WHAT'S NEW

• 2016 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

  WEB EXCLUSIVE: To help you get your 2016 travel calendar in order, we've compiled a list of upcoming events geared toward those who have a stake in Microsoft technologies. The list spans behemoth Microsoft-helmed conferences like the Worldwide Partner Conference and Build, as well as smaller, third-party-sponsored regional events.

• Microsoft Azure Footprint Approaching 3 Dozen Regions

  Microsoft this week at its Ignite show in Atlanta unveiled several new regions for the Azure public cloud, opening its first two regions in privacy-conscious Germany and pinpointing plans for four more regions around the world.

• The 2016 Microsoft Product Roadmap

  The two-part "Redstone" update to Windows 10 is just one highlight of this year's release calendar, which is also shaping up to be a banner year for key Microsoft server products.

• Microsoft Partners Face a Wild Ride to the Cloud

  We ask partners grappling with the realities of transitioning their businesses to the cloud: Is it worth it?

• Dell Unveils 2 New Mobile Thin Clients

  Dell on Thursday unveiled a refreshed line of mobile thin clients based on the Latitude family of laptops.

• StorageCraft Adds Intelligence to Backup with Gillware Buy

  StorageCraft Technology Corp. is bolstering its business continuity platform with technology from a company in the Upper Midwest that prioritizes which data gets backed up.

• Which Public Cloud Will Win the Microsoft Channel?

  In the two-horse race between AWS and Microsoft Azure in the public cloud, only one can be considered to have a robust ecosystem of platform partners. And it's not Microsoft.

• Tech Data To Acquire Avnet Technology Solutions

  With its $2.6 billion acquisition of the Technology Solutions portion of Avnet Inc., Tech Data Corp. would bolster its datacenter business and gain a toehold in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Juggling Clouds: Partnering with Both Microsoft and AWS

  By most measures, the public cloud market is a two-horse race between AWS and Microsoft. Partners are increasingly seeing the benefits of tying their fortunes to both cloud vendors, but doing so requires a good deal of training, planning and trust.

• How Does Microsoft's 'Professional Degree' Impact the Channel?

  The new education program, announced by Microsoft at this summer's WPC, seems to raise more questions for partners than answers.

• Assessing Microsoft's Windows 10 Revolution, One Year In

  Microsoft rewrote its whole playbook for taking a new client OS to market with the Windows 10 release. A year later, the company's financials and analyst reports reveal how well it's working out -- for Microsoft and the ecosystem.

• Dell-EMC Channel Integration To Come in 2017

  The long process of integrating the Dell and EMC partner programs will begin in earnest next year.

• Azure Stack Was Microsoft's Summer Surprise

  Microsoft's announcement of a more restrictive deployment model for Azure Stack, in addition to its delayed release, has left lots of partners scrambling.

• VMware Making Workstation, Fusion Upgrade Free

  When VMware ships its new generation of desktop virtualization software next week, the upgrade will be free for many existing customers.

• D&H Ramps Up Credit to SMB Resellers

  SMB-focused distributor D&H Distributing is expanding the amount of credit it offers to resellers by nearly 50 percent, the Harrisburg, Pa.-based company said Monday.

• Follow Microsoft IT to Mostly Wireless Networking?

  Over the next two years, the Microsoft IT department plans to convert more than two-thirds of Microsoft sites to completely wireless networking.

• Microsoft Embraces LinuxCon

  The détente between Microsoft and the open source community seemed to reach a new level this week at LinuxCon North America in Toronto.

• With Genee Buy, Microsoft Gives Cortana a Little Sibling

  Microsoft acquires AI-powered meeting scheduling service.

• Cisco To Lay Off 5,500

  Cisco plans to eliminate about 7 percent of its global workforce in order to increase its focus on security, Internet of Things (IoT), collaboration, next-generation datacenter and cloud.

• Pulseway Makes Formal Entry into MSP Market

  After building up a sizable installed base of managed service providers with its mobility-focused remote monitoring and management product, Pulseway is making a formal push into the MSP market.

• OwnBackup Ports Cloud-to-Cloud Backup Offering to Azure

  Cloud-to-cloud backup vendor OwnBackup, a major player in the Salesforce.com AppExchange, this week announced it has added Microsoft Azure as a cloud-based backup target for Salesforce.com and other Force.com applications.

• Microsoft Resources To Fuel Your CSP Marketing: Part 1

  For traditional Microsoft partners, participating in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program requires a new level of marketing.