Microsoft announces new training and certification options for its cloud partners

As Microsoft continues to pivot towards the cloud, it appears the company is trying to drag some of its old stalwarts in the enterprise arena, into the world of cloud computing as well.

Microsoft’s corporate VP of the company’s worldwide partner group Gavriella Schuster recently announced a new Azure training course intended to provide a self-paced environment to learn about the cloud.

These courses are designed to help partners respond to the surging demand, realize positive returns, and grow their market opportunity. Technology professionals can start with our Azure Fundamentals or those wishing to become multi-cloud specialists can check out our Azure for AWS Experts courses, or dive right into more specific courses like Azure Storage or Azure Networks. It’s also a great way to strengthen customer dialogue about what cloud technology can do for their business.

The details of the courses include an initial six-session course that Schuster notes, “we’re adding six more in the next few weeks – with more coming over the next few months!”, as well as opportunities for Azure certification as steep discounts for participants.

The new Azure training course is being added to the Microsoft Virtual Academy and the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as part of the company’s investment in technical training for the next frontier of computing.

According to IDC, hiring managers find candidates with certifications easier to fill in positions to the tune of 25% as well as more productive than peers without.

Also, “And compared to their peers, Microsoft certified developers are 90% percent more productive and nearly 60% percent more efficient.”

It would seem that not only is Microsoft’s new cloud-focused courses a benefit for early adopters, but may soon become a requirement for anyone looking for a job in an enterprise environment in the future.