WHAT'S NEW

• The 2018 Microsoft Product Roadmap

  Our annual guide to what major Microsoft releases are coming down the pipeline, and when.

• 2018 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

  From mega-conferences like Microsoft Inspire and VMworld to more niche partner meet-ups, we've got your 2018 conference schedule covered.

• Changes to Microsoft Office Ribbon, Colors and Search on Tap

  Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled big feature changes for the Office user experience, including a simplified ribbon, new colors and icons, and a search overhaul, about a month and a half behind Google's release of major updates for Gmail.

• Microsoft Names 2018 Partners of the Year

  Microsoft highlighted partners doing work with artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data and open source among other categories this year in its annual Partner of the Year awards announced this month.

• Microsoft Sees Partners Driving GitHub Usage in the Enterprise

  Microsoft envisions partners helping to drive a major push of the GitHub software development and version control platform into the enterprise.

• Microsoft's Reorg Continues with Executive Reshuffling

  Microsoft announced its latest companywide reorg back in March, but with just a month to go until the end of its fiscal year, its executive roster is still in flux.

• The 3 Critical Components for Microsoft Partner M&A Nirvana

  Heed these tips to avoid spending time and money only to have your transaction go sideways in the 11th hour.

• Exclusive: Nerdio Lowers Azure Barriers to Entry for MSPs

  A year after launching a platform based on the idea that Microsoft Azure was both a powerful and challenging platform for IT as a Service, Chicago-based Nerdio is taking its vision for MSPs and SMB to another level.

• SOHO Routers, NAS Devices at High Risk from VPNFilter

  MSPs who manage small office/home office (SOHO) routers and NAS devices for SMB customers are facing a major new headache in the destructive malware dubbed VPNFilter.

• Analysts See Huge AI Opportunity for Niche ISVs

  Any ISV looking for growth opportunities in the enterprise needs to take a hard look at AI right now. And for the next few years, at least, the more niche the solution, the better.

• Aparavi Aims To Reduce Wasted Cloud Storage, Ease Moves Between Clouds

  A startup in the crowded cloud backup space believes it knows how to appeal to the second-generation of cloud storage users, who have experienced some of the pain points in the cloud and have more sophisticated requirements.

• Veeam Urges Partners To Go 'All In'

  Veeam Software executives urged partners to go "all in" with the backup and availability specialist as the company focuses on a dramatically expanded portfolio of solutions from on-premises agents to public cloud.

• Top 12 Channel Takeaways from Microsoft Build

  Here are 12 key takeaways from the three main Build keynotes last week that highlight important trends and opportunities for Microsoft partners.

• What Microsoft Means When It Calls Something a 'Graph'

  There's the current Microsoft Graph, the older Office Graph, the LinkedIn Graph and other graphs.

• Azure Co-Sell Program Hits $2.3 Billion in Partner Revenues

  An Azure co-sell program launched last July to incentivize Microsoft field sellers to promote partner solutions with customers has generated $2.3 billion in partner revenues so far, a Microsoft executive said.

• Microsoft Gives Overdue Demo of Cortana-Alexa Integration

  Cortana and Alexa shared the stage on Monday during the Build 2018 keynote, five months after their respective proprietors announced a joint plan to integrate the two.

• Microsoft Kinect Gets New Life Beyond Gaming

  Microsoft's defunct foray into motion-based gaming technology is back for the "intelligent edge" era.

• Kaseya Merges with Unitrends

  Kaseya, a vendor of managed service provider (MSP) and midmarket enterprise tools, merged with backup specialist Unitrends on Thursday.

• Nadella Touts Rapid Rise of Microsoft's Cosmos DB

  Just a year after launching Cosmos DB as an Azure service at the 2017 Build developer conference, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says it's the fastest-scaling database he's ever seen.

• Windows, Surface Surprise to the Upside in Microsoft Earnings

  Microsoft reported surprisingly strong Windows and Surface revenues in a largely flat-to-declining PC market, but the company's third-quarter financial results seemed mainly powered by continuing cloud strength.

• Tips for Taking Your Microsoft Partner Business Global

  Per shares advice for Microsoft partners interested in expanding their geographical markets beyond their own borders.