When we launched the updated Microsoft Partner Network back in November of 2010 with the new competency structure and branding ( and retired the “Certified Partner” and “Gold Certified Partner” brands/logos ), one of the design benefits of this approach was to help partners differentiate themselves for...

As you (should) recall, waaaaaaaay back in November of 2010 (my how time flies, doesn’t it?), the former “Microsoft Gold Certified Partner” and “Microsoft Certified Partner” brands were officially retired, put to rest, put out to pasture, however you want to phrase it. Just like any good friend that...

For all of you Microsoft partners out there that are taking advantage of the huge collection of fantastic free training and learning resources available to you on the Microsoft Partner Learning Center as part of your membership in the Microsoft Partner Network , I wanted to give you a quick heads up...

Think your phone is fast or are you in the market for a new phone and looking for something with true speed? Have you tried out a Windows Phone yet? If you haven’t, maybe this will get your attention… As you probably know, the International Consumer Electronics show (CES) took place a couple of weeks...

As you may have heard, in May 2012, we will be combining two of the existing Microsoft Partner Network competencies (Systems Management and Virtualization) into a new unified competency (Management and Virtualization). As a Microsoft partner, these two areas are huge business opportunities and now you...

Welcome to 2012, everyone! I certainly hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and New Year��s Day. To kick off the 2012 year, I thought it might be fun to look back at 2011 quickly to see which of the posts here on the blog you all came to and visited the most. With that, below is a list of the top...

As we approach the end of 2011 and the beginning of the new 2012 year, many people are in the process of taking care of last minute items to close out the year. As you are going through those lists of things to get in before the end of the year, I wanted to make sure that you remembered the Microsoft...

As you may recall, earlier this week we hosted the latest Microsoft Partner Network Interactive Leadership Forum session, which gives you, our partners around the world, the chance to hear directly from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group leadership team here at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond on...

Thanks again to all of you that joined us for yesterday’s Interactive Leadership Forums . Given the online commentary and chatter taking place today resulting from the mere mention of the launching of a Microsoft Small Business Competency as part of the Microsoft Partner Network during the sessions,...

Last spring we kicked off the first ever Microsoft Partner Network Interactive Leadership Forum which gave you, our partners, the opportunity to join us for a live online session with the leadership team here in Redmond to hear the latest and to ask your questions directly to them. Well, the next Microsoft...

Overnight, the new V 2.3 version of the Microsoft Partner Info Mobile App for Windows Phone went live in the Windows Phone Marketplace. For those of you that currently have a previous version of the Microsoft Partner Info Mobile App installed on your phone, you too probably received the update notice...

As many of you know, Microsoft has it’s Download Center that provides you with a bunch of downloadable items, with new ones being added/updated on a daily basis. A question that I was asked via email recently is, “Are there other download locations I should be looking at for Microsoft items besides the...

Today marks a great day here in Redmond, WA and around the world as the Microsoft Partner Network officially hits it’s one year anniversary! Wow, can you believe it has already been a year? Oh how time flies when you are having so much fun, and believe me, working with the Microsoft partners around the...

You may recall back on August 15th when we announced the Microsoft Partner Exam Academy: Announcing Microsoft Partner Exam Academy which is a resource designed for our partners to connect you with preparation materials (including free and for-fee) you need to get yourself ready for the Microsoft certification...

As you know, Microsoft provides a bunch of training and learning resources for our partners to help them achieve the skills and competencies that are right for their businesses, as well as those that they are looking to add into their portfolio. One such example of these resources is the Partner Exam...

Back in March of this year, we announced the general availability of Windows Intune in 35 countries around the world. Then in July of this year, we announced the beta version availability of the next update to the Windows Intune service. Well, today, we are proud to announce the general availability...

What an incredibly exciting day yesterday as Windows Phone 7.5 ‘Mango’ began being distributed broadly around the world! By the way, wondering when the Windows Phone 7.5 update will be coming from your phone service provider? If so, take a look at the “Where’s My Phone Update?” page to find out. ...

As you know, on November 1, 2010, we launched the Microsoft Partner Network which brought with it the focus on competencies and the ability to achieve gold and silver competencies. As noted in my The Microsoft Partner Network: Gold Competencies & Silver Competencies post, this also meant a shift...

As a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, you have access to a large collection of resources and benefits that you can use to run your business, train your staff, enhance your sales & marketing efforts, get support, and much, much more. One of these key benefits that partners receive is “Internal...

Here’s a question for you… How many of you have thought about or decided to pursue a Microsoft certification and the asked the question of, “I wonder if there is any preparation material for the certification exams available?” Well today we are happy to announce another resource designed to help our...

For those of you that were at Worldwide Partner Conference 2011 with us in Los Angeles, you may have heard the exciting announcements that were made for our partners that obtain or have the Mobility competency as well as for all partners with competencies in regards to Windows Phone hardware and service...

The FY11 U.S. SMB Partner Award winners from the East Region, Central Region, and West Region were announced on July 13th at an exclusive SMB Awards Reception at the Rivera Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles during our 2011 Worldwide Partner Conference. Cindy Bates ( @Cindy_Bates ), Vice President of...

The week before Worldwide Partner Conference 2011, I put up my Up to 40% savings with the Worldwide Partner Conference Competency Exam Pack offer post here on the blog telling you about a very exciting offer for all attendees of WPC 11. Through the WPC11 Competency Exam Pack offer, All employees of partner...

This year at Worldwide Partner Conference, we launched the very first “MPN Live” series, which brought you live webcasts from the floor at WPC11. These sessions included a Microsoft host for the session as well as partner and analyst guest speakers, including some joining us remotely via Skype from around...

Day 3 here at Worldwide Partner Conference brought with it the always popular Kevin Turner, a “bringing it all together” with Jon Roskill, and this year’s fantastic guest speaker, Sir Richard Branson. All in all, in my opinion, a great way to kick off the third day here at WPC11. This day also brought...