The US partner newsletter contains the latest partner-related information and news to help you utilize your membership benefits, understand your opportunities and close business, and build your skills.
Role-based training recommendations for this issue will help you build your capabilities in Collaboration and Content: Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, and Visual Studio.
Visit and sign in to the US partner portal for the latest news about products and programs, and check out our blog series aligned to your membership and areas of interest.
Announcements
Join the U.S. Partner Community on Yammer
Engage with the Microsoft U.S. team and with other partners on our new Yammer network. It’s easy to join and use, allowing for private and public discussions and conversations. Our step-by-step instructions will get you going quickly.
We’d Like Your Feedback About Loyalty Programs
The Microsoft U.S. team is in the early stages of designing a partner appreciation program, and your input and feedback will help us determine what benefits you would value most. Our short, 14-question survey will take you from 5-15 minutes to complete, and your answers will be used to inform our planning and help align our program with your needs.
WPC 2013: Keynote and Sessions for Resellers Serving SMB Customers
Come to the Worldwide Partner Conference to hear firsthand about the revenue growth opportunity in this dynamic customer segment and how Microsoft can help you build a profitable practice around SMB customers. These sessions will be held throughout the week. Then, on Thursday, July 11, plan to join Cindy Bates, Vice President of US SMB and Distribution, and her team for a keynote and session.
WPC 2013: Sessions from the US Office Team
If the new Office and Microsoft Office 365 are integral to your Microsoft practice, you’ll want to be at WPC to hear the US Office Team present five sessions about your opportunities in the coming year. You’ll leave each session with a better understanding of the overall Office business and technology vision and be prepared to compete and close more deals.
July 7 at WPC 2013: Application Lifecycle Management Partner Briefing
Join members of the Microsoft Visual Studio Developer Tools team and Application Lifecycle Management partners from around the world in Houston, Texas, for a business event about industry trends, business opportunities, sales efforts, marketing campaigns, and technology growth for the coming year.
Promote Your Competency to Customers and Prospects
Integrate our materials—press release kit, web banners, microsite with video, and more—into your marketing campaigns to help explain the value that your competency brings to customers. Our campaign guide is your starting point to take best advantage of what’s available.
Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for May 2013
As part of our usual cycle of security updates, we released our latest Security Bulletin Summary on Tuesday, May 14, with two critical and eight important bulletins. The next bulletin is scheduled for Tuesday, June 11. Register for the June 2013 security bulletin webcast.
Increase Your Margins with the Hyper-V Deployment Offer
Many small and midsized businesses today are turning to virtualization to help them do more with less. With Hyper-V built-in, Windows Server 2012 delivers a complete virtualization platform out-of-the-box, so your customers can quickly start taking advantage of the benefits of virtualization. You can get up to $500 cash back when you sell Windows Server by June 21 and deploy Hyper-V. Terms and conditions.
Microsoft Move to the Modern Office Sweepstakes
Register your company to enter our sweepstakes, and then sell eligible SKUs of the new Office to your customers. For each qualifying sale between February 1 and June 30, the registered company will receive an entry into our Move to the Modern Office sweepstakes. Official rules.
Cloud Easy Offer Ends May 31—Talk to Your Customers About the Cloud Today
The Cloud Easy offer lets your customers earn partner subsidy dollars on their Microsoft Online Services subscription purchases—dollars they can apply to additional software licenses, subscriptions, or services. Offer ends May 31. Terms and conditions.
Big Easy Offer 10 Ends May 31—Help Your Customers Update Their IT
It's the right time to talk to your customers about upgrading their IT to use new features and functionality in Microsoft products that help increase operational efficiency, data management, productivity, and collaboration. The Big Easy Offer 10 covers a wide variety of popular Microsoft on-premises software. Offer ends May 31. Offer terms and conditions.
Create Events that Meet Your Business Needs
Use the Ready-to-Go Marketing event tool to set up and manage in-person or online events. You can create events from campaigns that are in-market, custom events, or events that you cohost with another partner. The event tool even lets you create reminders and track leads.
The Get2Modern Campaign Helps Your SMB Customers Move to the Modern Desktop
On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will end support for the decade-old Windows XP and Office 2003. This means customers will no longer receive updates, including security updates, for Windows XP from Microsoft. You can help your customers stay up to date and save them up to 15 percent with a limited-time upgrade offer for the new Office and Windows 8. Offer ends June 20. Terms and conditions.
Create Your Digital Marketing Campaign with Microsoft Advertising
Enhance your marketing plans with Microsoft digital marketing products that help you expand your business, appeal to more customers, and differentiate your company in the marketplace.
