Profit, Possibility & the Future in the Cloud

Cloud-oriented partners are outperforming partners with other business models across the industry. They gain 1.3X more revenue per employee on top of the gross profit.*

Recurring revenue is the new success metric. Why is recurring revenue so powerful? Having long-term customers, predictability, cash flow, and higher company valuations can appeal to business owners and executives. According to IDC research, cloud-oriented partners reported achieving more than 1.6 times the recurring revenue than other partners.

Take a look at your existing business model and profit pools to plan your transition to the cloud.

Transact – The resale of someone else’s hardware and/or software.

Project Services – Fixed services that align with deploying hardware, software or application development.

 Managed Services – Standardized, tiered services that enable a partner to add value to their customer while building a recurring revenue stream (e.g., subscriptions or    monthly billings).

 IP Services – The monetization of Intellectual Property through software development; packaged application or business process.

Partner resources

So, how do you get started? First, understand your profit pools. Cloud can be a great opportunity to build additional services that complement your business and further your relationship with your customer. Understanding how you currently serve your market by profit pool will give you the insight to help build cloud services into your business.

Cloud partner profitability guidance

IDC Successful Cloud Partners eBook (PDF download)

Learn how to start a cloud practice with Microsoft Cloud Solutions

Announced at WPC 2014: Cloud performance path

Here are some additional resources and opportunities:
 

Cloud Partner Summit

Our summit is designed to give you an overview of our Cloud solutions covering core content of O365, Azure, Windows, Devices and CRM online as well as having Microsoft guest speakers, Partners and IDC presenting.

This is also a great opportunity for you to meet with some of our Execs as well as have the opportunity to ask questions directly to us and meet with other partners in your area so whether you have not yet sold Microsoft Cloud solutions but would like to understand more, or for partners that have started to sell and would like to understand how they can grow their practice.

In addition to the first day of the summit we have lined up 3 days of training in each city. The training covers a breadth of topics:

4. Office 365 Technical Ignite

A series of 3 day workshops providing deep-dive technical readiness on all productivity workloads from Microsoft product experts.

5. Office 365 Drumbeat

Aimed at partners in sales and pre-sales technical roles, an exclusive partner-only Drumbeat Sales Readiness day. 

6. Profitability Workshop

Learn how successful partners have leveraged the new revenue stream opportunities that the Cloud has opened up across multiple business models. 

7. Technical Hosting

One day opportunity for Hosting Service providers, offering solutions based on VMware,

OpenSource and MS technologies and looking to launch new offers.

Register Today - https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/web/cloud-partner-summit/

Microsoft Partner Network - The new Cloud Competencies

Cloud is coming to the Microsoft Partner Network! The Cloud Accelerate, Cloud Deployment Partners, and Azure Circle programs will be retired. Partners will have a path to migrate into the three new cloud performance competencies listed below.

What does this mean for existing cloud program members? If you are a Cloud Accelerate or Cloud Deployment partner who meets the cloud performance threshold for the Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions or Cloud Productivity competencies, you will be granted the silver level of those competencies for one year. If you are an Azure Circle partner who meets the cloud performance threshold for the Cloud Platform competency, you will be granted the silver level of that competency for one year.

Partners who attain the new cloud performance competencies will earn the silver level at no cost and will receive gold level at a reduced price. Partners who qualify will receive a host of benefits that include:

• Cloud support

• Internal-use rights and development and test environments

• Channel incentives and access to special offers

• Guaranteed field or tele management at the gold level

Learn more https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/ca/pages/solutions/cloud-is-our-core.aspx

For more details, a walkthrough of the new competencies and more information on the transition plans, join us at our MPN Launch Information session on September 17th, 2pm EST!

Register Today https://msevents.microsoft.com/cui/EventDetail.aspx?culture=en-CA&EventID=1032593259&IO=2CiSduGRlQ%2ferjY6HNeQCw%3d%3d

* IDC, 2014. Successful Cloud Partners 2.0., sponsored by Microsoft.