220 – Unveiling Microsoft’s Strategic Vision for Growth and AI Partnerships

In the latest episode of Ultimate Guide to Partnering, host Vince Menzione sits down with Nicole Dezen, General Manager of Global Channel Sales for IoT at Microsoft, to explore the transformative potential of IoT and how Azure IoT solutions are driving innovation across industries.

With a background rich in entrepreneurship and a mission-driven approach, Ashleigh Vogstad has carved out a unique space in the marketing landscape within the Microsoft ecosystem.

I'm excited to welcome my next guest to Ultimate Guide to Partnering, Dux Raymond Sy, Chief Brand Officer @ AvePoint. With over 20 years of business, marketing, and technology experience, Dux has driven organizational transformations worldwide with his ability to simplify complex ideas and deliver relevant solutions. He is recognized by Microsoft as Regional Director (RD) and Most Valuable Professional (MVP), as well as the author of LinkedIn Learning course How to Build Your Personal Brand, book SharePoint for Project Management, and numerous whitepapers and articles.

I'm excited to welcome my next guest to Ultimate Guide to Partnering, John Jahnke - CEO at Tackle.io, a Cloud Go To Market Platform that enables software companies to sell via the cloud. As the CEO of Tackle, John has been instrumental in helping Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) streamline their business operations by leveraging cloud marketplaces. Since its inception in 2016, Tackle has been at the forefront of this transformation, creating a new category of software that simplifies the process for ISVs to list and sell their products in the cloud. In this episode, John and I discuss the rapid evolution of cloud go-to-market strategies, the role of hyperscalers, and the future of AI in the industry. Let’s dive into the world of cloud marketplaces with John as he shares insights on the challenges and opportunities within this space. We explore the strategic decisions made by top software companies, the impact of economic conditions on cloud adoption, and the significant role AI plays in shaping the future. John also discusses the importance of aligning marketing and sales strategies with cloud channels and the transformative potential of AI-driven solutions.

In November 2023, over 300 Microsoft partners, leaders, experts from Microsoft, and ambassadors assembled for an incredible two days in Dallas, Texas. Today, we bring you back to another astonishing session led by Elliotte Dunlap, a Microsoft Partnership Leader. In this recorded session, Elliotte demystifies and decodes Microsoft's Sales Engagement Methodology (MCEM) for this partner audience to help them best align for effective co-selling with Microsoft. Listen today to Crack the Code on Microsoft's MCEM to Unlock Co-Selling Success.

Today, we have a very exclusive interview. In November of 2023, over 300 Microsoft partners, leaders, experts, from Microsoft, and ambassadors all assembled in Dallas, Texas, for an incredible two days. Today, we bring you back to this incredible session with Kevin Peesker, Microsoft's President of Small, Medium, and Corporate business, where he takes us on a journey through technology and the advent of AI. We also deep dive on why this SMC business of over $75 billion within Microsoft is your rich "acre of diamonds" as a partner to grow your business in the coming years!

I'm excited to welcome back my next guest to Ultimate Guide to Partnering. Janet Schijns is a go-to-market and profitable growth expert, board member, ecosystem growth expert, and megacosm guru. As CEO of JS Group, a transformative market consulting firm, Janet is a visionary of the channel ecosystem, she is in charge of developing GTM plans and numerous 5-star, award-winning channel programs. Her approach is to manage challenges with a razor-sharp problem-solving skill set that delivers. Janet has the "street cred" and experience to close deals in business and operating models, sales channels, partner development, product innovation, digital transformation, robotics and automation, and ecosystem management. In this episode, Janet and I deep dive on why partnerships fail & how to fix them. Let's dive into the world of channels and ecosystems with Janet as she shares her expertise on the challenges executive-level managers encounter in channel strategy, marketplace predictions, the role of generative AI, market action planning, and fail-first strategy. She also discusses how to address the lack of women in partnerships, protect women from abuse through financial independence, and more.

In this episode of Ultimate Guide to Partnering®, join Vince Menzione as he shares a synopsis of the first four months of 2024. Throughout the episode, Vince dives deep into the shared quality time with leaders from the top hyperscalers and other successful tech giants, the importance of marketplaces and co-selling, rapid changes after the global pandemic, and the highly successful previous Ultimate Partner live event. Furthermore, you’ll get a glimpse of what’s included in the next live event we’re planning to have at the end of May 2024.

We are excited to launch our first AWS episode in years. Join us as we delve into marketplace development and partnership success at AWS with our special guest, Josh Greene. Josh is responsible for Marketplace Success at AWS and brings over 20 years of experience in startups, channel partners, and ISVs to this role. In this episode, Josh brings valuable insights into driving revenue generation, strategic partnerships, and global expansion, decoding AWS Marketplace Success, and how partners achieved billions last year. Josh shares his expertise as the Sr. Manager of Global Seller Innovation/MP Development at AWS. Discover how AWS and partners leverage cloud commitments for partner success, the strategies behind AWS Marketplace growth, and the pivotal role of partner engineering in streamlining the sales process.  Tune in to learn the importance of collaboration, innovation, and customer obsession in achieving success with AWS Marketplace. Don't miss out on actionable insights to scale your business and drive innovation with AWS.

Dexter Hardy, President and Chief Technology Officer of Integral, a company that brings over two decades of IT expertise to helping companies massively shift to Microsoft Azure. Last year alone, Ntegral's offerings drove over 100 million hours of Microsoft Azure consumption. In this Ultimate Guide to Partnering episode, he shares his journey from SI to ISV success, unlocking his cloud marketplace growth strategies. From cloud migration to fostering partnerships in the tech industry, Dexter Hardy, President and Chief Technology Officer of Integral, a company that brings over two decades of IT expertise to helping companies massively shift to Microsoft Azure. Last year alone, Ntegral's over 300 Marketplace offerings drove over 100 million hours of Microsoft Azure consumption. In this Ultimate Guide to Partnering episode, he shares his journey from SI to ISV success, unlocking his cloud marketplace growth strategies. From cloud migration to fostering partnerships in the tech industry, Dexter delves into key topics, including productization, brand building, and community focus for startups, with a focus on leadership, innovation, and adapting to technological shifts. In this Ultimate Guide to Partnering episode, Dexter shares invaluable insights on mastering marketplaces, nurturing personal growth, and orchestrating successful partnerships. This episode is packed with actionable strategies for business growth and navigating the ever-evolving tech landscape. Don't miss it.