Unlocking Growth: Opportunities ‍in the Microsoft Ecosystem for Channel Partners

Microsoft technologies form the bedrock of numerous solutions offered across the Channel. MSPs and resellers in the UK and Ireland are achieving success by developing solutions centered on Microsoft products. Microsoft has evolved its partner programs to encourage mutual success between the vendor and its active⁣ partner network.

Given ‍the vast array of possibilities, resellers ⁢and MSPs‍ have countless avenues to add value with Microsoft. Identifying a niche and guiding ⁤businesses through their options ofen necessitates leveraging all or part of Microsoft’s extensive portfolio.

Microsoft Teams: A Hub for Collaboration and Growth

The shift to Teams-based communication solutions ‍presents a significant prospect⁢ for channel partners. By championing Teams Phone adoption, they can expand their service portfolios and solidify‍ their position as trusted advisors, guiding customers through their digital transformation journeys.

channel companies can‍ further enhance their value proposition by incorporating analytics capabilities around Teams. Hilary Oliver,chief customer officer at Tollring,explained,”The big opportunities for resellers and MSPs⁤ around Microsoft products lie ⁢in adding value and differentiating their overall offering.Adding⁢ value to Microsoft ⁤Teams with Teams⁣ Phone and applications such⁢ as call analytics,recording and voice⁤ analytics enables customers to⁣ enhance ⁣productivity and efficiency,and maximise their investment in Microsoft technologies.”

james Buxton,⁤ managing ⁣director of ‍iTEL,⁣ highlighted their unified communications ‍adoption platform,⁣ ucSKILLS, and its recent solution for Operator⁤ Connect for Microsoft Teams.

He elaborated,⁤ “Microsoft partners offering operator Connect will be aware of the significant ‍opportunity to sell into the high-volume SME market. Though, challenges such as product differentiation,⁢ reduced⁤ margins, ⁣and the need for complete onboarding and support‍ can‍ complicate the‍ process.iTEL’s digital adoption solution is designed to streamline the launch ⁤of Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams, helping to ⁣boost profitability, ⁤whilst enabling customers to become self-sufficient.”

Buxton ⁣noted ⁤that ⁤ucSKILLS ⁤assists channel companies⁤ in providing a Microsoft-based solution to SME and micro-SME businesses. He added,⁢ “Many ⁣of these ‍will already be considering switching to Microsoft Teams Phone ⁣once their current ‍phone contract ends and will be looking for a provider.others aren’t yet⁢ aware⁢ of⁤ how the Microsoft Teams Phone solution could⁤ help⁢ but will be open ‍to marketing‍ messages explaining ‍the benefits.”

Harnessing the Power of AI

Recent advancements ‍in artificial intelligence (AI) are creating new growth⁢ opportunities across⁣ the market. According ⁤to Bennington, from Giacom, “Copilot presents a massive opportunity for the Channel. There is a lot of noise‍ about AI in the⁣ market at the moment, so it’s the perfect time for resellers and MSPs to be upskilling and identifying AI⁣ opportunities within their customer base.”

“Microsoft 365 copilot provides the perfect foundation for partners‍ to add high margin, value added services.⁢ due to the ‍nature of the product, there will be critical readiness activities that MSPs will need to conduct for their customers for data governance, security and compliance. There’s also the obvious training and adoption ⁢services to ensure customers are using the solution effectively and to its full potential. So, it offers some very lucrative options for partners⁢ to⁤ add to their product portfolio.”

Bennington also pointed to Microsoft Fabric as another “big ‍opportunity for partners in the AI space,” providing access to advanced analytics and data management solutions. She commented, “MSPs can specialise ⁤in areas like business ⁢intelligence, ⁤data warehouse migrations and analytics, offering highly tailored solutions to meet customers’ ‍needs.”

“For MSPs‍ that⁣ don’t yet have the resource or technical capabilities to offer Fabric, it’s still a viable opportunity as they can lean on the Cloud Migration Factory team at Microsoft to make it available for their ⁤customers. This is a program that Giacom is heavily involved with, so we ⁣can support partners in delivering Fabric to their customers.”

Adam⁤ wilson, director⁣ of⁤ strategic partnerships at Vonage, added,⁤ “AI agents and‍ assistants are⁣ in high demand this year: MSPs‍ and resellers can take advantage⁤ of this trend by integrating Microsoft Copilot products into their offerings. MSPs can⁣ definitely help businesses to eliminate the common pain-points that come with deploying AI agents,⁣ like⁤ bias and hallucinations, by offering Copilot integration and training services for their customers.”

