RCP Magazine

What's New

• Watch Out for the Mammals

  Success in the small business space has always been Microsoft's to lose.

• Dynamics CRM Facelift Brings Confidence to the Channel

  Partners like Jeffrey Goldstein are eager for features in Microsoft's forthcoming release that will give them better traction against Salesforce.com.

• Gathering Clouds: Microsoft Has a Lot up There, What's Next?

  In our three main features this month, we're looking at three different ways Microsoft is bringing its traditional products to the cloud.

• Microsoft's Cloud in a Box

  The Windows Azure Platform Appliance is coming this fall. While you can't buy one of these limited-production releases, it could portend the future of private clouds.

• 4 Steps to Better Cloud Sales

  Simply put, if you create a cool product and want to deliver it via the cloud, you need to create your own channel.

• Flat Pitch

  Some MSPs are intrigued by the new Microsoft cloud-based Windows Intune, but the product's early positioning and the company's commitment to the managed services model are questioned.

• Once Upon a Channel

  In August 1981, IBM introduced its first "personal computer" and, explaining that nobody but IBM could sell IBM, decided that the few selected companies that would be furnishing these small units to consumers and small businesses would be "resellers" instead of "sellers."

• Microsoft's 8 Most Popular 'Zombie' Product Lines (and What To Do If Your Customers Want Them)

  Beware of these eight undead products: Customers may want them, but their support and future are in doubt.

• Charting Cloud Channels

  As you heard at the Partner Conference, Microsoft's partner program is headed toward the cloud. Here's your first steps to not being left behind.

• The 5 Biggest Challenges for the New Microsoft Channel Chief

  Jonathan Roskill takes over the Worldwide Partner Group at a time of overlapping, critical transitions.

• Growing Your Company: The Power of Net-New

  Partners who focus on net-new clients will see growth; but you'll need focus and correct execution to really pull out a win.

• 11 Things to Know About... WPC Takeaways

  Here are 11 key takeaways from Microsoft's 2010 Worldwide Partner Conference.

• Microsoft Gets Its Mojo Back

  Redmond's new cloud focus is a next-gen approach. And the food at WPC was great. (For how these two items are related, read on.)

• Get Comfortable with the Cloud

  Relax, there's a future with Microsoft in the cloud, channel chief Allison Watson plans to tell partners at this month's WPC. That's not to say it won't take hard work to get there. Watson and pioneering partners share their flight path to profits.

• How Much Company Can I Afford To Buy?

  The IT M&A market is heating up -- here's the questions you need to answer to be ready for your next possible acquisition.

• Migration Madness: SharePoint 2010

  Now that SharePoint 2010 is shipping, partners are primed to handle upgrades on customers' terms.

• Cloud Visibility: Security Audit Demands for Your Cloud Vendor

  The question isn't whether the cloud is secure, but whether your provider can show you what's behind the curtain.

• Bare Metal Battle: Microsoft and Citrix vs. the World

  Microsoft leads partners to side with Citrix in virtualization's newest battle.

• Making the Most of a Partner Conference

  In a field crowded with competitors, differentiation needs to be part of everything you do -- even how you attend a partner conference.

• RCP: The First 5 Years

  Five years ago this month, we launched our first issue of Redmond Channel Partner magazine. The goal then, as it is now, was to be an independent voice of the Microsoft partner community with a mission of driving partner success.

• Taking Another Look at the LAR-VAR Balance

  An experiment with deal registration for Microsoft partners suggests that the company is looking for alternatives to its current reseller structure. As with many changes, this is fraught with both opportunity and risk.

• Microsoft on Security: Actions Speak Louder than Words

  Big targets are always easy to hit. Perhaps no company in the modern age of commerce knows this better than Microsoft.