the knowledge you'll need for the critical topics of enterprise mobility, data platform, data center, and Azure migrations and new deployments. PPE boot camps are one- to five-day events, at 200-300 level, and delivered to partners by Microsoft and industry subject-matter experts.
New Marketing Opportunity from Ready-to-Go: Microsoft Led Events
A new offering for US partners from Ready-to-Go Marketing lets you invite your customers to live and on-demand webcasts, while tracking attendance and managing leads. Learn how Microsoft Led Events works and get started today.
Secure Your All-Access Pass to WPC 2015 for $1,995
This July, we’re heading to Orlando, Florida for this year’s Worldwide Partner Conference. You’ll have a week of networking opportunities, business-building thought leadership, and the chance to hear from Microsoft and industry leaders. Register today to join us—the US Partner Team can’t wait to see you there.
- Check out the group discount for your fourth through tenth pass purchased
- Start planning your Partner of the Year Awards nomination—submission tool opens February 16
- Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities
Resources
MPN 101 Presentation: Program Basics, Benefits, and More
Learn about your options for membership in the Microsoft Partner Network, and the associated benefits you receive. Our new MPN 101 presentation explains program basics and provides you with links to get further details about your areas of interest.
February 13: Connect with Your Local Microsoft Team Through Their SMB Partner Insider Calls
Join your local Microsoft team for the regional the Microsoft US SMB team for the SMB Partner Insider calls. These monthly calls are on the second Friday of each month for all three US regions—East, Central, and West.
Microsoft Azure, Hybrid Cloud, and EMS Training from Partner Technical Services
Get technical training delivered virtually by Microsoft experts for Microsoft Azure, Hybrid Cloud, and Enterprise Mobility Suite. Most of these webcasts are offered at no cost to members of the Microsoft Partner Network. Register today for courses in February and March.
A New Way to Build Technical Skills and Prepare for Exams
Microsoft partners can now purchase digital courseware and labs, allowing IT pros and developers a chance to set their own study pace to gain skills and implement new technologies.
Aligning Your Company’s Branding and Positioning with Microsoft
Our blog post explains how to showcase your company’s expertise, differentiate your business, and connect with new and existing customers through partner resources like Logo Builder and Microsoft Pinpoint. We also explain the basics about Microsoft brands and trademarks.
Training and certification
Stay informed about opportunities that align to your business and role. For real-time updates and reminders about upcoming training, follow @mslearningcurve on Twitter.
February Hot Sheet: Register for Training, Office Hours, and Community Calls
The Hot Sheet is a frequently updated schedule of live virtual and in-person training, Office Hours, and community calls that are coming in the next few weeks. The current Hot Sheet has listings for the rest of January, all of February, and into early March, so you can plan ahead. Subscribe to the US Partner Learning blog to receive the Hot Sheet in your email inbox.
February 4: Cloud Profitability Webcast – Best Practice for Driving Adoption of Office 365 (Partner Success Story)
The weekly Cloud Profitability web series features streaming videos to help Microsoft partners learn how to become profitable in the cloud. On February 4 at 8:30AM Pacific Time, hear an interview with Microsoft partner, Eastridge, about increasing active customer usage of Office 365 by implementing some simple processes.
- Download the Cloud Adoption Partner Profitability Playbook
- Watch previous cloud profitability webcasts on demand
- Follow the cloud profitability learning path
February 2–4: Design the Hybrid Cloud
This workshop from Partner Technical Services introduces you to the technical and conceptual changes needed to move to a hybrid cloud datacenter model. Learn how the Hybrid Cloud can enable agile IT through self-service capabilities, capacity planning, service-level management, proactive systems monitoring, and more.
February 5: Sales and Licensing Excellence Webcast – The Evolution of Enterprise Mobility
Steve Adams, the Device Guy, shares how Enterprise Mobility has evolved and where the partner opportunities lie. You’ll also hear real-life success stories about how Windows mobility solutions have improved company productivity.
February 5: Office 365 Partner Community Call – OneDrive for Business
Join Michael Panciroli from the US National Partner Technology Strategy team for the Office 365 Partner community call about OneDrive for Business. Read the companion blog posts for this topic.
February 9: Ask the Experts – Directory Integration Tools
Participate in this weekly virtual discussion with a Partner Technical Services expert about Office 365 sales, compete, design, deployment, and best practices. In the February 9 session, learn about the different directory integration tools available to synchronize your Active Directory information with Office 365.
February 12–13: Partner Technical Services Practice Accelerator for SMB Partners
Partner Technical Services has just introduced a new Office 365 Practice Accelerator for SMB. From January through March, you can take this new training offering at no cost. In this Practice Accelerator, you will learn fundamental deployment principles and processes that lead to repeatable successful deployments of Office 365 for small and medium business customers.
Calendar through February 13
The list below is a sampling of upcoming partner calls, training, and events. Refer to the February Hot Sheet for a comprehensive, frequently updated list covering the next several weeks.
Week of February 2–6
- February 2 – Ask the Experts: Messaging
- February 2–4 – Partner Technical Services: Design the Hybrid Cloud
- February 3 – SharePoint Online Developer Series for Office 365: Branding Internet Facing Websites with SharePoint Online/Office 365
- February 3 – Partner Technical Services: Office 365 Initial Journey – Office 365 Demo
- February 3 – Windows Apportal Office Hours
- February 3 – Success with Enterprise Mobility Suite Webcast Series
- February 4 – Partner Technical Services: Voice for Office 365
- February 4 – Sales approach to Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS)
- February 4 – Mobile Productivity in the Modern Workplace
- February 4 – Microsoft Virtual Academy: Web API Design Jump Start
- February 5 – Extending Your Application Development Practice with Azure in the Cloud First, Mobile First World
- February 5 – Sales and Licensing Excellence Webcast: The Evolution of Enterprise Mobility – Level 100
- February 5 – Windows Server 2003: Most Common Application Migration Concerns
- February 5 – Microsoft Online Services Advisor Monthly Office Hours: Web-Direct and Deploy Incentives
- February 5 – Office 365 Partner Community Call: OneDrive for Business
Week of February 9–13
- February 9–13 – Partner Practice Enablement: Azure Technical Training
- February 9 – Ask the Experts Identity: Directory Integration Tools
- February 10 – SharePoint Online Developer Series for Office 365: Azure Platform Services (PaaS) with SharePoint Online
- February 10 – Enterprise Mobility Scenario – Windows Universal Application
- February 10 – Office 365 Initial Journey: Exchange Online Technical Overview
- February 10 – How to Partner in the Cloud with Digital Marketing
- February 10 – Windows Apportal Office Hours
- February 11 – Partner Technical Services: Voice for Office 365
- February 12 – Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Government Partner Briefing
- February 12 – Partner Technical Services: Maximize your Productivity with Office 365 using SPO Collection
- February 12 – Sales and Licensing Excellence Webcast: SQL for Government Licensing Review and Best Practices (Level 200)
- February 12 – Microsoft Virtual Academy: Cloud-Enable a Windows Presentation Foundation Line-of-Business App
- February 12 – Enabling Customer Insights Using Business Analytics
- February 12–13 – Partner Technical Services: Office 365 Practice Accelerator for SMB
- February 13 – SMB Partner Insider Call Series – East Region
- February 13 – SMB Partner Insider Call Series – Central Region
- February 13 – SMB Partner Insider Call Series – West Region
- February 16 – WPC 2015 Partner of the Year Awards Submission Tool Opens