Share Your Windows Intune Success with Us
Enter the Windows Intune Partner Gallery competition for a chance to win a Surface Pro. Create a short video demonstrating your success with Windows Intune, and enter your video in the contest by June 30. Terms and conditions.
Microsoft Office 365 Partner Support Update
The Microsoft Cloud Partner Support Team recently released information about technical support volumes and how partners can avoid delays when requesting support by following certain steps. In our blog post, they also offer links to the top support information for partners.
May 22: How to Sell Microsoft Office 365 on Open Licensing
Each Wednesday through the end of June, learn from Microsoft experts and our cloud distributor partners about the new licensing options for Microsoft Office 365. Next calls: May 29, June 5, June 12, June 19, and June 26.
June 7: Monthly SMB Compete Webcast for Resellers
Register for our June webcast, which will help you secure your SMB customer base and increase your market share with Microsoft-based solutions against competitors like Google and VMware. You can watch previous webcasts on demand.
June 3–7: Build Your Windows 8 Practice
The Practice Accelerator for Flexible Workstyle provides an overview of a persona-based approach to solutions for the Windows 8 operating system. You will receive training on using a comprehensive set of reusable tools and best practices that can help you identify customer requirements and project scope, analyze customer needs, and deploy solutions based on Windows 8.
On Demand: Highlights from Microsoft Certified Career Day
Catch highlights from Certified Career Day 2013 in these recorded webcasts. You’ll learn from an esteemed panel of IT industry experts about cloud technologies and the opportunities for advancing your IT career in the cloud through skills development, training, and certification.
Microsoft Office 365 and Windows Intune Accelerators
Download and review the Online Services Advisor incentives guide to understand what incentives you may be eligible for based on your Office 365 and Windows Intune sales. And on June 6, you can join a call with Marie Talley, the U.S. expert on these incentives, to learn more and ask questions.
Re-Enroll in Planning Services to Access Your Resources on the New Platform
The systems that support Software Assurance Planning Services enrollment are now available on the partner portal. You can now update your company information and check your enrollment status in real time. Sign into the partner portal and re-enroll in Planning Services in order to reserve or redeem Planning Services days.
Microsoft Office 365 Email Migration Offer from Quest Software Ends June 30
Migrate your first 25 mailboxes to Office 365 at no cost, using OnDemand Migration for Email from Quest Software. This offer from Quest is a great way to start using your internal-use software that is part of your Microsoft Cloud Essentials subscription. Offer ends June 30.
The Microsoft Office 365 Advantage: Competing Against Google
How does Office 365 stack up against Google around security, privacy, and compliance? Download and review our presentation, and use it with customers and prospects to discuss the advantages of Microsoft Office 365.
Port a Website to a Windows Store App
There are specific considerations and steps to follow when porting a basic website to a Windows Store app using JavaScript. When you visit App Builder you can learn about security and performance considerations for developing a Windows Store app using JavaScript with online connectivity and a specific server component.
Meet NoSQL Storage Needs with Windows Azure
Take advantage of Tables in Windows Azure and NoSQL for apps with large storage requirements for unstructured data. Access is assured from virtually any location via REST and managed APIs, while storage can scale to up to 100 terabytes. Check out the capabilities with a free 90-day trial of Windows Azure.
Content Marketing Solution for Microsoft Dynamics Partners—Free 30-Day Trial
The Butterfly Publisher tool makes it easy to define and implement your content strategy across blogs, email newsletters, and social media, and it can work with your existing marketing tools and popular programs like HubSpot and Click Dimensions. Try it free for 30 days, and then continue for $125 per month, with no contract and no extra charges.
Microsoft Dynamics Offers Expand Customer Solutions
There are several offers in place now that can help you close sales. Check out our Offer Council Summary Sheet to take advantage of the User Offer for ERP Customers and the A la Carte Module Offer for Microsoft Dynamics GP and NAV Customers. Details and terms and conditions for all available offers are provided in the summary sheet.
Lapsed Customer Re-Enrollment Promotion
Eligible customers who have lapsed on their Microsoft Dynamics Business Ready Enhancement Plan service plan can renew their plan with discounted lapsed fees. This offer is available to existing customers for all Microsoft Dynamics product lines who have lapsed on their service plan prior to October 1, 2011 (customers who have lapsed for greater than 18 months). Offer ends June 21. Terms and conditions.
Convergence 2013 Attendee Offer Ends May 30
Your Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and Microsoft Dynamics SL customers who attended Convergence 2013 are eligible to receive a 20% discount on additional users and/or modules meeting a minimum System Price List value of $2,400. Terms and conditions.
Invite Your Customers to Microsoft Dynamics ERP Webcasts
On PartnerSource, you’ll find a schedule for Microsoft Dynamics ERP webcasts and templates you can use to invite your customers and prospects to these events.
