The Changing Channel


Microsoft Partners Cannot Live by Fees Alone

Selling cloud service subscriptions isn't a bad strategy -- as long as you use them to set the stage for sales of your own suite of services.

Figuring Out Which IT Community Is Right for You

For channel partners, joining a community is essential to making their voices heard by the larger organizations they are partners with. But given the wide variety of communities in the channel, it can be a challenge for partners to know which ones suit them best.

Yes, Partners: There Is Still a Channel

As the recent ConnectWise conference demonstrated, the channel hasn't been made obsolete -- it's just gotten more evolved.

Microsoft's 'Cloud OS' Era Means a Return to License Land

Microsoft threw another wrench in the effort to define cloud computing when it ushered in its Cloud OS era with Windows Server 2012. But for partners, the new definition means that for once, they won't have to change as much as they thought.

Why Is Microsoft Putting the Squeeze on Partner Support?

In reducing its ranks of partner-facing support personnel, Microsoft may be taking some pointers from the president of Howard's old company: "If you've got enough people to do the job, you have too many people."

Don't Worry, the Cloud Won't Kill the Channel -- Just Change It

Doomsayers are blaming cloud computing for the theoretical demise of the channel, but from Howard's point of view, it's all FUD.

Microsoft: Still Crazy After All These Years

Some people might look at the "new" Microsoft and say it's less personal, more corporate. Those people would be wrong.

A Conversation with Microsoft's Channel Chief: BYOD, Cloud and Shifting Partner Roles

What does Microsoft's Jon Roskill think is driving the most profound change in the partner channel?

Using MindManager To Organize Client Projects

There's only one "thought-processor" tool that has helped me develop perhaps thousands of different kinds of projects.

How 'Cloud' Isn't Helping the Cloud

What changes with the cloud is very simple. Instead of just hardware and software, we now integrate hardware, software and services. So why don't many partner companies believe in it?

Partnering for Survival: Strength in Numbers for Microsoft Partners

It might be a tired cliche but it also happens to be true: You can't -- and you probably don't want to even try -- to be all things to all people.

In the New Partner Channel, Who's Doing the Selling?

As more IT firms continue to adopt the professional practice model, the traditional salesperson no longer fits the model.

When It Comes to Microsoft Partners, Size Matters

With the tide shifting to favor Microsoft's larger partners, smaller shops need to seriously consider revisiting their partnering strategy.

Analysis: Is There Still a Microsoft Partner Channel?

Channel guru Howard Cohen debates whether the Microsoft partner channel is really still a channel at all.