Microsoft’s Partners Embrace AI for Customer Value

In our day, artificial intelligence is a defining factor. We’ve seen hints of its potential to open up significant doors for people, businesses, and society at large during the past year. Nevertheless, it’s evident that we’ve merely scratched the surface of its potential.
AI reshapes industries, offering new possibilities for Microsoft and partners in software and services. Microsoft’s overarching objective is to pioneer and democratize advancements in AI, recognizing that partners stand to gain from a spectrum of opportunities beyond the technology itself.

In this State of the Partner Ecosystem address, Microsoft delved into how partners are seizing the opportunities presented by AI, turning its promises into tangible outcomes for organizations worldwide.

Microsoft spotlighted partners who are leveraging AI-powered solutions to drive innovation across sectors, including those:

• Accelerating achievements that once took years into mere months.

• Spearheading innovations in higher education, revolutionizing tasks in marketing, admissions, and student guidance.

• Empowering real-time decision-making along the supply chain’s critical points.

Firstly, let’s explore how Microsoft is empowering partners to innovate, build, and distinguish themselves with AI. Through a blend of technological advancements, a leading partner program, and genuine market differentiation, we’re fostering an environment ripe for AI transformation.

Unprecedented Momentum: The Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Microsoft leads the charge in generative AI innovation, evident through offerings like Azure OpenAI Services and a growing Copilot portfolio. Its commercial portfolio stands as the most comprehensive in the market, with AI integration spanning from the cloud to the edge and across all solution domains. Partners can harness this innovation through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, which provides access to cutting-edge capabilities and benefits to assist customers of all sizes and industries. Just as AI capabilities permeate our technology portfolio, AI benefits are woven into the fabric of its partner program.

Microsoft proudly announced enhancements aimed at enabling partners to shape an AI-powered future, including:

• Expansion of AI skilling initiatives, boot camps, and events.

• New benefits packages featuring product enhancements such as Microsoft 365 developer tools, increased Azure credits, and Visual Studio enterprise support to foster AI practice growth.

• Introduction of new partner designations to certify AI solutions or distinguish partners based on their expertise.

These enhancements build upon the remarkable momentum witnessed since the launch of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program last July. For instance, our Microsoft AI Transformation Partner Playbook, outlining new AI possibilities, has been downloaded over 35,000 times. Similarly, Microsoft’s Era of AI marketing campaign-in-a-box, a free go-to-market asset, has garnered over 13,250 downloads.

Currently, over 13,000 partners are developing solutions with Microsoft Azure AI, catering to more than 53,000 customers with generative AI capabilities alone. This surge in partner engagement is evidenced by a nearly 250 percent increase in generative AI-related partners over the past eight months.

In sum, these figures reflect a year of exponential innovation and growth for partners. Microsoft remains committed to evolving its support mechanisms to sustain this upward trajectory.

Below are some specific updates slated for the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program in the coming months.

Updates to the program will introduce fresh designations and certifications tailored for partners. These designations and certifications serve as crucial markers aiding partners in distinguishing themselves within the market. They play a vital role in validating skills and confirming the efficacy of solutions, enabling customers to identify the partner and technology best suited to their requirements.

Attaining these designations and specializations entails meeting skilling and performance benchmarks, alongside presenting customer evidence to showcase capabilities. Partners have enthusiastically embraced this opportunity within the realm of Microsoft AI. Notably, since last July, Microsoft has observed a 58 percent surge in partner designations for Azure Data and AI solutions, and a remarkable 172 percent growth in partner specializations for the Build and Modernize AI apps with Azure, as well as AI and Machine Learning designations.

To capitalize on this momentum, Microsoft is pleased to unveil several new designations for partners spanning software, services, and training.

For more visit :- https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/03/20/from-vision-to-reality-microsofts-partners-embrace-ai-to-deliver-customer-value/

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