Worldwide Partner Conference 2013: Session Cheat Sheet
Microsoft, its partners and consultants will expound on literally thousands of topics during hundreds of sessions at the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Houston next month. Here are some of the sessions, outside of the main keynotes, that promise to be especially interesting:
WINVK01
Windows: The Next Wave of Innovation and Partner Opportunity
Microsoft is promising an update to its flagship client OS called Windows 8.1 later this year. This session promises to cover why the new version will be better for business and the enterprise than Windows 8.
MPNVK
Microsoft Partner Network in a New World: Enabling Partners To Win with Services, Devices and Applications
Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) General Manager Julie Bennani leads an update on the evolution of the MPN to help partners take advantage of trends, including cloud, big data, mobility and enterprise social.
WIN09
"Here, Take My Money": All of the Windows Campaigns for FY14 Explained
This session should win an award for the best session title. The content looks pretty good, too. This is a small to midsize business (SMB)-focused session covering Microsoft's fiscal year 2014 incentives, such as Windows Accelerate and Get2Modern.
US24
How U.S. Partners Can Monetize Windows Azure IaaS
The addition of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) capabilities to Windows Azure is a big deal. The session, intended for business development managers and practice leads, covers funding, incentives, sample go-to-market activities and sample statements of work.
WIN10
Getting Off Windows XP in 30 Minutes or Less
And you thought this whole Windows XP support sunset in April 2014 would be a big deal for your customers. This is a technical how-to session for taking users from Windows XP all the way to Windows 8 using free tools from Microsoft.
US14
Winning and Growing in the U.S. SMB Relationship Era
Attendees will hear from longtime Microsoft SMB leader Cindy Bates and Microsoft North America President Judson Althoff in his first WPC since leaving his post as Oracle's channel chief. Topics will include FY 14 priorities and incentives for SMBs.
SC35
People-Centric IT: Addressing BYOD and Mobile Device Management
This session covers the Microsoft-centric view of how to use the company's on-premises and cloud tools to support the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and mobile device management trends.
DYN22
MarketingPilot: What It Means for the New Marketer and Your Business
Microsoft CRM partners and partners who use Dynamics CRM can get an introduction to the technology of MarketingPilot, which Microsoft acquired in October. The session will cover the technology, including campaign automation and marketing resource management, as well as Microsoft's roadmap for integrating MarketingPilot into Dynamics CRM.
US12
A Guided Tour of U.S. Partner Programs and the Resources that Keep You Informed
Diane Golshan and Julie Golding, two of the social media faces of Microsoft's U.S. channel organization, provide a guided tour of the Microsoft Partner Network resources and how to find them and use them. The session is for both managed and unmanaged partners.
Posted by Scott Bekker on June 17, 2013