Microsoft Introduces Solutions to Help Partners Build New Business With Cloud Computing
By Microsoft Corp, PRNEMonday, July 11, 2011
LOS ANGELES, July 12, 2011 -
- Company rolls
out private and public cloud offerings and boosts revenue
opportunities for partners.
Today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 (WPC),
senior leaders from Microsoft Corp. discussed how partners can
benefit from the transition to cloud computing by helping customers
improve agility, focus on business goals and reduce costs.
(Logo:
“Cloud computing is as big a transformation as we have ever seen
and, together with our partners, Microsoft will help customers
through the shift,” said Satya Nadella, president of the Server and
Tools Business at Microsoft. “By betting on Microsoft’s
comprehensive approach to cloud computing, partners can embrace
this transformation and build strong and vibrant practices that
will advance how business gets done.”
Nadella highlighted how U.S. partner BrandJourney Venturing used
Windows Azure to quickly deliver a new sales outlet for General
Mills Inc,
In addition, he announced that partners can now sell their
applications through the Windows Azure Marketplace to reach more
customers and help grow revenues. This capability builds on the
extensive set of partner data offerings already available for sale
through the Windows Azure Marketplace. Underscoring these
opportunities, a recently Microsoft-commissioned
study conducted by Forrester Consulting found that software
partners deploying solutions on Windows Azure are generating 20
percent to 250 percent in new revenue by reaching entirely new
customers.(1) Microsoft also noted progress made by eBay Inc.,
Fujitsu and HP in deploying the Windows Azure platform appliance to
deliver turnkey cloud services in their datacenters.
Acknowledging the continued need for on-premises deployments,
Nadella outlined how partners can use Microsoft’s private cloud
solution built on Windows Server, Microsoft Hyper-V and Microsoft
System Center to help customers transition to cloud, on their
terms. Next week Microsoft will release a new beta of System Center
2012, which helps customers build private clouds and manage
applications across both private and public cloud systems.
Microsoft also provided an early look at the next version of
Windows Server, code-named “Windows Server 8,” which will be the
next step in private cloud computing.
Noting the ever-increasing importance of data in both public and
private cloud computing, Nadella announced the availability of a
community technology preview of the new Microsoft SQL Server,
currently SQL Server codename “Denali.” For the first time,
customers can begin testing the much-anticipated features of
“Denali,” including Project “Crescent” for visual data exploration
and SQL Server Developer Tools codename “Juneau,” for a modern
development experience across server, business intelligence and
cloud development projects.
More information about Windows Azure, Windows Server, System
Center and SQL Server is available at
.
Customers Are Embracing Office 365,
Leading to Greater Revenue Opportunities for Partners
Yesterday, Microsoft announced that more than 50,000
organizations have started trials of Office 365 - a rate of more
than one every 25 seconds in the two weeks since the cloud-based
productivity service was released. Businesses of all sizes are
embracing the service including major global brands such as
American Red Cross, which has announced it will use Office 365.
Microsoft recently commissioned a
TEI study conducted by Forrester Consulting that shows a
composite organization of midsize customers could see a
risk-adjusted ROI of more than 300 percent with a payback period of
just two months with Office 365.(2)
In response to growing customer demand, the ecosystem of
Microsoft partners has more than doubled in the last year and now
includes more than 41,000 partners and 300,000 trained specialists
on the cloud service.
To support this ecosystem, Kurt DelBene, president of the
Microsoft Office Division, announced changes to partner
commissions, providing improved cash flow and enhanced
opportunity.
“Office 365 is a hit with businesses of all sizes, and this
translates into great opportunities for our partners,” said
DelBene. “Partners who are first movers to the cloud are building
robust recurring revenue streams, ultimately growing and
transforming their businesses.”
Reinforcing a commitment to delivering customers the best
possible cloud experience and creating a path for partners to
transition their businesses to the cloud, Kirill Tatarinov,
president of Microsoft Business Solutions, announced that the next
update of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will be available in the
fourth quarter of 2011.
This update will enable partners to offer enterprise customers
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with Microsoft Office 365 and will
feature enhanced social collaboration capabilities. In addition,
new Microsoft Dynamics ERP RapidStart Services were announced,
which help partners quickly configure and set up consistent and
repeatable steps common across the life cycle of an ERP deployment,
reducing the initial implementation time so they can focus on
delivering profitable value-added services. Built on the Windows
Azure platform, the extensible service will be available in
September for
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012.
“The interoperability between Microsoft Dynamics and cloud
services, such as Windows Azure and Office 365, presents an
enormous opportunity for partners to deliver a complete business
productivity experience to customers and to grow their businesses,”
Tatarinov said. “Partners are critical to delivering the best cloud
experience for customers and, by creating a path to the cloud for
partners with the right products and support, we’re taking steps to
ensure our partners make the transition with us.”
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide
leader in software, services and solutions that help people and
businesses realize their full potential.
(1) The ISV Business Case For The Windows Azure Platform: A
Total Economic Impact Analysis, a commissioned study conducted by
Forrester Consulting on behalf of Microsoft, July 2011
(2) The Total Economic Impact Of Microsoft Office 365: Midsized
Customers, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting
on behalf of Microsoft, June 2011
Erika Bitzer of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, +1-206-576-5531, ebitzer at webershandwick.com, or Weber Shandwick Worldwide, WPC11PR at webershandwick.com, both for Microsoft / NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.
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