Planning + Sharing = Winning

I’m sure we can all agree that 2020 will forever go down in the books as a year of massive disruption. Across the globe the pandemic altered our lives, our futures, and how we look at the world. Our personal lives were turned upside down, and the businesses that keep the world running were forced to adjust and adapt to the “new normal.” And, of course, many people and organizations are still confronted with how to stay afloat and be resilient in these times. All things considered I am thankful that technology has empowered us with tools to lessen the impact.

As our new year is now in full swing, many of our partners are planning ahead for the balance of 2021 and beyond. Yet, with so much uncertainty it seems like a tremendous task to prepare for the unexpected, and it’s no surprise that many of you feel like you’re sailing through uncharted waters. But every new day is a fresh opportunity, and now more than ever it’s important to find new ways to innovate and build resiliency in 2021. More so, we need to lean on each other and share our successes so we can all grow together. 

Planning for uncertainty in extraordinary times

The past year has certainly brought to light new challenges for both Microsoft partners and our shared customers, but there are trends we can point to that will likely define 2021, as Gavriella Schuster notes in a recent blog:

·     The hybrid workforce will be a priority for many businesses — Remote work and education has undoubtedly been a challenge for all, but it also creates a unique opportunity to help your customers navigate this ongoing transition. We all know that the demand of video conferencing has grown tremendously over the past year, and partners can ease the transition by helping customers adopt Microsoft 365 solutions like Microsoft Teams. With the demands of our “new normal” we could all use a little time back in our days, and Teams is the only secure platform that brings together chat, meetings, calling, file collaboration, and business apps to improve both the well-being and productivity of workers, educators, and students.

·     Business continuity will be essential for every partner — Brought to light by the great toilet paper shortage of 2020, the pandemic has forced businesses to rethink their antiquated supply chain technology. Many organizations are facing increased pressure to modernize operations and prepare for a wide variety of potential disruptions. As a Microsoft partner, you are well positioned to help customers build resilience into their organization so they’re better prepared for the unexpected with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management.

·     Security will continue to be a key challenge and necessity — Unfortunately, high profile cyberattacks in 2020 have heightened our security awareness, and maintaining business continuity has brought effective management of security across organizations to the forefront. The urgent shift to a hybrid workforce made this even more critical for every organization worldwide, and nurturing cyber resilience has never been more important for you and your customers.

·     Cloud migrations will become business imperative — Cloud computing has become an imperative in 2020 for the added flexibility and benefits it brings to remote workers. This opens new doors to help customers with cloud migration. That’s why we’re continuing to simplify migration so your customers can swiftly and effectively transition their workloads. For example, Microsoft Azure is a key enabler of digital transformation and Azure Migrate makes the process of cloud migration more seamless.

As I’ve written before, the secret to successfully navigating change is to focus on building the new, which is why Microsoft is committed to evolving our programs to help you adapt to our ever-changing world. While we can’t predict everything, it’s safe to say the above trends will continue to impact businesses in the coming months.

Sharing our victories will help us grow together

Planning is only part of the equation, and the other part is knowing how to share our successes and build each other up. There's nothing that generates positivity like more positivity, and now more than ever we need to celebrate every win.

For Microsoft’s part, our investments and incentives for FY21 will continue to focus on helping you celebrate victories through partner-to-partner collaboration. We’re doing this by:

·     Enabling new ways of working — We are prioritizing our programs to rewarding those of you who transform how teams work and increase organizational productivity. 

·     Creating more opportunities for training, certification and advanced specialization — We have created unique learning paths in Partner Center that will help you maximize your return on investment and continue building a strong foundation.

 ·     Continuing to facilitate partner growth — We are adjusting our programs to prioritize opportunities that help you differentiate, enhance your offerings, and drive more value to customers.  

·     Helping you accelerate customer digital transformation — We are rewarding those of you who enable and support our customers’ journey to the cloud.

We will be sharing even more about these investments in the coming months and looking ahead there’s plenty more to be excited about. If you’re already a Microsoft partner, be sure to check out our recently released Partner Roadmap for 2021 to see how we’re collaborating and connecting with partners. And if you’re not a Microsoft partner, I encourage you to read about the exciting opportunities ahead and learn why #PartnersMakeMorePossible.

What’s Next?

I truly believe that planning + sharing = winning, and I’m excited about the success you will achieve and the stories you will have to share this time next year. Be sure to check out the Microsoft Partner Network blog for updates and new materials to assist with your readiness and planning, and I encourage you to keep engaging with your Microsoft team and the entire partner community. I can’t wait to see what you achieve in 2021!

Until next time,

Alyssa Fitzpatrick