Marching Orders 2014: The Time for Cloud Is Now
As part of RCP's 2014 "Marching Orders" feature, we asked channel experts to share their insights on what partners can expect in the new year, and what they should do to get ready for 2014. Here are some tips for Microsoft partners from Phil Sorgen, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group.
Over the past two years, Microsoft partners have seen the cloud gain significant traction in terms of customer demand. The time is now for partners to join the thousands who have already built a cloud practice to start reaping the benefits.
With recently released data now quantifying profitability opportunities for partners in the cloud, there's no reason to wait. According to IDC, partners who generate more than 50 percent of their revenue from the cloud grow at double the rate, accrue new customers two times faster and generate double the revenue per employee compared to non-cloud-oriented partners.
However, partners don't necessarily need to abandon their traditionally successful on-premises solutions. The key to cloud sales in 2014 lies in hybrid solutions, which will offer partners the best competitive advantage.
We're ready to support partners in their transition to the cloud. At the 2013 Worldwide Partner Conference, we announced some updates we'll be making to the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) to better align to how you're selling. This will help you better take advantage of the cloud profitability opportunity. Familiarize yourself with these upcoming changes by reviewing our Disclosure Guide to fully take advantage of opportunities in the coming year. Together, we'll make 2014 the year of cloud opportunity and profitability.
Posted on December 23, 2013