Opinion


Watching the Foundations

Microsoft is losing market share on a few franchise products almost as aggressively as it gained that share in the 1990s.

Azure Plus the Dynamics Partner

The Dynamics-in-the-cloud vision remains murky, but partners can take part in giving it shape as Microsoft figures out how to deliver it the right way.

Hazarding a Look Ahead

Uncertain financial climate, new U.S. president, new Windows OS -- all on the horizon and bound to affect partners in some way.

No Rhythm to the Rain

Redmond has been warning and preparing for a difficult financial year. Smart partners should listen up and do likewise.

5 Ways Redmond Can Fix Its Mobile Mess

Microsoft should learn a couple of things from its Vista missteps.

Make Monday Morning Meetings Count

Get on the right track and start your week off with a well-informed, well-organized game plan.

Forecasting Azure Skies

Never mind the recession. With Windows Azure, partners have a new set of challenges brought on by cloud-based computing.

Putting the Squeeze on LARs

LARs may become a rarity, as Microsoft proposes changes to limit the earning power of those LARs focused on license-only sales.

coming soon

coming soon

Sprint to the Finish -- in a Whole New Race

You may have a sense of urgency driven by end-of-year deadlines for quotas or bonuses, but you need to show prospects how moving forward at this point will benefit <i>them</i>.

Learning from History

Microsoft is cleverly undermining Apple's "I'm a PC" tagline -- a harbinger of humiliation -- by turning it into a positive affirmation.

Tech Starts to Feel the Pain

IT seemed immune to the financial crisis, but companies are now reacting as news becomes more ominous by the day.

Microsoft's BI Challenge, Round 2

Some internal movements at Redmond might have BI heavyweights on their toes.

Expect Google to Burnish Chrome to a High Shine

Dismiss Chrome as another browser and partners might miss a big opportunity.

Where Does Microsoft Want to Go Today?

Microsoft's roadmap for partners and customers continues to be muddled with too many goals and no defined direction.

Playing the Deployment Card

Microsoft aims to have partners making more strategic software deployments a priority in the next year.

How Do You Measure Sales Success?

Some easy dashboard metrics for partners who want to squeeze as much as they can from their strategic sales-management plans.

What's Your KPI?

What's working and what's not working at your company? A good way to find out is trending your business through Key Performance Indicators.

S+S Starting Gun Fired

Microsoft's software and services combo takes a running start at competitors with "deskless" versions of its Office tools.

Recognizing Net Reality

Hosting partners live on the edge as Microsoft plays in their cloud.