Microsoft unveils Partnering for the Future initiative
Software giant wants partners to become more aware of the opportunities in the software world
Microsoft is looking to change its partner strategy to help its VARs cash in on the concept of Web 2.0.
The Partnering for the Future initiative aims to ensure that Microsoft’s existing partners are aware of and ready for the opportunities in the software sector, while also attracting a new stable of partners, the firm said.
Karl Noakes, director of channel development at Microsoft, told CRN: “We’ve realised that over the next three years developments in the internet will change the way we do business. We therefore need to evolve our approach to partnering.”
Microsoft said a fundamental aspect of Web 2.0 is Software as a Service (SaaS), which it has claimed non-traditional IT organisations, such as banks and advertising agencies, are well placed to sell.
“While we will look for new partners to work with, we will also help our existing partner community to embrace this new technology and make the change,” Noakes said.
One such partner has already made the change. David da Silva, principal consultant at Microsoft partner Conchango, said: “We have really welcomed this evolution in Microsoft’s approach to partnering, embracing the opportunity that the growth in SaaS will provide. It validates a direction Conchango wants to move in.”
Robert May, managing director of Microsoft Gold partner Ramsac, said: “Microsoft is in the process of talking to its Gold partners about Partnering for the Future. Part of Web 2.0 is the idea that software applications are designed to run on the web. A lot of Microsoft’s partners are infrastructure-based, so I can understand why it is looking at new types of partners.”
David Bradshaw, principal analyst at Ovum, said: “There are two main changes about to occur in the software world: SaaS and open source. It is inevitable that all the big software vendors will have to get involved with these concepts.”