Program news
FastTrack Partner Community Referrals update - Opt-in
Now that the FastTrack Partner Community (FPC) has officially launched, we want to provide an update on the Referrals Opt-in attributes. Action: Select countries and languages you will deliver referrals from on the Referrals Profiles page.
PY24 CPOR incentive data update
The PY24 CPOR incentive data changes will be available in December 2023. The changes will appear when the FCU is updated. An announcement will be made when this is complete.
New Referrals Process Live! A few reminders...
The new process is live for FastTrack Partner Community Referrals! Here are a few reminders:
- Make sure to update your Referrals Profile(s)on the Community Portal (My Memberships, Referrals Profiles). You can select Countries and Languages that each MPN location serves (Industry and Customer Seat Size are coming soon).
- For each referral, you will receive two email notifications.
- Referral Notification indicates that your company has been matched with a customer. You must enter the FCU and use the new buttons to accept this referral (Partner Center > Insights > FastTrack > Referrals).
- Assignment Notification are sent to all involved parties notifying the customer of the partner assignment.
Look for updated documentation and an invitation to a Partner Office Hours event to review the referrals process and ask questions.
FastTrack Playbook Partner resources
Partner resources in the FastTrack Playbook have been updated. For the announcement, please read blog post, Partner Playbook Resources.
Automatic redirection to Microsoft 365 Defender portal
Users accessing Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps will be rerouted to the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. For the announcement, please read this blog post.
Introducing Microsoft Teams Town Halls
Town Halls, the new Teams meeting experience, is available as of October 5, 2023. For the announcement, please read this blog post.
Viva Glint update
Viva Glint, a new Viva workload, has been added to Microsoft’s Employee Experience platform. For the announcement, please read this blog post.
Teams Phone Shared Calling feature
Teams Phone is releasing a new feature called Shared Calling in October 2023. For the announcement, please read this blog post.
New Teams is generally available!
On October 5, 2023, Microsoft announced the general availability of new Teams for our Windows and Mac customers. We’re happy to share that new Teams now has feature parity for the most commonly used features for Windows and Mac, including custom line-of-business apps, third-party apps, breakout rooms, and more.
Upgrading to new Teams is quick and seamless – no migration is required! Customers can simply flip the toggle in the upper lefthand corner of the classic Teams app to get started on their new Teams journey today.
Read the Tech Community blog post to learn more
Progression into Migration
The FastTrack Migration team provides information, resources, and tools for the FastTrack migration engagement experience. Today is no exception. The FastTrack Migration team will be presenting the Migration Decision Tree, as detailed during the Migration Open Office Hours calls across the globe September 27, 2023. Download the infographic by visiting the Yammer post and share with your delivery teams.
Events and training
FastTrack to Success with SMEs: New Teams Phone Features - Registration
Join us for the FastTrack to Success with SMEs: New Teams Phone Features event on October 25, 2023. Teams Phone is constantly evolving and adding new features to enhance the user experience and functionality.
During this session, we will inform partners about some of the new Teams Phone features and the important market expansions. We will introduce partners to the Teams Phone Advanced Deployment Guide available in the Microsoft 365 admin center and cover how partners can leverage that digital asset during each stage of the deployment project with customers adopting Teams Phone (from discovery and planning to deployment and number assignment).
Finally, we will discuss how to leverage Microsoft resources, FastTrack and request assistance from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
Register here:
Using the Intune Suite features within Intune - Registration
Join us for the Using the Intune Suite features within Intune event on October 17, 2023. During this call, we will discuss using Microsoft Intune Suite features to manage cloud endpoint.
The Microsoft Intune Suite is a cloud-powered solution that combines essential management and security tools into one comprehensive package. It is a premium part of Microsoft Intune, which is a cloud-based endpoint management solution. Intune manages user access and simplifies app and device management across many devices, including mobile devices, desktop computers, and virtual endpoints.
Register here:
Available on-demand
Click on the links below to view content on-demand.
Workload news
Don’t miss October’s Partner Pulse newsletter!
Catch up on the latest Copilot news, upcoming digital events for Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs), Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, Teams Phone and Teams Rooms, and Windows 365, and opportunities to grow your business. It’s all included in the October issue of the Microsoft 365 Partner Pulse newsletter.
Sign up today!
New CSP Masters event! Windows 365: Selling Windows in the Cloud
Join us on October 19, 2023 or October 25, 2023 to learn about Cloud PC and how it can solve your customers’ everyday hybrid work challenges. In this session, you’ll learn how to position, pitch, and discuss opportunities with Windows 365. We will share use-case scenarios, partner profitability, and resources to help you get started.
