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
Office 365 Partner Community: focus on CRM Online – your opportunities
Partners with an Office 365 practice today are well positioned to expand their practice to include CRM Online, and address the needs of customers that are looking for a comprehensive productivity solution that includes Office 365, CRM Online, Power BI, and Skype for Business.
- Find out what your opportunities are with Dynamics
- Listen to the May 7 community call on demand
- Register for the June 4 community call, covering highlights from Ignite 2015
SMB Partner Insider calls for East, Central, and West Regions on Friday, June 12
Join the Microsoft US SMB team for the SMB Partner Insider calls. These monthly calls are on the second Friday of each month for all three US regions—East, Central, and West. Hundreds of SMB partners participate in these calls each month to build their businesses and connect with Microsoft. Register for your local call.
Digital Partner of Record for Online Services Advisor Deploy Incentives – May 2015 update
Get an update from the US Cloud Partner Incentives lead about Digital Partner of Record for Online Services Advisor Deploy Incentives, and information about the monthly office hours where you can ask questions you have about these incentives.
- Read the update by Jenny Kordell, US Cloud Partner Incentives lead
- Add the office hours to your calendar
Introducing the Azure Partner Readiness Catalog
The amount of technical information, training, and materials for partners about Microsoft Azure can be overwhelming. Use the new Azure Partner Readiness Catalog to understand what Azure resources are available to fit the needs of both your business and the technically-focused individuals in your organization. Read the blog post about this catalog by Frank Campise.
Drumbeat Start – Fresh new Office 365 sales training on demand
Take your sales to the next level with the new Drumbeat Start level 100 course. By going through this on-demand virtual series, partner sales professionals will learn fundamentals and get insights that help generate Office 365 opportunities, increase Office 365 adoption, and create recurring revenue for their practices. Get started today with Drumbeat virtual training.
WPC 2015: General Sessions provide executive insights tailored to your business
The General Sessions at WPC outline the key priorities for your business and explore the most important issues facing business leaders today. It’s an opportunity for you to hear senior executive speakers share their vision around business challenges and how we can solve them together to meet the needs of customers.
- Learn about the 15+ General Sessions at WPC 2015
- Get the latest information about US partner activities
- Review the United States agenda for WPC
What’s in store for ISV partners at WPC?
We bring together a rich and varied partner community at WPC, and are planning opportunities for ISV partners to socialize, meet new people, and pursue new business. Activities include Tech Innovation Meetup, a networking event, and the ISV Networking Lounge in the Expo Hall. The lounge will feature daily presentations and opportunities to engage with subject matter experts, and will be a great place to stop by and meet with other partners and Microsoft employees. Read the blog post by Steve Guggenheimer.
MPN relationship management: helping our partner admins do their job
The MPN administrator is your company’s connection to the MPN program. Admins receive correspondence and emails from MPN regarding the status of their partner relationship, information about renewal or requirement needs, and details and offers regarding available tools, resources, and savings. The admin is the first point of contact between MPN and the partner organization. Learn more.
Match your marketing capabilities to customers’ purchase journey
Most pre-purchase research by customers is done online and without input from experts. It makes sense for partners to align their marketing efforts and investments to the stages customers go through, to maximize the impact. Read the blog series by Jennifer Tomlinson to learn more.
- Match your marketing capabilities to customers’ purchase journey: practical marketing
- Match your marketing capabilities to customers’ purchase journey: progressive marketing
Partner calendar through June 12
 | Refer to the June Hot Sheet for a comprehensive, frequently updated training schedule. See our weekly post that highlights upcoming training and training-related resources.
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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
Week of June 8
Monday, June 8
Tuesday, June 9
- Microsoft Skype for Business Partner Integration Day in Dallas, TX
- Enterprise Mobility Suite Series: Compare Point Solutions for Enterprise Mobility to Microsoft EMS
- SMB Cloud Office Hours: Power BI – How to Demo
- Enterprise Mobility Scenario – Sales approach to Enterprise Mobility Suite
- Introduction to Office 365: Services, Plans and Internal Use Rights (IUR)
- Developing an End-to-End Business Solution Across Office 365 Platform
Wednesday, June 10
- Build Tour in Chicago, IL
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online: Activating Your IUR Licenses
- Skype for Business: Edge architectures and configuration
- Visual Studio Development: Mobile Apps for Windows, IOS and Android
- Modern Biz Technical Training for SMB
Thursday, June 11
- Microsoft Skype for Business Partner Integration Day in Atlanta, GA
- Microsoft Virtual Academy: Azure RemoteApp Core Skills
- SMB Marketing SureStep office hours
- Azure Mobile Service
- Office 365 Real World Scenarios for SMB: Communicate professionally and easily
Friday, June 12
- HA and DR Patterns and Practices on SQL 2014
- SMB Partner Insider Call Series – East Region
- SMB Partner Insider Call Series – Central Region
- SMB Partner Insider Call Series – West Region