May 22 Webcast: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Transition to Microsoft Online Portal
Microsoft is transitioning all subscriptions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to the same platform used for Microsoft Office 365 and other Online Services. This will result in a unified experience and simplified account management for customers. In early 2014, the old billing platform of CTP will be retired and all customers will need to be transitioned onto the new billing platform.
Training resources
Register Today for Upcoming Sales and Technical Training
Training on new Microsoft products is a valuable benefit of being a partner. To help you find the webcasts, classroom-style courses and partner calls that are pertinent to your role, we’ve created the Hot Sheet. It contains a six-week outlook of training, so you can register early.
Training Sweepstakes Courses Include Windows 8, the New Office, and Microsoft Office 365
Take on-demand sales and technical training for Windows 8, Office, and Office 365 to increase your product knowledge and earn a chance to win an American Express gift card. Many of these courses can help you work toward earning a technical certification or a sales accreditation. Game ends June 30. Official rules.
Demonstrate Your Sales Expertise and Enter to Win a Trip to Hawaii
When you pass a Microsoft sales or pre-sales technical assessment, you receive an accreditation tile that showcases your knowledge and the solutions your company can deliver. We will automatically enter you into our drawing for a trip to Hawaii when you pass your next assessment by May 31. Contest ends May 31. Official rules.
Microsoft Certification Exam Offers End May 31
If you are preparing for Microsoft certification exams to update your skills for the latest products or to apply to the requirements for a competency, take advantage of our exam offers. Purchase a pack of exams for up to 40% off and, for a limited time, get a free second chance to pass the exams if needed. Offers end May 31, and you must take your exams by December 31.
May 20: Reimagine SharePoint Development - Migrate Solutions to Apps
Join Senior Product Marketing Manager, Keenan Newton, and special guest Partner Director of Apps Program Management, Robert Lefferts, as we kick off our new site centered around migrating SharePoint solutions to apps.
Free Cloud Certification Prep for Windows Server 2012 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012
The 90 Days to MCSA program provides you with a plan of action to complete your certification. It also includes tools such as free exam prep, a clear roadmap, and community support. Your certification in Windows Server 2012 or Microsoft SQL Server 2012 proves your expertise to your customers and your company.
New Microsoft Lync Sales Training
A new seven-module sales training session is now available on demand. These training modules will also be used as the basis for new Lync 2013 assessments for the Communications competency, to be available in June. The 2013 assessments will replace the 2010 assessments and become mandatory beginning in October.
May 29 at 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time: Windows Azure Partner Forum—Looking Ahead
On a special Windows Azure community call leading into the Worldwide Partner Conference, you will hear from several guest speakers articulating the momentum we have on Windows Azure and how Microsoft is enabling its partners to be successful. Register for the 8:00 AM PT call; register for the 5:00 PM PT call.
Free Jump Starts Help You Prepare for Certification Exams
Attend free, online Jump Start training classes by Microsoft Virtual Academy to prepare for certification exams. Each of these one-day events includes technical background, demos, exam preparation discussions, interactive chats with industry experts, and more. Register for upcoming live events or watch available recordings.
New Sales Training for the New Office
Recently released sales training for the new Office covers licensing, how to accelerate your sales, how to more effectively demo Office 365, and how to use the customer decision framework. Follow the Office Ignite Sales learning path to build your sales expertise.
Bring your questions about Microsoft System Center 2012 to this two-hour, live Q&A session presented by Microsoft Virtual Academy. Hosted by Senior Technical Evangelist Symon Perriman, we’ll focus on topics covered in previous Virtual Academy courses about System Center.
May 23 Jump Start: Advanced Windows Store App Development Using C#
If you are a .NET developer and interested in building Windows 8 apps, register for this free, live online Jump Start. The course includes prep for Microsoft exam 70-485, a requirement to earn the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer certification.
May 28: Software Testing with Visual Studio 2012
Spend the day with Microsoft Virtual Academy and find out how to immediately improve software testing with Visual Studio 2012. This online course will help you prepare for Microsoft certification exam 70-497, which you can apply toward the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer certification for Application Lifecycle Management.
May 29: Administering Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2012 (exam 70-496) Jump Start
If you are responsible for setting up and customizing Team Foundation Server, spend the day in this Jump Start. You’ll learn to define the types of work items available and their attributes to take full advantage of the TFS platform for application lifecycle management. This course will prep you for exam 70-496, required for earning the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer certification for Application Lifecycle Management.
