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Worldwide Partner Conference 2016 - It's A Wrap (All the Resources in one Place)

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For those of you who went to this year’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, I hope you all had a non-eventful trip home. I had such an incredible time meeting and experiencing WPC with all the Australian Partners, there was so much to see, do, and learn.

I also hope WPC 2016 was a successful, productive, and fun conference, and that you left energised and ready for the new opportunities that are ahead of us. If you would like to reminisce the trip to Niagara Falls or the Sunday Night Networking Event I encourage you to watch the YouTube clips Paul Woods from Adopt & Embrace created.

If you didn’t have a chance to attend then this post will give you all the information you need and we hope to see you in Washington, DC in 2017.

If you’re already thinking ahead to the next conference, WPC 2017 is in Washington, DC, July 9–13, and early registration is open.

In this post, we have summarised the announcements and resources released during the conference.

 

Microsoft priorities for the coming year

Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, started the conference with a Vision Keynote about how technology innovation is enabling transformation in how companies do business. Digital transformation was a theme throughout the Vision Keynotes and conference sessions, and the day two Vision Keynote covered the topic through the lens of the Microsoft bold ambitions: build the intelligent cloud, reinvent productivity and business processes, and make computing more personal. On day three, Judson Althoff, the new Microsoft Executive Vice President, Worldwide Commercial Business, laid out these six priorities for the year ahead;

  • Drive digital transformation with customers
  • Accelerate cloud adoption
  • Propel Windows 10 Enterprise deployment
  • Generate SQL Server 2016 growth
  • Drive ISV and SI momentum
  • Make experiences come to life through hardware solutions

Watch the WPC 2016 Vision Keynotes and daily highlight videos View WPC 2016 session videos and download PowerPoints

 

Digital transformation and the partner opportunity

During WPC 2016, the final eBook in our modern Microsoft partner series was released, Deliver Customer Lifetime Value. For any partner that wants to build and sustain a successful, profitable cloud business, the information in these five eBooks is essential. IDC forecasts that the greater cloud market will exceed $500 billion by 2020, and a recent IDC study showed that:

  • Partners with more than 50 percent of their revenue in the cloud are growing twice as fast as other partners (that have less than 50 percent of their revenue in the cloud)
  • These cloud-focused partners realize 1.5 times more gross profit and experience 1.8 times recurring revenue in the cloud
  • Microsoft partners with more than 50 percent of their revenue in the cloud are attaching $5.87 of their own services for every $1 of Microsoft cloud solutions sold

Partners are integral to helping customers embrace the power of technology to transform how they do business, and new revenue streams will continue to open up as Microsoft continues toward its bold ambitions.

Read Microsoft Channel Chief Gavriella Schuster’s post about the partner opportunity Download the modern Microsoft partner eBooks Watch the modern, profitable cloud partner sessions from WPC 2016

 

Product innovations and channel investments

The Microsoft bold ambitions provide a good framework for sharing the latest product innovations and channel investments that will lead to new partner opportunities.

“My ask to our partners is to take advantage of all the great innovations, tools, and resources to grow your business in the coming year.” – Gavriella Schuster

Read Gavriella Schuster’s post about technology innovations

 

More personal computing

New subscription options for Windows 10 and Surface for businesses were announced. Windows 10 Enterprise E3 is now offered through the Cloud Solution Provider program, and Windows 10 Enterprise is also part of the new Secure Productive Enterprise offering that’s coming later this year.

Read Yusuf Mehdi’s announcement about Windows 10 in CSP and Surface as a Service Read Julia White’s announcement about the Secure Productive Enterprise

 

Building the intelligent cloud

Customers need the flexibility to move to the cloud on their own terms, and new features, capabilities, and releases are here now or on their way. Read the blog post by Takeshi Numoto for an array of announcements that will help partners enable their customers’ cloud journeys and accelerate their digital transformation.

Read Takeshi Numoto’s blog post Learn about Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft AppSource Expanding business functionality, one IoT-capable app at a time Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 will launch at Ignite

 

Reinventing productivity and business processes

During the day 2 Vision Keynote, Facebook CIO Tim Campos joined Kirk Koenigsbauer on stage to talk about how Facebook is using Office 365 for more than 13,000 employees globally. Office 365 now has more than 70 million users, and that momentum is possible because Microsoft partners are delivering the latest enterprise value in Office 365, including the Skype for Business offerings.

Read Kirk Koenigsbauer’s blog post about Office 365 momentum Learn more about why Facebook is betting on Office 365 and the Microsoft Cloud The future of SharePoint

 

New partner resources for the changing cloud market

Earlier this year, Gavriella Schuster announced that the MPN competencies are evolving, to both streamline the program and to help partners better meet customer demands. In her keynote at WPC 2016, Gavriella outlined new resources that will further enable partners to meet customer needs as cloud demand continues to grow.

  • We’re making it easier for customers to identify our best partners
  • We’ve simplified the application certification process
  • We’re doubling our investment in free software, cloud services, and platforms for partners
  • Partners in the Cloud Solution Provider program have access to click-to-deploy webstore
  • For partners in the Cloud Solution Provider program, solutions and profiles will be syndicated across Microsoft digital properties and communications

Get details about the new resources to help partners capitalize on the explosive demand Learn how you can own the end-to-end customer relationship with the Cloud Solution Provider program Integrate your customer, order, billing, and support systems with Microsoft partner account tools

 

Join the Australia Partner Community and stay informed

Connect with Microsoft subject-matter experts from across the business, and with other partners, in the Australia Partner Community.

Join the Australia Partner Network Yammer Group Join the Australian Microsoft Team at the Microsoft Australia Partner Conference September 5-8 on the Gold Coast.