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
Your Microsoft Partner Network membership details, all in one place
The new Partner Summary Report provides you with a snapshot of your partner membership, and helps you manage your relationship with Microsoft. The information you need about membership details, training, benefits, competencies, and sales/pipeline are provided in a single, comprehensible, easy-to-navigate place. Learn more.
May 27 webcast: Why Internet Explorer 11 Migration is Critical for Windows 10
Internet Explorer 11 is the fastest web path to Windows 10, and will be one of only two browsers available on Windows 10. Great for large organizations, IE11 will be more secure, and up-to-date for modern sites. Starting January 12, 2016, only the most recent version of Internet Explorer will be supported on supported versions of Windows. Customers on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 will receive support for IE11, while the older versions of IE will be end-of-service.
- Register for our Sales Excellence webcast on May 27
- Review the Internet Explorer Lifecycle Policy FAQ
- Download the Enterprise Browsing on Windows 10 presentation
- See more Windows 10 webcasts for partners
Help free customers from infrastructure complexity – your resources to start the conversation
Our new infrastructure transformation initiative—available in the Partner Marketing Center—is designed to generate IT decision-maker interest in the combination of the Microsoft hybrid cloud and your value-added solutions and service offerings. With this powerhouse portfolio, you’ll be poised to help the millions of customers still running Windows Server 2003/R2 understand how they free their infrastructures from past restrictions. In the process, you can further expand your practice and your revenue potential.
- Review the Infrastructure Transformation campaign
- Use the infographic to open customer conversations
- Find ideas for expanding your revenue potential in the partner opportunity brief
May 28 and May 29: Build modern business apps on Azure App Service
Azure App Service is a fully managed cloud service offering for Enterprise Developers and Service Integrators that makes it easy to build and run customer, employee, and partner facing multi-channel (web + mobile) apps that scale to support business needs. In this session, you’ll learn how to build modern business apps that take advantage of the scale, availability, and developer tool integration offered by Azure App Service. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2 will be in June.
Azure Partner Community: Futures, vision, and customer stories about CRM Online + Azure
Read part 4 of our series about adding Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to your Azure practice. 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.
- Part 1 – Introduction
- Part 2 – How CRM Online helps increase Azure adoption and usage
- Part 3 – How to get started with CRM Online as an Azure partner
- Part 4 – Futures, vision, and customer stories
Presales advisory support services help you close deals
Find the technical information you need to close more deals. Partners that have attained a silver or gold competency receive unlimited presales advisory support for any deal worth US$3,000 or more. For deals worth less than US$3,000, you can access Technical Presales Assistance by phone using your allotted partner advisory hours or through the Partner Support Community. Learn more.
Get the key to your city – all-new Microsoft CityNext campaign
Smaller cities and municipalities are as much a magnet for jobs, education, culture, and community as any bustling metropolis. Rapid urbanization continues to drive new challenges—and opportunities—as these cities strive to create healthier, safer, and more sustainable modern communities. The all-new Microsoft CityNext Campaign for Smaller Cities and Municipalities is an expanded collection of marketing materials that focuses on Microsoft cloud, social/productivity, mobility, and analytics technologies.
- Review the Microsoft CityNext for Smaller Cities and Municipalities campaign
Use Constant Contact for your email campaigns
Constant Contact, a provider of small-business marketing tools, is offering Microsoft US partners special pricing on its advanced email marketing platform through June 30. With this solution, you can manage multiple emails from a unified dashboard. Receive a full year of Constant Contact email marketing when you open a new account. Offer terms and conditions.
Windows Server 2003 end of support is July 14, 2015: let your customers know with web syndication
It's time to let your customers know that End of Support for Windows Server 2003 means no new security updates, hotfixes, assisted support options, or updated technical content. Among other challenges, businesses will face increased risk from cyber-attack, and lack of PCI compliance. Customize and easily syndicate the microsite and banner ads in this campaign to help spread this message to customers and prospects.
- Add Windows Server 2003 end of support information to your website
- Windows Server 2003 End of Support campaign
- Partner resources
Check this off your to-do list: what to know about partner Internal Use Rights
If you’ve been meaning to get up to speed on how to obtain, access, and activate the Internal Use Rights benefit offered in the Microsoft Partner Network, but it keeps moving down on your to-do list, our quick guide will help you find the information you need to get started. Read more.
Partner calendar through June 5
 | Refer to the June Hot Sheet for a comprehensive, frequently updated training list covering the next several weeks. See our weekly post on the US Partner Learning blog, where we highlight upcoming training and training-related resources.
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Week of May 25
Tuesday, May 26
- SMB Cloud Office Hours: Yammer, Delve, Sway and Revolve
- Demo and Pitch Office 365 Like a Pro
- Skype for Business: Server Core & Voice Improvements
- Enterprise Mobility Suite Series: Secure Office 365 Apps with Microsoft Intune
Wednesday, May 27
- Pathway to Profitability with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online in Dallas, TX
- Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Practice Accelerator
- Cloud Profitability Webcast: Planning Your Cloud Transition — Microsoft Cloud Services and Lifetime Customer Value
- Office 365 Initial Journey: SharePoint Online Technical Overview and Office 365 Adoption
Thursday, May 28
Friday, May 29
- Build Tour in Austin, TX
- Local Big Data Hackathon in Seattle, WA
- Enterprise Apps on Azure App Service
Week of June 1
Monday, June 1
Tuesday, June 2
- Windows 10 Preflight Summit for Partners in Seattle, WA
- Microsoft Virtual Academy: Getting Started with Azure Security for the IT Professional
- SMB Cloud Office Hours: Office 365 and Azure Compliance Overview
- Skype for Business: Hybrid Deep Dive
- How to Sell Office 365 by Leveraging SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Yammer
- Enterprise Mobility Scenario – Microsoft Azure Rights Management Services
- Windows 10 Learning Series: Enterprise Browsing on Windows 10
- Partner Technical Services: Labs on Azure
- Partner Technical Services: Build Powerful and Productive Solutions with Office 365
Wednesday, June 3
- No listings as of publication of this post, but check the Hot Sheet for the latest information
Thursday, June 4
- Microsoft Skype for Business Partner Integration Day in Los Angeles, CA
- SMB Marketing SureStep office hours
- Office 365 Real World Scenarios for SMB: Get the information you need, quickly
- Office 365 Partner Community Call
- Partner Technical Services: Introduction to the Azure Starter Kit