TechNet Radio: Windows Server 2012 File Server and SMB 3.0—Simpler by Design
Just how easy is it to use SMB 3.0? That’s the topic for this episode of TechNet radio where Bob Hunt and Jose Barreto discuss Windows Server 2012 File Storage for Virtualization. Tune in as they chat about SMB transparent failover, scale-out, multichannel, SMB Direct, encryption, and much more!
TechNet Radio: Hybrid Windows Azure IaaS Scenarios—Migrating Microsoft SharePoint to Windows Azure
In part 3 of the TechNet Radio Windows Azure IaaS series, Matt Hester and Keith Mayer discuss common scenarios in which IT pros can use Windows Azure as a hybrid solution between their on-premises and cloud service needs. Tune in as they discuss disaster recovery and storage as well as how to migrate your SharePoint environment to a virtual machine running on Azure.
DevRadio: How the Smart Shopping App Was Built
David Chou welcomes Brian Satorius to DevRadio for a discussion on how Brian, founder and creator of the Smart Shopping app, developed his app for Windows 8 and Windows Phone using Windows Azure as its back-end cloud service platform.
TechNet Radio: Creating and Delegating Private Clouds in Virtual Machine Manager
In this episode of the Building a Private Cloud with System Center series, Keith Mayer and Yung Chou show how to create and delegate private clouds in Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager. Tune in for their demos and learn how to create private clouds and assign host groups, logical networks, storage, and load balancers.
TechNet Radio: Updating the Private Cloud Fabric
In part 9 of the Building a Private Cloud with System Center series, Keith Mayer and Yung Chou tackle the process of servicing and updating private cloud applications and the underlying fabric. Tune in for a step-by-step discussion on how to update service templates as well as how to apply and manage critical updates to applications.
May 29-June 21 in Fargo, North Dakota: Microsoft Dynamics AX Fast TrAX
In this course for consultants, we’ll help you prepare for Microsoft Dynamics AX certification through an intensive, 18-day training. The program is augmented with an end-to-end case study to provide additional hands-on experience.
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Enterprise Academy—Level 300 Workshops
The Step 3: Level 300 Workshops consist of up to 5 days of in-person training and interactive sessions focusing on how to implement Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 in order to address specific customer business needs.
May 20–24 in Chicago, Illinois: Microsoft Dynamics CRM Enterprise Academy
This five-day instructor-led training provides a 200-level functional CRM foundation and 300-level Advanced Development and Advanced Infrastructure content for Microsoft Dynamics CRM to help you address the needs of your enterprise customers.
May 28–June 28: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Summer Institute
These workshops include on-demand, virtual, and in-person training that targets recent college hires. They are designed as a deep dive overview of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 and will help these new hires at your company develop their knowledge and skills. Session 1: May 28–June 28; Session 2: June 28–August 2.
On Demand: Closing Sales Webcast Series for Microsoft Dynamics Partners
Three sessions are available on demand, designed to help with closing sales in this final quarter of the Microsoft fiscal year. Session I: Prioritizing Opportunities; Session II: Reversing a No Decision; Session III: Getting to Yes!
Featured training – Collaboration and Content Management
Build technical and sales capability in collaboration and content management solutions by following our training recommendations for Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, and Microsoft Visual Studio.
Training for Business Decision Makers
- Build Your Business as a Microsoft Project and Microsoft SharePoint Partner
- Overview of Microsoft SharePoint Online
- Silver Collaboration and Content Competency Requirements
- Gold Collaboration and Content Competency Requirements
- Collaboration and Content Learning Path
Training for Sales and Marketing Roles
- Earn the Collaboration and Content Sales Specialist Accreditation
- Grow Your Business as a Microsoft Project and SharePoint Partner
- Demonstrating Microsoft Project
- Best Practices Selling Microsoft Project
- Successfully Delivering a Microsoft Project Proof of Concept
- More Collaboration and Content Training
Training for IT Professionals
- Microsoft Project 2013 Ignite
- Overview of Microsoft SharePoint Online
- Microsoft SharePoint Overview: Creating a New Way to Work Together
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 DB: Installing, Upgrading, and Migrating
- MCSE: SharePoint Certification
- MCSM: SharePoint Certification
- More Collaboration and Content Training
Training for Developers
- Microsoft SharePoint Dev Center
- Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Training for Developers
- Microsoft Project 2013 Developer Resources
- Microsoft SQL Server Dev Center
- Get Started with Visual Studio
- Microsoft Visio 2013 Developer Resources
Training for Training Roles
- Become a Microsoft Certified Trainer
- Collaboration and Content Learning Path
- Grow Your Business as a Microsoft Project and SharePoint Partner
- Microsoft SharePoint Overview: Creating a New Way to Work Together
- Silver Collaboration and Content Competency Requirements
- Gold Collaboration and Content Competency Requirements