Directions


Clouding the MPN's Future

What happens in one part of Microsoft doesn't always sync with what happens in another. And that can spell trouble for partners.

Mind the (Product) Gap

The two biggest reasons for working with Microsoft are its solid support for partners and the breadth of its product line.

Playing the Incentives Game

To succeed as a Microsoft partner you need to understand what Microsoft -- and often a particular person at Microsoft -- wants.

Microsoft Partners and the Language of Incentive

The buzzword in Microsoft partner relationships these days appears to be "incentives."

The Middleman Is Dead, Long Live the Middleman!

Partners might be wondering what their role selling Microsoft solutions will be when the bulk of services are offered direct to customers online.

Cloud Strategies: Yours and Microsoft's

Microsoft's determination to dominate the market for online services has never been as evident as it was at the 2010 Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC). Why is it moving so aggressively into that space?

Watch Out for the Mammals

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

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 and Mobile Apps

When a lot of innovative and hungry people gather in one place, the results can be explosive. That's what is taking place in the mobile segment, and Microsoft is just getting started.

Competing and Cannibalizing

When Microsoft wades into a market with an inexpensive, global solution with the weight of its vast partner community behind it, everyone else often heads for cover.

Clouds: Shifting the Business Model

Now that Microsoft Windows Azure and SQL Azure are commercially available, partners need to consider how the company's new cloud services will change the landscape of how software and services are delivered.

If Taxes Are Inevitable, Cash In

Tackling the government sector can pay long-term dividends.

A Cloud Solid Enough to Stand On

The City of LA's decision to replace its e-mail system with Gmail can serve as a rubric for what makes a cloud offering desirable to organizations.

Cutting LARs to the Bone

For LARs, recent changes to the way Microsoft treats its reseller channel have really hurt.

Partner Hosting Still Has a Future

Long the subject of benign neglect, the Services Provider License Agreement has been rejuvenated in the last year with significant program changes.