leveraging the changing position of technology to deliver new value

as businesses settle into new running practices, nick parker discusses microsoft’s new companion programme, its bold sustainability goals and the position of virtual activities

the running global is converting. we caught up with nick parker, company vice president of global partner answers at microsoft, to discover how the worldwide technology chief is adjusting its practices for its own functions, and for its partners and clients.

inform us a touch approximately your role at microsoft – what’s your heritage, how long have you ever been with the business enterprise and what are your primary goals?
i have been at microsoft for greater than 22 years, starting as the director of systems integrator partnerships within the enterprise crew. i’ve built and grown several international scale groups and businesses targeted on purchaser price thru partnerships, across technology companions, computer, server and internet of factors partners and channel ecosystems. because the corporate vice chairman for international accomplice solutions, i’m currently chargeable for the teams driving the industrial companion business, that specialize in accelerating partner increase and achievement by means of building and promoting global-magnificence answers with partners, even as using cost for our shared clients. i’m lucky to guide a global crew that drives quit-to-give up execution of commercial associate strategies and programmes internationally, hence handing over microsoft cloud sales thru and with impartial software program vendors, international device integrators, devices partners, and offerings partners.

what are the primary changes being deliberate for the new microsoft partner software and can you inform us more approximately how they might affect the microsoft consumer revel in?
at the ‘state of the accomplice surroundings’ presentation in march 2022, we introduced the microsoft cloud companion application – the primary predominant evolution of the microsoft companion programme in 15 years. it is designed to create new possibilities for companions and customers and first-rate represents the ongoing transition of business operations to the cloud. our aim is to ensure our companions are pleasant placed to prevail. we are taking the step to invest in our surroundings to deeply combine with new abilties and respond to how customers now buy and use microsoft generation – allowing virtual transformation and helping partners with a view to meet clients’ evolving wishes inside the endured evolution of the patron journey.

microsoft is dedicated to investing in, and building, our partners’ technical capabilities and assisting them differentiate, scale their answers through our move-to-marketplace engines, and leverage our channel to deliver client achievement. to that stop, we’re re-categorising how we degree companion achievement with the partner capability score focused on skillability in six solution areas aligned with the microsoft cloud: information & ai (azure), infrastructure (azure), digital & app innovation (azure), business programs, modern-day work, and safety.

clients can higher understand a associate’s capability score through two qualifying degrees: the answers associate designation and specialisations/expert programmes. the partner capability rating evaluates a companion primarily based on their certifications, brought customers, a hit deployments and usual boom. microsoft is making an investment in ongoing accomplice benefits to make certain that every companion has a threat to keep growing and accelerating in the competitive cloud market. we’re supporting partners benefit specialisations and deep technical training throughout answer regions.

the new microsoft cloud partner software gives clients an easier manner to become aware of companions with technical competencies, knowledge and a records of turning in revolutionary solutions in unique areas. the brand new programme designations and naming will take effect in october 2022.

over the last few years, microsoft has been running difficult to deliver new tools which could aid employee productiveness and connect service carriers with their customers. in which do you notice the following three hundred and sixty five days taking us on our street to a full healing from covid-19 restrictions and what’s the microsoft approach in terms of turning in a numerous array of industry-specific answers?
we have visible a wave of digital transformation that has affected every enterprise. the pandemic has delivered new business modes which include contactless choose-up and digital healthcare. it is not enough to sincerely undertake technology; we need to now construct and develop new answers. we’re operating closely with our companions to supply innovative cloud answers which can be supporting clients in healthcare, retail, production, monetary solutions, and non-earnings to conquer specific business challenges by means of addressing those four concepts: commercial enterprise version alignment, purchaser possession and control of information, industry customisation, and unequalled companion ecosystems.

microsoft enterprise clouds build on our solution areas and offer equipment and templates to help boom partners’ speed to marketplace for their enterprise-specific packages, gadgets and services. innovation is the important thing for companions to differentiate their answers and scale cross-to-marketplace services.

as we’ve this verbal exchange, arrangements are nicely beneath manner for microsoft encourage. these days, the in-individual event has been changed with a digital counterpart, as may be the case in 2022. what benefits do you experience a virtual gathering can provide delegates and what can we expect to hear whilst the event kicks off on 19 july?
the digital issue offers us the brilliant possibility to include partners from around the globe. this stage of inclusion and scale is a huge benefit of digital events, and we admire the opportunity to have this direct reference to so a lot of our companions. we noticed document numbers of attendees and periods in 2021, so we will keep to provide registration for free of charge to attendees.

microsoft is privileged to have an terrific associate environment that prospers with the responsibility of delivering revolutionary answers and services to groups and nearby economies. given the digital component, we’re eager to see our partners from around the arena participate.

main into encourage, we are able to announce our annual microsoft associate of the yr awards and have fun the winners and finalists at the event. the awards realize super successes and innovations from throughout the diverse, international partner surroundings.

as we all come to phrases with the impact of covid-19 there are other equally critical challenges to be addressed too, no longer least in terms of the concern of weather change. microsoft has a strong song file in terms of putting sustainability on the coronary heart of the conversation, with strategies such as #buildfor2023. where do you believe you studied the main sustainability attention might be as we pass into the second one half of of 2022, and the way will microsoft work with partners to force similarly innovation?
our aim isn’t just to end up extra sustainable; we need to help each agency on the planet to do the equal. we’re intentional approximately recognising partners that allow a extra sustainable and equitable future, empowering all and sundry and company to gain more. our companion environment has the obligation of assisting customers transition to internet-zero emission and we help them obtain their sustainability dreams thru microsoft cloud, microsoft cloud for sustainability, information and artificial intelligence.

this is why, via the microsoft #buildfor2030 initiative, we goal to boost up innovation and collective effect with our accomplice atmosphere, assisting to improve the united international locations sustainable development goals. with microsoft cloud for sustainability, we assist clients aggregate sustainability information in an actionable way, for that reason imparting accurate carbon accounting, measuring overall performance in opposition to goals and permitting wise insights for companies to take more effective action.

no matter wherein an organization is inside the sustainability journey, our partners’ gadgets, packages, and services can assist them to minimise their environmental impact, supply new cost, accelerate business transformation and attain sustainability dreams.

microsoft has formidable sustainability dreams leading up to 2030 and you could get an update on our modern day progress inside the 2022 sustainability file released in march.

just like the rest of us, you’ve had to acclimatise to a brand new normal of hybrid operating brought approximately via latest activities. what lessons did you examine at the same time as running from home at some stage in the lockdown period and how have you adopted technology to keep private productiveness at the same time as keeping a wholesome work-life balance?
during the last two years, we’ve got visible the world remodel. we’ve visible new experiences empowered by using generation and new scenarios enabled with the aid of innovation. that is particularly true with hybrid paintings.

there’s no one-length-suits-all technique to hybrid paintings, because of this we want bendy strategies by way of presenting the right collaboration equipment and spaces that simplify communication. microsoft groups and viva are extraordinary examples of offerings that help personnel to stay linked and preserve their well-being pinnacle of mind. in my view, i’ve received new attitude on productivity via the pandemic while recognising the energy of connection. era plays a key position in connecting our employees around the world.

companies have decisions to make approximately how to leverage generation to enhance their workflows and empower their groups, consisting of making office time worth the go back and forth, allowing collaboration, or giving them the power to work on their very own phrases. those are the new expectancies human beings have for the place of business. microsoft desires to allow human beings to do their best paintings.

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