Microsoft Inspire 2021: News, Announcements And Analysis

Held virtually for the second year in a row, Microsoft Inspire 2021 comes as the company has continued to report strong growth across its Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and security businesses—with more than 95 percent of the company’s commercial revenue continuing to be “influenced” directly or indirectly by partners. Microsoft now reports having more than 400,000 partners in its network.

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5 Key Statements From Microsoft Channel Chief Rodney Clark At Inspire 2021
Clark, who was named Microsoft channel chief in April, spoke about offering partners an ‘effective digital path,’ investments in partner technical capabilities and key partner opportunity areas during his Inspire keynote Wednesday.

5 Big Partner Announcements At Microsoft Inspire 2021
Microsoft is using its Inspire partner conference to launch new advanced specializations and Partner Center portal updates, while also disclosing enhancements for marketplace and ISV partners.

Inspire 2021: 5 Big Updates In Microsoft 365, Teams And Industry Clouds
Microsoft’s sixth industry cloud offering, along with new Teams capabilities and a Windows “cloud PC” service, are among the major announcements at the Inspire partner conference this week.

Microsoft’s Windows 365 ‘Cloud PC’ Service: 6 Things To Know
The browser-accessible service brings a number of advantages for users and IT staff, along with creating managed services opportunities for partners, Microsoft said.

5 Key Microsoft Security Announcements At Inspire 2021
‘The Microsoft advantage is that you get more for your security dollar,’ Mason, Ohio-based Microsoft partner Interlink Cloud Advisors, Interlink Chief Technology Officer and Partner Mike Wilson tells CRN. ‘The ability to come in and get a set of tools that work well together that have low integration cost because they’re designed to work together out of the same cloud portal is incredibly valuable.’

Microsoft Unveils Windows 365, A Web-Streamed Virtual Desktop Service For Hybrid Work
The company is pointing to major partner opportunities around Windows 365, which will let users access their Windows desktop from any browser on any device, including Apple and Android devices.

11 Top Azure Announcements From Microsoft Inspire 2021
CRN breaks down the new Microsoft Azure products, features and services unveiled by the No. 3 cloud computing provider at its annual partner conference.