Register today!
New CSP Masters event! Windows 365 for IT pros
Join Microsoft on October 26, 2023 for Unleashing the Power of Cloud PC: Windows 365 for IT Pros, a technical deep dive into how to best provision, deploy, and manage Windows 365 for your customers. Microsoft partners and IT pros will learn how to leverage Microsoft Intune and Microsoft 365 Lighthouse for simpler cloud desktop management with demos to illustrate real-world implementation. Attendees will also get access to resources to help them get started.
Visit the CSP Masters Technical Digital Events page to register
Don’t miss the Q2 Microsoft 365 Product Connect for CSPs
Join us on November 16, 2023 for the Q2 Microsoft 365 Product Connect for CSPs, a quarterly live webinar series where we curate the most relevant and important product news for Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners every quarter. View details and register on the Yammer post.
Power business growth with Microsoft 365 Lighthouse
Coming November 1, 2023! Delve into how the innovative Sales Advisor capability in Microsoft 365 Lighthouse empowers you to harness AI-driven customer insights and receive customized recommendations to drive business growth.
You’ll also discover how Lighthouse simplifies customer management and offers standardized configurations, enhanced security, and robust risk management. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from our sales and technical experts that can help you supercharge your business growth, all through a single, unified tool.
Register today!
Microsoft makes it easier for partners to deliver security services to SMB customers
During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, recognizing the important contributions of partners, Microsoft is excited to announce new innovations to help managed service providers (MSPs) more easily deliver security services to customers with Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft 365 Business Premium. Business Premium promotions are also available through partners in select markets.
Innovations with Microsoft 365 Lighthouse
You can now configure customized email alerts directly from Lighthouse. For example, you can configure alerts for Defender for Business incidents to professional services automation (PSA) systems, directly from Lighthouse. You can also see an aggregate view of the Secure Scores for managed tenants and view each managed tenant’s individual secure score and trend.
Integrations with leading MDR and RMM/PSA services
For partners who want to resell security services but don’t have the resources to invest in an in-house security operations center (SOC), we are pleased to announce expanded Defender for Business integrations with leading managed detection and response (MDR) providers. You can use MDR services to help triage, hunt, and remediate incidents and alerts, easing the complexity of managing security operations for customers. Later this year, partners will be able to easily onboard, deploy, and manage Defender for Business through ConnectWise’s remote monitoring and management (RMM) and PSA tools.
Read our Tech Community blog post to learn more.
Resources
Access training resources, customer decks and deployment checklists from our Business Premium Partner Playbook and Defender for Business Partner Kit.
- Join our next CSP Product Connect call on November 16 to learn more about the latest small and medium business (SMB) innovations and partner benefits.
Announcing new capabilities in Microsoft Viva
At this year’s HR Technology Conference (October 10-13, 2023), we are unveiling new capabilities in our employee experience platform, Microsoft Viva, including a new AI-powered skills service and the general availability of Viva Amplify, a multichannel workforce communications hub. These new product innovations are designed to help organizations improve employee engagement and productivity, which are critical to becoming a high-performance organization (HPO).
Learn more
Upcoming Microsoft Teams bootcamp events
November will be here before you know it. Be sure to sign up now for the two exciting Microsoft Teams bootcamps events coming soon!
Microsoft Teams Phone Partner Bootcamp
While many organizations started with needs for online meetings and enhanced collaboration, they’re now evaluating what their needs are for a full communication solution. The Microsoft Teams Phone Partner Bootcamp will prepare you to help your customers with upgrading their telephony solutions. We’ll share our customer approach, propensity, and methodology, including toolsets to help your sellers and solution architects identify customers ready to make the transition to Teams Phone and how to structure the business case.
Register for the Teams Phone Bootcamp in your region:
- November 7, 2023 – Americas/EMEA
- November 9, 2023 – APAC
Microsoft Teams Rooms Partner Sales Bootcamp
Join us for the F24 Microsoft Teams Rooms Partner Sales Bootcamp. During this four-hour event, we’ll share the latest insights on smart meetings in the age of flexible work. Microsoft experts across product marketing, engineering, sales, and device partner sales will share insights and advanced knowledge, experiences, and resources designed to help you drive the sales and services conversation for Microsoft Teams Rooms.
Register for the Teams Rooms Partner Bootcamp in your region:
- November 29, 2023 – Americas/EMEA
- December 5, 2023 – APAC
Documentation updates
Refreshed or new content
Terms and Conditions
Download the Terms and Conditions for current program details.
FastTrack Playbook
Visit the Playbook Change Log for a complete list of updates.
Service Description
Access the FastTrack Service Description.
