Posted by Julie Golding, Partner Subscriptions Manager, Microsoft U.S. Partner Team.

Each month in the U.S. partner newsletter, our Microsoft Cloud Partner Program expert in the U.S., Julie Golding, delivers a message to Microsoft Cloud Essentials Pack subscribers, offering information about growth and engagement opportunities and tips for utilizing the benefits of the subscription. Read the Cloud Partner blog series.

In response to partner feedback, there is a new benefit available to Cloud Essentials subscribers—Delegated Administration. Available for Microsoft Office 365 now and for Windows Intune soon, Delegated Administration enables you to better manage and add value for your customers by taking over administration for their online services. It also lets you offer online services trials to customers and prospects. To activate your Delegated Administration benefit, sign in to microsoftcloudpartner.com and go to Get Benefits.

Other cloud-related news and information I want to share with you, and you can read the full issue of the June 15 newsletter, too:

• Capitalize on the cloud opportunity with the new Small Business Competency. The growing maturity of cloud computing can open major revenue streams for partners in the small business segment. Earning the Small Business competency uniquely positions your business to take advantage of this market opportunity, demonstrate advanced skills and technology expertise, and provide cost-effective services.
• The cloud will of course be a significant topic of discussion at next month’s Worldwide Partner Conference. A search on “cloud” in the Session Catalog returned 100 sessions across the many tracks offered. Use the audience and track filters to quickly see sessions that align to your business model, the customer segments you serve, the products on which your solutions are built. You can then build your Conference schedule on WPC Connect. If you are not yet registered for WPC, there’s still time—don’t miss the connection, networking, and business value this annual event offers partners.
  • In the U.S. Sub Track on Thursday, I recommend “SMB Practice Development and Profitability in the Cloud” (US11); “Marketing Cloud” (US04); “Monetizing the Cloud: Strategies and Tactics to Move Your Business to the Cloud” (US08); and “The Next Wave of Productivity Heroes” (US07).
• We just released the latest version of Windows Intune, with new features such as mobile device management and integration with Active Directory Domain Services.
  • For Windows Intune sales and technical training options—many of them offered at no cost to Microsoft partners, sign in to the Learning Plan Tool.
  • At WPC, two sessions you should attend are “Expand Your Cloud Profitability and Practice with Windows Intune” (SMB05) and “Building a Managed Services Practice Powered by Windows Intune” (WIN03p).
  • Use the Windows Intune Ready-to-Go Marketing campaign to create demand for your services around Windows Intune with customers and prospects.
• A new blog series called Cloud GPS provides a central point for partner executives, business consultants, and Microsoft cloud experts to come together and discuss real-world cloud best practices. Read the latest guest post about cloud profitability.