In-Depth Features


How Microsoft Licensing Is Throttling Desktop as a Service

SMBs are ready for Microsoft to let DaaS out of the box now, but Microsoft licensing policies are holding the market back, argues VDI consultant Michael Fraser.

CEO 3.0: What Microsoft's Partners Want from Satya Nadella

Public statements so far from Satya Nadella provide a strong hint of what the new Microsoft CEO will give partners, what he won't and what's negotiable.

GALLERY: 7 Compelling Windows Devices from CES 2014

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft's hardware partners have unveiled a slew of innovative devices running Windows 8.1 during this year's Consumer Electronics Show. We gathered some of the more interesting ones in this gallery.

Marching Orders 2014: Partner Tips and Predictions from Channel Experts

What will 2014 bring? RCP's stable of experts know, and they share their insights on everything from cloud and hybrid to new business models to the coming frenzy of Windows XP replacement.

Microsoft's SMB Partners Say Goodbye to Small Business Server

Time runs out on new sales of the venerable Windows Small Business Server this month. Having had plenty of warning, the SMB partner community is already moving on.

Surface 2: Microsoft Makes Strides in Hardware, but Not in Partner Opportunity

Microsoft refreshed its lineup of PC-tablet hybrids this fall with the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2. The hardware is compelling, but channel incentives are lagging.

Microsoft Partner Network Roadmap: A Guide to Upcoming MPN Changes

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft is readying a wave of modifications to the Microsoft Partner Network. Between the launch of new competencies and the retirement of several cloud programs, partners will be busy over the coming months as they prepare for the changes. Here's a timeline detailing what changes to expect, and what each will entail for partners.

2013 RCP Rocket Awards: Meet the Winners

Three companies earned our inaugural award for sustainable business growth. See how winners Axis Group LLC, Envision LLC and Intellinet Corp. planned and executed their way to success.

Windows 8.1: The 8 Best Features and Fixes

The Windows 8.1 Preview reveals a much-improved OS that fixes many of the flaws in the original Windows 8 release. Here's what to look for in the new OS.

Q&A: Microsoft's Martorano on His Expanded U.S. Channel Role

Exec will manage National Systems Integrators, Licensing Solution Providers and Microsoft Surface sales.

Microsoft's New Channel Chief on 'Devices + Services' and the Changing Channel

Phil Sorgen, a veteran of many senior roles in the Microsoft field, was named corporate vice president for the Worldwide Partner Group, replacing Jon Roskill.

Windows Azure Helps Small Partner Score Huge Deal

How one small Microsoft partner in the U.K. leveraged the Windows Azure cloud service to win a huge contract against consortiums of IT giants -- enabling a more robust solution at a lower cost than traditional IT approaches could promise.

MPN 2.0: Behind the Microsoft Partner Network Overhaul

At the Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft laid out a major overhaul of the 3-year-old Microsoft Partner Network. The changes send several important messages about how the software giant is thinking about its partners and their role.

Microsoft Partner Network Competency Changes in 2014 (Flow Chart)

In January 2014, Microsoft will boil 25 competencies and one quasi-competency down to 22. Here are the key changes (and a list of the competncies that remain unchanged).

Meet the New Bosses: The Key Executives in Microsoft's Reorg

Steve Ballmer unveiled a much anticipated major reorganization intended to change the conflict orientation of Microsoft's culture to one of shared focus. Some of the winners in Ballmer's new structure are familiar faces. Others are being pulled into the spotlight from deeper within the organization.

Who's Next as Microsoft CEO: Possible Replacements for Steve Ballmer

WEB EXCLUSIVE: The contenders for Steve Ballmer's replacement make up a deep bench of executive talent with heavy Microsoft experience both inside and outside the company.

Microsoft's 50 'Most Competent' Partners: 2013

RCP identifies the "biggest" Microsoft partners in terms of their number of competencies in this second-annual list.

Windows Phone 8 Gallery: The First Devices (UPDATED)

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Microsoft is staking its mobile success on its just-launched smartphone platform, Windows Phone 8. The first devices are set to roll out in the coming weeks and months from major U.S. carriers including Verizon and AT&T. Here's what we know so far about the new lineup.

WPC 2013: Microsoft Fleshes Out Its 'Devices and Services' Mantra

At the Worldwide Partner Conference this month, partners will find out what Microsoft's strategic shift to meet a rapidly changing market will mean for the channel.

BYOD, MDM and the Fate of Servers: Q&A with Tech Data's Mobility Chief

A discussion with Tech Data's Joe Quaglia about the distributor's new BYOD platform and the state of IT's most explosive sector.