Microsoft Ignite 2024 Book Of News
I wanted to ensure everyone has seen the Book Of News for Microsoft Ignite 2024 https://news.microsoft.com/ignite-2024-book-of-news/ The Book of News is your guide to our announcements, crafted to streamline your access to the most current updates and furnish you with essential insights into the topics that are most interesting to you. At the core of our latest innovations is our commitment to security. Since launching our https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/trust-center/security/secure-future-initiative one year ago, we have made security the No. 1 job of every employee at Microsoft, dedicated 34,000 engineers to this focus and, at Ignite, we will announce innovations that are rooted in our SFI principles: secure by design, secure by default and secure operations. Thanks John O'Donnell https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnodonnellmsft/Business Applications Partner Activities Investments Office hours
Business Applications Partner Activities is excited to announce the return of our external Partner Activities Office Hours series. Monthly Office Hours will be held through January. Topics include navigating MCI, engagement details, payout structure and many others. Join in and learn how to receive funding on high-impact engagements like: Envisioning, Needs Assessments, Success Enablement, and many others. Partner Activities Office Hours schedule: October 26 November 14 December 14 January 18 All calls held 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Pacific Time Use this link to register for upcoming sessions: https://aka.ms/BizApps-PartnerActivities
Dynamics 365 FastTrack Partner Architect Bootcamp - