ChannelE2E continues to closely track Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2016 (WPC16). Check this blog throughout the day for updates. Here's what we've seen and heard from the WPC16 conference so far on Tuesday, July 12, 2016.
1. Cloud Backup: AVANT has agreed to distribute Acronis Backup Cloud for Office 365 data through the AVANT channel ecosystem of VARs, MSPs and Telecom Agents.
2. Azure Cloud Readiness Service: NetEnrich has unveiled an ROI Assessment Service for Microsoft Azure. It's designed to help Cloud Solutions Providers to determine a customer's "cloud-readiness and cloud ROI." The service includes discovery, assessment and advisory components to help CSPs chart a path forward for Azure customers.
3. Azure Migration Tools: UnifyCloud LLC has released CloudAtlas, an Azure-based set of services to help customers determine their readiness for a cloud migration. (Hmmm... Sort of sounds like NetEnrich's strategy, detailed above.) Additional tools allow customers to manage and monitor applications as they migrate from on-premises workloads to Azure.
4. Cloud Alliance: BitTitan has announced a go-to-market alliance with Dropbox. The move comes about two weeks after BitTitan CEO Geeman Yip described his company's evolution into an Office 365 cloud services enabler.
6. SharePoint Migrations: Metalogix is expanding the company's partner program to help systems integrators (SIs) migrate on-premises SharePoint customers to Office 365. Keep an eye on the Metalogix Advantage Partner Program (MAPP) for more details.
7. Skype for Business: AppRiver is one of the first large-scale email hosting providers to offer dial-in conferencing as part of the company's Skype for Business service. The company's Office 365 practice recently passed the 200,000-seat mark, AppRiver added. How did the company build its partner program for Office 365 cloud services? Channel Sales Manager Justin Gilbert explains the strategy here.
8. Facebook Goes Office 365 (Partially): Facebook is migrating from on-premises Microsoft Office to cloud-based Office 365 for email services. However, the social network won't leverage Skype for Business or Yammer -- Microsoft's business-oriented social network. Facebook CIO Tim Campos described the migration here.
9. Cloud-to-Cloud Backup: StorageCraft is previewing cloud-to-cloud backup for Office 365. It's a growing market, with a growing number of options for MSPs and channel partners.
10. More Updates: Remember to check this blog entry throughout the day for updates.
Plus, visit here for all of our daily Microsoft WPC16 coverage.