Marching Orders 2017: Invest in Employees
What should you do to make the most of technology business opportunities in 2017? For this "Marching Orders" series, we put that question to a number of channel luminaries, including top Microsoft channel executives, consultants, Microsoft partners and other regular RCP contributors. This entry comes from Eduardo Kassner, CTO of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group.
Organizations across all industries are recognizing the value digital transformation can have in propelling future growth and it's driving the explosive demand for cloud-enabled solutions. With Microsoft Azure premium services revenue, we have seen triple-digit growth for the last eight consecutive quarters. In 2017, it will be more important than ever to make investments in cloud training for your most valuable resource, your employees.
We want to make it as easy as possible for every partner to get the skills they need to address the growing market opportunity. To help close the skills gap in the high-tech industry, at our Worldwide Partner Conference this past July, we announced the Microsoft Professional Program (MPP), the first of its kind to offer employer-endorsed, university-caliber curriculum for professionals at any stage of their career.
MPP is a Microsoft-led initiative that provides professionals with real-world knowledge and hands-on experience to grow their skills in critical fields. All courseware is available on the edX platform. The initial curriculum, designed with input and participation from industry leaders, universities and our learning partners, is focused on data science to provide critical skills and experiences in this rapidly evolving industry.
In September, we built on the program by announcing open registration for the data science track of the MPP. Whether employees are just starting their career or are looking to diversify their skill set, these courses teach the skills and provide the practical experience needed to be successful.
To help drive awareness of training achievements, in October, we announced that we have partnered with Pearson VUE to make digital badges broadly available for Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs). Any person who has passed a selection of exams or earned designated certifications will now have the tools needed to share achievements more broadly and attract new business.
Whether you are just getting started in your own business transformation, are looking to differentiate yourself as an expert, or are proficient in another cloud solution and are looking to explore ways to become a multi-cloud expert to address any customer need, this training will help you become more profitable with the cloud.
In the coming months, we will share new investments we're making, such as Big Data engineering and front-end Web development, to help you address the growing market opportunity and capitalize on the explosive cloud demand in 2017.
Posted on December 21, 2016