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Top 10 Blogs of 2018: Microsoft CSP Changes, Product Milestones and More

From Microsoft's shifting channel program policies to the avalanche of product releases at Ignite, here are the most popular blog posts of the past year.

10. 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. Read here.

9. Microsoft Puts Linux at the Heart of Its New OS
Microsoft is not conceding defeat here to Linux, with which Windows has fought for decades, but more of a tactical cooperation with the open source community that Microsoft has increasingly worked with for the last several years. Read here.

8. 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. Read here.

7. Microsoft Inspire 2018 Recap: 8 Key Quotes
In a keynote, Smith reiterated Microsoft's commitment to improving privacy and security for customers, while also trying to take a thought leadership role in the ethics of AI. Read here.

6. AI Training Course Added to Microsoft Professional Program
The Microsoft Professional Program for Artificial Intelligence will consist of 10 parts, each of which is supposed to take eight to 16 hours to complete. Read here.

5. 14 Technologies Hitting GA at Microsoft Ignite
Kicking off its flagship IT conference Monday morning with a keynote by CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft released details on more than a dozen major products, services and frameworks. Read here.

4. Licensing Changes on Office 2019 Favor Cloud
The clearest change is a 10 percent hike in Office 2019 commercial prices, to include the Office client, Enterprise CAL, Core CAL and server products. Read here.

3. Partners Jumping Aboard Microsoft Co-Sell Program
The co-selling program that Microsoft publicly unveiled last July is booming, according to Microsoft's worldwide channel chief. Read here.

2. Microsoft Raises Bar for Direct CSPs
According to the e-mail, which was confirmed as authentic by a Microsoft spokesperson, direct CSPs must now purchase a support plan from Microsoft and demonstrate a few key capabilities. Read here.

1. Kali Linux on the Microsoft App Store: Easier To Install, Harder To Use
For users with intermediate-level Linux skills and strong familiarity with the capabilities of various penetration testing tools in Kali Linux and how to load those tools, this app is a great addition to the Windows Store. Read here.

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