Find out what’s new for Microsoft partners this week. We’ll connect you to resources that help you become market-ready, connect with customers and prospects, and differentiate your business. You can read previous weeks’ issues at http://aka.ms/uspnewsletter.
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Top stories
Azure Partner Community: May focus on adding CRM Online to your Microsoft practice
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online can go beyond sales force automation as a development platform that helps you deliver differentiated and compelling online customer experiences. By combining CRM Online with Microsoft Azure, which offers world-class cloud computing power, you find the platform to create powerful line of business applications.
The New IT: innovation and transformation – news and announcements from Ignite 2015
Keynotes, sessions, and announcements that took place during Ignite 2015 are available for on-demand watching and reading. Visit the Ignite 2015 news center to link to press releases, Brad Anderson’s post about the Microsoft commitment to IT pros, related assets, and the Ignite 2015 website, where you can watch conference highlights and sessions. Learn more.
Migrate your customers to Office 365 for free with this limited time offer
Through June 15, help your customers that are new to Office 365 get up and running more quickly. Microsoft US partners can receive between 50 and 149 MigrationWiz Premium Mailbox Migration licenses for each qualifying customer migration initiated and completed by June 15. MigrationWiz is a comprehensive and easy-to-use data migration solution that helps you improve your customer’s migration experience and enable faster Office 365 adoption. Offer ends June 15.
May 20: Making money with Microsoft Cloud – Insights from a Microsoft reseller
Ben Peterman, Client Solutions Manager at IV4 in Syracuse, NY will discuss firsthand how he has seen his business evolve by offering this as a choice to customers. Many traditional Google resellers have said that offering “choice” is a smart and profitable business model. During this webcast, we will discuss becoming part of the Microsoft Partner Network and the great resources available to Microsoft Partners to help you succeed.
Extended to June 30: Customer Adoption Offer for Office 365
Engaging your customers to fully utilize the cloud solution they have purchased can have big benefits for you as their partner. You’ll strengthen your customer relationships, expand revenue streams, and establish market leadership. The Office 365 Customer Adoption Offer has been extended to June 30.
- Get the details about customer and partner eligibility for this offer
- Adoption Offer terms and conditions
- Watch the #EasyAsABC video about the offer
ISVs: Windows 10 Jump Start for Developers on May 19, 20, 21
Get an in-depth look at the Universal Windows Platform and social integration to help you create amazing experiences on devices running Windows 10, including phones, tablets, PCs, and even (coming soon) Xbox. This jump start from Microsoft Virtual Academy will feature demos, explore cool new features, and offer practical guidance. May 19–21 from 9:00AM–5:00PM PT daily. Register.
- Day 1 – App basics
- Day 2 – Windows essentials
- Day 3 – Extended features
Limited time offer for US MPN members: Robin Robins' Quick Start Lead Generation System for IT Service Sales
Microsoft and Robin Robins have arranged for you to gain access to a unique, highly effective, field-tested marketing system for IT services firms that could easily double the number of high-quality clients you’re getting. For a limited time, it’s available free US MPN members. Enroll today.
- Lesson #1: How to attract more high-quality prospects in a month than most IT services companies get in a year
- Lesson #2: A super-easy campaign that will instantly reactivate “dead” prospects and find hidden opportunities within your own client base
- Lesson #3: How to find prospects who want to upgrade their network, move to the cloud, and (ultimately) outsource their IT support to you
- Lesson #4 (2-part session): How to use seminars and webinars to attract and close a flood of new prospects
- Lesson #5: How to use Bing/Google/Yahoo search engine marketing tools to sell Office 365 and other IT upgrades and support
Get caught up on the news and announcements from Build 2015
Keynotes, sessions, and announcements that took place during Build 2015 are available for on-demand watching and reading. Visit the Build 2015 news center to link to press releases, the Windows 10 blog, related assets, and the Official Microsoft Blog. You may also be interested in attending the Build Tour, coming to several cities around the world, and these US cities:
- New York, NY on May 18
- Atlanta, GA on May 20
- Austin, TX on May 29
- Chicago, IL on June 10
- Los Angeles, CA on June 15
Are you utilizing all of your Microsoft Azure partner benefits?
In this three-part blog series, Partner Technology Strategist, Frank Campise, takes you through how to get hands-on with Microsoft Azure to build your skills and proficiency, through partner benefits like internal use rights and MSDN licenses, then explains how the Signature Cloud Support benefit for eligible competency partners works.
- Part 1 – Benefits and options overview
- Part 2 – Azure benefits for partners with an MPN competency
- Part 3 – Signature Cloud Support benefit
Partner calendar through May 22
 | Refer to the May Hot Sheet for a comprehensive, frequently updated training list covering the next several weeks. See our new weekly post on the US Partner Learning blog, where we highlight upcoming training and training-related resources.
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Week of May 11
Monday, May 11
Tuesday, May 12
- SMB Cloud Office Hours: Office 365 Business vs. ProPlus
- Windows 10 Learning Series: Windows 10 App Store for Business
- Upgrade to Skype for Business: What should I know?
- Enterprise Mobility Suite Series: Better Together: Office 365 and EMS
- SMB Marketing SureStep office hours
- Windows Deployment Masters Workshop
- Customer Lifecycle Management Academy Class 1: Selling more with CLM
Wednesday, May 13
- Windows Apportals office hours
- Cloud Profitability Webcast: Compensation and Tracking your Plan
- How to Perform Your Best Office 365 Demo and Leverage the FastTrack Program
Thursday, May 14
- Microsoft MVP Virtual Conference: The Power of Community
- Customer Lifecycle Management Academy Class 2: Onboard your customers for success
- Microsoft Virtual Academy: Azure Rights Management Services Core Skills Jump Start
Week of May 18
Monday, May 18
Tuesday, May 19
- Pathway to Profitability with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in Downers Grow, IL
- Windows 10 Learning Series: Windows 10 Security
- Microsoft Virtual Academy: A Developer's Guide to Windows 10 (May 19–21)
- SMB Cloud Office Hours: Bring Scale, Agility And Global Access to Your Business Apps with Azure RemoteApp
- Skype for Business: Meeting and Video
- Customer Lifecycle Management Academy Class 3- Enhance profitability through intelligence
Wednesday, May 20
- Build Tour in Atlanta, GA
- Sales and Licensing Excellence webcast: Making Money with Microsoft Cloud — Insights from a Microsoft Reseller
- Cloud Profitability Webcast: Driving Shareholder Value
- Office 365 Initial Journey: Exchange Online & Lync Online – Technical Overview
Thursday, May 21
- Azure Partner Community Call
- Pathway to Profitability with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
- Enterprise Mobility for every SMB
- Windows Deployment Masters Workshop
- SMB Marketing SureStep office hours
- Customer Lifecycle Management Academy Class 4: Rev up your renewals with CLM
- Partner Technical Services: Office 365 Practice Accelerator for SMB
Friday, May 22