Inspire 2019: Partner program and investments update

Specialisations

Microsoft is firstly introducing several advanced specialisations in addition to the SAP on Azure advanced specialisation announced in May. It says these will allow partners to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and success in implementing capabilities beyond a gold competency level. They include:

• Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure
• Linux and Opensource Databases Migration to Microsoft Azure
• Data Warehouse Migration to Microsoft Azure
• Modernisation of Web
• Applications in Microsoft Azure
• Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure

There will also be a preview of an upcoming security competency release for partners to deliver security-related services on Azure and Microsoft 365 to help their customers safeguard against cyber threats.

Partners can also expect new data on the Microsoft IP co sell programme, the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) licensing model and partner profitability.

Additionally, in the coming months Microsoft says it will be introducing more advanced specialisations, including for Teams.

Azure Lighthouse

Microsoft will be introducing Azure Lighthouse at Inspire, giving partners a single control plane to view and manage Azure at scale across all their customers.

The platform will allow for cross tenant management of customer estates with greater visibility and control, allowing you to service more customers, larger workloads, and most mission critical apps with precision.

Microsoft Edge Enterprise Readiness

The Microsoft Edge Dev Channel is ready for enterprises to trial and pilot. This means companies considering Microsoft Edge can now start to validate within the enterprise, knowing they have access to the features needed. Microsoft says it will work to address issues that may be discovered, even though it is pre-release.

The preview builds will enable enterprises to evaluate features such as IE mode, group policies and MDM, offline deployment packages, Application Guard, and PDF support. In addition, key documentation for deploying and configuring the next version of Microsoft Edge is published, and support channels are live.

Microsoft Intelligent Security Association expands

Finally, the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association, an ecosystem of security technology providers, is expanding with new partners. They include Microsoft Virus Initiative partners that specialise in anti-malware solutions and FIDO 2 partners focused on identity.

If you’re attending Inspire, or just want to get more information on the new releases, visit our dedicated site, or contact one of our Microsoft specialists today.