Not attending Microsoft Ignite in San Francisco this year? Don't worry - Noteworthy and Resultful are bringing you the must-know information from the relevant sessions. This article will be updated throughout the week, with the newest information at the top.
When it comes to SMC customers, they want an end-to-end platform; they don't want multiple vendors. They want their lives to be easier.
"Partners play a critical role in everything we've heard about today" - Judson Althoff
"We're very excited for how partners can build services on top of Agent 365". Customers are going to need support with all of these solutions across the IQ stack, which will no doubt create an opportunity for partners to commercialise the value they can add.
"The partners that are adopting our technologies are the ones that are doing the best" - JA
We're hearing about the importance of "Customer Zero", when it comes to licensing and solution introduction - partners who adopt first, win first. Frontier Firm partners don't just sell AI, they embrace it, internalise it and use it to drive what they do.
We're due to hear about REO (resale enabled offers) over the course of this week, with a session delivered by the Marketplace Man himself, our good friend, Darren Sharpe.
Microsoft are introducing the following:
A "Frontier Partner" badge, recognising partners at the forefront of AI transformation, blending AI-first strategies with human expertise to drive innovation and impact. Awarded for excellence across Microsoft Cloud and AI, this badge marks partners who are defining the next wave of industry leadership.
For indirect partners, the "Frontier Distributor designation" recognises distributors that meet the highest standards of performance and enablement.
An additional designation for "Support Services" celebrates partners that deliver exceptional customer experiences across the Microsoft Cloud, who meet rigorous standards for satisfaction, resolution, and service excellence.
Lastly, the Digital Sovereignty specialisation identifies partners uniquely qualified to assess, architect, and implement sovereign-cloud strategies across Azure, Microsoft 365, and Security.
Effective December 1st, Microsoft have announced Copilot licensing for $21 per month, available to SMBs up to 300 employees.
Throughout the keynote, delivered by Judson, we heard many times about the Frontier Firm - a phrase we're going to hear a lot about over the coming months.
There's set to be over 70 new announcements this week, with the first batch including:
Expect to hear more about each of these over the course of the week!