Office 365

Cloud

AppRiver addition of Skype dial-in conferencing reflects company’s reinvention in digital era

July 13, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on AppRiver addition of Skype dial-in conferencing reflects company’s reinvention in digital era
AppRiver has announced the availability of unlimited dial-in conferencing to Skype for Business at an affordable rate, as a new optional feature of their Skye for Business service.

Managed Services

BitTitan, Dropbox see enormous opportunities in new go-to-market alliance

July 13, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on BitTitan, Dropbox see enormous opportunities in new go-to-market alliance
BitTitan and DropBox will collaborate on an integrated go-to-market strategy where the services of each will be bundled together and available to both channels.

Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president for cloud and enterprise at Microsoft
Cloud

Microsoft launches AppSource business cloud apps marketplace

July 12, 2016 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Microsoft launches AppSource business cloud apps marketplace
Microsoft’s AppSource marketplace offers users a way to quickly discover and trial business-specific cloud apps, and hands the leads over to partners.

Unified Communications

Microsoft relationship now key for independent Polycom

July 12, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Microsoft relationship now key for independent Polycom
With the Mitel deal now off, Polycom needs to build its own bridge into a cloud future. Nick Tidd, who runs their Global Partner Organization, outlines the company’s plans to do just that, with one key objective being to get their own channel to sell Polycom and Microsoft together.

Cloud

StorageCraft enters cloud backup market

July 12, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on StorageCraft enters cloud backup market
The on-prem specialist announces it will make a belated entry into the cloud backup space, to allow existing partners to get both their on-prem and cloud products from a single vendor, and to expand their partner base among MSPs.

Cloud

Growing Azure demand prompts new Acronis solutions, quest for more cloud resellers

July 12, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Growing Azure demand prompts new Acronis solutions, quest for more cloud resellers
Data protection vendor Acronis announces a Backup Cloud Extension for Azure, as well as the future availability of a Backup Cloud Extension for Microsoft Azure Stack – which will be available when Microsoft releases Azure Stack.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella at WPC 2016.
Channel Programs

Digital transformation focus creates larger opportunity: Nadella

July 11, 2016 Robert Dutt Comments Off on Digital transformation focus creates larger opportunity: Nadella
Kicking off the company’s 2016 Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlines what a focus on the digital transformation of business will mean to both Microsoft and its partners.

Channel Programs

Migration vendor Metalogix looks to enhance channel appeal with formalized partner program

July 11, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Migration vendor Metalogix looks to enhance channel appeal with formalized partner program
Metalogix built up a strong business on a model where the channel business was limited and basically transactional. The company has now implemented a more complex go-to-market model in which an expanded channel with practices around migration is a key part.

Channel Programs

Concur launches structured partner program in travel and expense industry

July 7, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Concur launches structured partner program in travel and expense industry
The SAP company’s program works on the referral model, and they think that the program will attract partners looking to extend their cloud business to this new sphere.

Cloud

Archive360 moves beyond mailboxes with Azure archive solution to migrate gray data

June 27, 2016 Mark Cox Comments Off on Archive360 moves beyond mailboxes with Azure archive solution to migrate gray data
Archive2Azure leverages technology from the company’s flagship solution to migrate Office 365 mailbox archives, but is a fundamentally different type of solution, designed for the rest of the data beyond the mailboxes, so companies can get rid of their legacy on-prem storage completely.