Well, it’s WPC (Worldwide Partner Conference) time again and that means changes to the Microsoft Partner Network. Most years we see several new and changing competencies and this year is no different. With Microsoft’s recent focus on cloud and the phenomenal success of Office 365, however, it should be no surprise that the Cloud Partner programs (Cloud Deployment and Cloud Accelerate / Essentials) are being revised retired.
None of this should be a shock… we’ve heard rumblings since late 2013 that changes were coming. In November, Julie Bennani (General Manager, Microsoft Partner Network) released the timeline for some of the changes announced at WPC in 2013 (see Partner Program Updates. What you need to know). Included was the retirement of the Cloud Essentials, Accelerate and Deployment programs. In January, a Technet article (see Cloud Program Update: Your Questions, Answered) clarified some of the reasons for the changes and how the retirement of the programs would work and how Partners would be affected.
In a post titled “Making Cloud core to the MPN Program”, this week at WPC 2014, Gavriella Schuster (General Manager, Worldwide Partner Group) confirmed the program update and announced some significant changes that will simplify partnering with Microsoft for public and private cloud while providing additional resources at the same time. Unfortunately, some of the differentiation for top Office 365 partners is falling by the wayside as a result… as her article title suggests, cloud is now core to the MPN program and Microsoft will be expecting more and more partners to get on the cloud bandwagon.
Here’s a summary of what’s new and changed:
| Program | Benefits | Requirements | Description |
| Action Pack | 5 seats of E3
5 seats Intune |
Partner account
Action Pack Purchase for $475 |
Replaces the Cloud Essentials program. Phone support, trial invites, delegated admin. |
| Silver Cloud Productivity Competency | 25 seats of E3
25 seats Intune |
One Office 365 tech
One messaging tech Customer reference Deployed Office 365 active use requirement |
Roughly replaces Cloud Accelerate. Office 365 demo tenant, Signature Cloud Support, trial invites, delegated admin, etc. Switch from assigned seats sold to active use as metric. |
| Gold Cloud Productivity Competency | 100 seats E3
100 seats Intune EMS Direct PAM |
Two Office 365 techs
Two messaging techs Customer reference Deployed Office 365 active use requirement Additional program fee |
Roughly replaces Cloud Deployment. Same as Silver but adds more internal rights, Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) and direct-to-partner support by a tele-partner account manager (tPAM). |
One of the big challenges for partners working with Microsoft on funding offers (BIF) like the enterprise E3 $40/seat FY2013 offer and more recently the watered-down FastTrack Office 365 offer has been the deployed seat metric. It looks like the competencies are going to use a similar metric for now until Microsoft can come up with a good way to accurately measure “active use” of the service. Right now they judge deployment using the number of assigned seats… just due to lack of a better metric.
The Office 365 Marketplace and Pinpoint still have the existing filters (Cloud Deployment, Top Cloud Experts, Cloud Accelerate, etc.) but I would guess those will be replaced by a simpler “Cloud Productivity” filter or such at some point. When that happens those companies that have fought hard for their premium cloud designations may be a bit unhappy. Hopefully the additional resources like EMS and Signature Phone Support being provided offset the loss though.
More information and links to additional material can be had at Cloud is our core – Build a profitable cloud business on the Partner Network site. See a good breakdown of the specific benefits and requirements between the Silver and Gold competencies at Cloud Productivity, also on the Partner Network site.
Do you ever find there’s a lack of sufficient Office 365 technical and learning resources?
Yeah, me neither.
There is so much available it can be a real challenge to identify what is worth your time and what is not. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list but I’m going to hit some highlights of more useful resources. Feel free to add your favorites down in the comments.
I’ve organized resources by category, beginning with introductory materials and ending with expert resources.
Happy learning!
For Beginners
| Resource | Description |
Usefulness
|
| What is Office 365 for business? | Microsoft’s Office 365 main product website is comprehensive with links to use cases, features, versions, pricing, and learning materials. It’s a great place to start. |
*****
|
| Getting to know Office 365 eBook | Has very high level use cases for end users. Gives an idea about capabilities without going in to any details about specific functionality. |
**
|
| Quick Start to Office 365 for Small to Medium Businesses | A guide to introducing new users to Office 365 through Microsoft learning videos, e-mail campaigns and hands-on demonstrations. Zipped guide e-mail templates, presentation, videos, etc. |
***
|
| Office 365 Midsize Business Quick Deployment Guide | An initial training resource for Office 365 admins that will be configuring the service. The guide covers simple new account topics like setting up e-mail services, managing licenses and adding users. |
***
|
| Microsoft Virtual Academy | The MVA is a fantastic resource for IT pros. A number of Office 365 courses are available including introductory guides, video training, hands-on virtual demos and more. |
*****
|
Intermediate and Advanced
| Resource | Description |
Usefulness
|
| Office 365 MCSA Certification | Achieve certification in Office 365. Concentrates on provisioning, identity management (DirSync), federation and single sign on (ADFS), and configuring the services. Instructor-led training is available from Microsoft Learning Partners to prepare. |
****
|
| MS Online Demo Solutions | This site has virtual click-through labs for Office 365 including for migration of users, enabling federation and more. Unfortunately, the content is for an older version of the service and the 2010-level applications. Still, it may be useful for those who don’t have a demo environment and need more hands-on than the videos and documentation provide. |
**
|
| Office Ignite | Important resource! Events, in-depth videos and technical content for training administrators. Much of the content is presented directly by Microsoft product managers, engineers and support staff. |
*****
|
| Office 365 Technical Network on Yammer | This is a great place to network with your peers, ask questions, and interact directly with Microsoft. |
***
|
| LinkedIn Office 365 | The Microsoft Office page on LinkedIn with content shared from members. Join the LinkedIn group for “Microsoft Office 365” as well to network with your peers. |
****
|
| Channel 9 | View videos from Microsoft events – including product demonstrations, training videos and more. |
***
|
| Office 365 Garage Series | These are good videos for deeper technical dives in to particular Office 365 features. They highlight topics like compliance, what’s new with SP1 for Exchange 2013, Yammer, OneDrive and more. |
*****
|
| Office Blogs | News about Office and Office 365… a good place to subscribe a RSS feed to. |
***
|
I know that’s a lot to absorb, but hopefully my descriptions and rankings will help you make sense of them somewhat. This is by no means an exhaustive list… what did I miss? I’ll add the best ones in and update the article periodically.