Microsoft Partnering 101


Lenovo Launches Cloud Version of Its Unified Workspace

More known for its PC, laptop and server products, Lenovo is making inroads in the digital workspace market dominated by Citrix and VMware.

Keeping Up with Microsoft in the 'Rapid Release' Era

Coping with Microsoft's newly frantic pace of cloud product updates, partners are thrilled to at last be moving as fast as the competition, but the pressure is on to get better at advising customers. 

Microsoft Readies New Yammer Features, Kills Standalone Version

Microsoft's Yammer enterprise social networking service will get reporting and auditing capabilities beginning in November.

AWS, VMware Partner on Hybrid Cloud Play

In an announcement that top company executives described as "industry-shaping," Amazon Web Services (AWS) and VMware on Thursday unveiled a joint hybrid cloud service dubbed "VMware Cloud on AWS."

Microsoft Releases Windows Server 2016, System Center 2016

Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 are now generally available (GA), Microsoft announced Wednesday.

Microsoft Readies Dynamics 365 for November Launch

Dynamics 365, a new cloud service from Microsoft that combines components of its CRM and ERP offerings, will become available on Nov. 1, the company announced Tuesday.

Microsoft, Google Poised for Cloud AI Showdown

The next battleground for the top cloud providers will be artificial intelligence (AI), if recent developments are anything to go by.

Microsoft Explains Windows Servicing Model Ahead of October Release

With a cumulative update scheduled to arrive for all supported Windows systems this week, Microsoft recently outlined a few more details about the new update structure.

2016 Rocket Award: Crestwood Makes 'Slow and Steady' a Winning Strategy

This year's award winner is Crestwood Associates, a small ERP partner that overcame an uncertain start, two recessions and an overall trend of channel consolidation to achieve multiple consecutive years of double-digit growth. 

Azure Information Protection and Azure AD Conditional Access Released

Two of Microsoft's Azure Active Directory products hit their "general availability" milestones this week.

Report: Yahoo Scanned User E-Mails Per Government Requests

Yahoo allegedly cooperated with U.S. intelligence officials to scan all incoming Yahoo e-mail traffic last year, according to a report by Reuters on Tuesday.

For IT Services Partners, All Roads Lead to M&A

The industry doesn't need as many IT services firms as there are presently. The market knows this, the vendor companies know this, customers know this and you know this.

Microsoft Quietly Puts 'Modern Lifecycle Policy' into Effect

Microsoft's new Modern Lifecycle Policy took effect in late August, with very little fanfare, for several of its enterprise products.

New Update Model for Windows 7/8.1 Coming Next Week

The first monthly cumulative updates to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will arrive on Oct. 11, signaling a sea change in how Microsoft delivers its patches and OS updates.

New Business Models Raise Questions for Microsoft Partners

Based on its talking points at WPC, Microsoft considers these four business models as critical for moving its partners into the future.