The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is one of the biggest annual hi-tech conferences in the world, it is run by Microsoft, for Microsoft Partners. Fifteen-thousand plus attendees fill a convention center, and usually an adjoining pro-sports arena, to listen and learn how they can make the most from a company that offers partners around $8 of opportunity for every $1 of Microsoft license sold
How does SharePoint fit in a Comprehensive ECM Strategy? One Word - Partners It is up to the Microsoft partner ecosystem to help customers understand the possibilities...Adoption will continue. Partners will continue to fill gaps
When that information is “born” in a paper based format SharePoint needs a little help to get the information from “ Paper to Digital ” format. This is where partners come in
Contrary to what Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles … Paper Still Matters...This offer to connect and think about this multi-billion dollar opportunity is open to partners too
However, there is work to do, there are products to ship and there will be (as always) a need for partners to fill in the gaps. A key point for partners -- Gaps are Opportunities . Customers have needs that the SharePoint (and Office Wave 15 platform) cannot deliver. Smart partners will identify these gaps and deliver … as always
Keeping all the elements in check, aka Applying Governance , is going to be more and more critical and will involve more and more SharePoint. The partners that are doing this today have a leg up. There will be many more partner opportunities to extend their solution expertise with SharePoint as the foundation
My Guesses and a Few Questions that come to mind: Yammer and Skype -- VOIP calls for Customer Service, Between Employees, between customers and partners and so much more
I continue to live and work in the Microsoft Partner Ecosystem because Microsoft has realized that partners fill gaps and niches that they have no interest in doing and/or in areas that partners can fill rapidly
Similarly for Microsoft, there is no option but to push for change -- both to how they develop and deliver products, as well as how partners interact with them
SharePoint’s success and widespread adoption demonstrates the power of community, innovation within the community, and the economic benefit shared by all -- including partners, integrators, suppliers, customers. In early October, I had the opportunity to attend the SharePoint Conference and attended a presentation from Microsoft that had some incredible numbers about SharePoint success that rival any consumer focused technology. 125+million licenses sold 20000 users added daily 93000+ partners 65000+ customers