Microsoft rejigs partner business structure

Move designed to make it easier to do business with Microsoft, firm claims

Partners have welcomed news that Microsoft is overhauling its partner business, in a move it claims will make it easier for its channel to do business with the firm.

The reorganisation will see Microsoft combine its Enterprise Product Group (EPG) with its SMS&P (Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners) group. The announcement was first published on ZDNet, but in a statement afterwards, Microsoft said:

"These changes are designed to unify teams from across the Commercial Business, making it easier to do business with Microsoft and meet the needs of its thriving partner ecosystem and customer base."

The new combined EPG and SMS&P business will be run by Chris Weber, corporate vice president of mid-market solutions and partners.

Another change announced today is the creation of the One Commercial Partner business, which will integrate the separate partner teams within Microsoft and be led by Ron Huddleston, ZDNet reported.

UK partners welcomed the move and said it will make life easier for them.

Kelvin Kirby, CEO of Technology Associates said: "There's often been a case where the two divisions have done things in ivory towers and in isolation, so hopefully this is a good move. Time will tell. It's hard to judge because there will still be personalities in that organisation who will want to keep hold of their own environment, as it were, and to manage their own patch. But overall, it should be good. Getting rid of the ivory environment in Microsoft can only be a good thing in terms of consistency in combining services and so on. There is more and more overlap between the lines, which are very blurred anyway. But it can be hard to talk to both, so hopefully this will get rid of that isolation. I think it's good."

Mitchell Feldman, CDO of RedPixie, agreed.

"I don't think we will see much impact on our business, but it's just streamlining and efficiencies," he said. "From a partner perspective, it is just easier to navigate around the monolithic giant which is Microsoft. What they do, they do with a view to making end users' and partners' lives easier. That's the feeling we have. We straddle the corporate and the enterprise world, so having two separate entities to deal with is a challenge. Consolidating it into one is much easier."