The Cloud‍ Imperative

The ongoing migration to the cloud represents another significant opportunity⁢ within the Microsoft ecosystem.Wilson from Vonage highlighted Azure and related migration services. He explained,”Thanks to the continued growth of hybrid cloud ⁤solutions like Azure,there’s now a huge⁢ market opportunity for Microsoft partners to offer cloud migration and management services. MSPs ‍can leverage their expertise to provide end-to-end⁢ Azure migration⁤ services – including assessment, planning, and implementation – to help customers optimise their IT infrastructure.”

Bennington from ‍Giacom, ‍stated, “There is still a significant number of⁢ organisations in the UK⁢ with on-premise infrastructure, proving a⁣ lucrative opportunity for UK based MSPs to migrate their on-premises infrastructure to Azure, optimising their costs, improving scalability, and opening ‍up new revenue streams for partners⁢ from solution sales and managed ⁤services.”

Ready-Made solutions

From ⁢a distributor’s outlook, offering partners solutions⁤ that deliver results for end customers ⁤with minimal investment ⁤is crucial.

antony byford, vice president,‍ IoT and collaboration at Westcon-comstor, explained that his organization collaborates closely with Microsoft alliance partners‍ to achieve this.⁤ He said, “The Microsoft ecosystem presents a vast ⁢landscape⁣ of opportunities for resellers and⁤ managed service providers.⁣ With its comprehensive suite of products and ⁤services, Microsoft enables partners to deliver innovative solutions that drive business growth and enhance customer experiences.”

“As a distributor, we’re⁢ working closely with Microsoft alliance partners to create proven solutions. We⁣ see that more and⁢ more partners are⁤ looking for out-of-the-box solutions that provide proven technology for ⁢limited investment ⁢and work seamlessly together with standard Microsoft tools.”

Byford ⁢highlighted the AudioCodes Live ⁣Platform,which integrates with ⁢native Microsoft Teams. Byford explained, “This provides Direct ⁣Routing, contact center⁢ capabilities, compliance recording ⁤and AI‍ technology ⁢to summarise meetings. ⁢Partners can easily provide this to their customers with no investment, as ‍it is all hosted and serviced for them.”

Partnering with Microsoft

So, what is Microsoft like as a vendor partner? Bennington ⁤from Giacom discussed the company’s relationship with microsoft and‍ its implications for Giacom’s partner community. She said,‍ “Being a Microsoft partner comes ⁢with significant advantages. The Microsoft ⁣AI⁤ Cloud Partner Programme offers exclusive tools,resources and support to help⁣ partners drive growth and deliver high-value solutions to their customers. Benefits include not-for-resale licenses, ⁢rebates and technical⁣ support, among others.”

“Microsoft also works with a select group of partners, known as Indirect Providers, such as Giacom,⁣ to streamline license delivery⁤ to channel⁣ partners and enhance partner support. As an Indirect Provider, ⁤Giacom offers additional services ⁣including expert sales and technical support, marketing and sales enablement, and additional value-added services, empowering‍ partners to sell cloud solutions more ‍effectively and drive growth and success.”

Byford from Westcon-Comstor, added, “Microsoft is renowned for its strong partner ecosystem, offering extensive support, resources ⁤and incentives to help partners ⁢succeed. The Microsoft Partner⁢ Network⁣ provides access to training, certifications and marketing‍ resources, enabling partners to enhance their capabilities and deliver high-quality solutions. ⁢Microsoft’s commitment to ‍innovation and⁤ customer success makes it a reliable and strategic vendor partner.”

Channel⁢ companies have long succeeded by identifying areas where they can add value,where Microsoft may not be focusing. John,from Dstny‍ for Service ⁤providers,said,”As a partner Microsoft is unique in what it‍ does. It is indeed⁤ engrossed in essentially everything that ⁢happens in IT on a global scale and, like⁤ it ‍or not, any moves⁢ Microsoft makes frequently enough disrupt entire industries.”

“What’s especially vital for partners in the communication space to realize however is that, even though microsoft is shaking things up, it isn’t looking to become the world’s most popular‍ cloud voice provider.”

John explained that Microsoft is encouraging third-party providers to integrate ⁤their services into Teams. He pointed to recent figures indicating that over 40 percent of telephony-enabled users on the platform use third-party call⁤ control.

John added, “From the devices and systems that the microsoft suite is compatible with, to the ⁤ways in which it can be used and moulded around existing ‍propostions, a lot ⁢has changed ‍in how partnering with Microsoft ⁣looks and‍ feels. Long gone are the⁤ days in which ⁤you needed Microsoft hardware to run a Microsoft ⁢programme using Microsoft systems and the freedoms that are now associated with working with their stack give providers all the power they need to grow, adapt and succeed.”

