Microsoft's Cloud Partner Program gets an AI upgrade

Microsoft Inspire 2023 is taking place this week on July 18-19, and AI is the main character at the conference. Every subject and presentation had something to do with AI, on the first day of the conference, and Microsoft announced a lot of things AI-related.

For example, the Redmond-based tech giant announced the new Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, the next generation of the Microsoft Partner Program.

Microsoft has been very keen on adopting AI everywhere, and the tech giant has been at the forefront of AI research. Products like Orca 13B, LongMem, and Kosmos 2 have been helping shape AI, and Microsoft is all behind them. The tech giant has even conducted a study on how to use AI to grow your company.

It’s only natural that AI would be part of the next generation of Microsoft Partner Program. According to Nicole Dezen, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program aims to bring together the entire partner lifecycle, including onboarding, skilling, go-to-market, incentives, and co-selling.

As Satya Nadella announced today, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program brings together everything across the entire partner lifecycle, including onboarding, skilling, go-to-market, incentives, and co-selling. Partners get all the value and benefits of the previous program, plus access to new offerings and benefits specific to AI. And there is no action for a partner to take to move to the new program — we’ve moved all our existing partners into the new program effective immediately and partners will maintain their existing benefits and designations.

Nicole Dezen

What could Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program mean for you?

Basically, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program provides partners with a comprehensive portfolio of investments for all partner business models, at every stage of maturity, according to Microsoft.

You’ll be able to use the program to develop marketing campaigns and to build your own solutions and services which will be powered by Security Copilot. You’ll also be able to build your business plan using AI, and many more business-related documents to prove your expertise on the market.

Plus, Microsoft will bring more updates tailored for partners, including ISV designations, Training Services designations, and Support Services designations. And by the end of this year, Microsoft will also introduce the industrial metaverse to the Program.

The industrial metaverse blends the digital and physical world with the scope of accelerating efficiency through engineering, manufacturing, and field service. The concept is still in the early stages, but the goal is for it to enable real-time collaboration and connectivity in industrial environments. So it seems Microsoft is really ready to take it to the next level.

What do you think about this program? Let us know in the comments section below.