“Provided that you can keep up with Microsoft themselves that is. the good news is, with the right native integrations and the right ‍partner⁣ this can now be achieved with minimal effort, time and ⁢expense.”

Young, from Infinity Group, offered an MSP perspective. He said,”Microsoft has‍ been incredibly supportive of ‍Infinity Group,and we ‍have fostered a strong bi-directional relationship. As with any partnership, there‍ are always going to be challenges, but the ⁤general⁣ direction and mutual belief in the technology’s transformative power is what keeps us committed to remaining a business that is solely focused on the‍ Microsoft ecosystem.”

Infinity Group is an Inner Circle Partner, which, Young ⁢explained, means the company can “plug into product advancement lifecycles” to gain “valuable insights into how we can best implement nascent solutions for our customers”. Young added, “It also enables us to give honest ⁤feedback on the way the partnership programme evolves. The current incentives and funding routes really ⁣do help accelerate the sales cycle and the delivery of ROI for our customers.”

One challenge for channel companies can ⁣be navigating changes to Microsoft’s product ecosystem. The company continually researches ⁢and develops new ⁢technologies and innovations, and partners may need to adjust their solutions accordingly.

Haig, ⁣from Callroute, explained, “Microsoft provides regular updates through its ⁣online presence, public earning calls and frequent in-person events. To fill⁣ these‍ gaps, the microsoft MVP community is ⁢alive and well, helping users, admins, partners⁢ and service ⁣providers⁤ with a wealth of technical and sales material. The biggest issue for me is actually‍ the unpredictability of Microsoft.”

“Many⁤ MSPs and ISVs build businesses⁤ to solve the ⁤problems where Microsoft leaves gaps.But then, out of nowhere, they announce the launch⁤ of ⁢XYZ,⁤ which can diminish the value of⁣ the solution. ⁤So, ⁤to⁤ dance with⁤ Micrososft, you have⁣ to accept that you need ⁢to be nimble and ready to adapt to stay‍ relevant.”

The value of certifications

Certifications are an integral part of Microsoft’s business, and many channel companies find ⁣value in ⁤becoming certified.⁤ “Microsoft certifications certainly aren’t⁤ mandatory, but ‍they’re a great way to showcase your team’s expertise and demonstrate to clients that your team can handle specialised project needs,” explained Wilson from vonage. “certification also provides a simple and controlled channel for training employees. The certification process will help⁣ teams to understand the Microsoft products they’re dealing with in depth.”

in recent years, Microsoft has restructured its⁢ certification program. Young from Infinity Group discussed the initial⁤ reaction from partners and how things have⁢ settled.He said, “Though not welcomed by many partners at the time, the way Microsoft restructured⁣ its solutions designations and‍ advanced specialisations was a great move. The old designations of Gold, ‍Silver and Bronze were fast ⁣becoming less ‍relevant and not specific enough. Now, partners⁢ are⁢ incentivised to invest in gaining the⁣ certifications that will truly upskill their employees and benefit ⁣their customers.”

Young emphasized what those changes have meant for his own business.⁣ He said, “Today, there is a clear relationship between achieving⁤ excellence and receiving Microsoft’s full-throated ⁤backing. As an ⁢example, Infinity⁤ Group today sits on the Business Applications and Modern Work Advisory Councils as a direct result of the investments we have made in ‍upskilling ‍our employees and achieving the requisite number of ‍advanced certifications.”

Byford from Westcon-Comstor, added, “In recent years,⁤ Microsoft has revamped its partner programme to work with partner designations. Microsoft certifications continue to be a key element, as they are crucial for validating⁤ technical expertise and demonstrating proficiency ‍in Microsoft technologies. When partners don’t have the expertise in-house, it’s helpful ‍and reassuring to be able to turn ⁣to the cloud solution provider for ⁣support.”

Certifications can also be ⁢a commercial necessity for channel ⁤companies. Bennington from Giacom, said, “Microsoft certifications are more than⁤ just a⁣ badge of honor, they’re a commercial necessity for resellers and MSPs who want to be ‍taken seriously by businesses. They validate a company’s proficiency ⁣and⁢ commitment ‍to staying up to date with the ⁢latest Microsoft ‍technologies and best practices, ⁣proving to ⁣customers that they meet Microsoft’s rigorous security, performance and ⁢compliance standards.”

The certification process can also help partners keep pace ⁣with Microsoft’s innovations, helping them achieve long-term success. Bennington added, “beyond winning business, staying certified ensures that msps keep pace with Microsoft’s rapidly evolving ecosystem, unlocking exclusive partner benefits,⁣ API privileges and marketplace visibility that uncertified competitors simply don’t have. It positions them for long-term success, helping to capitalise on emerging ‍opportunities and mitigate potential threats.”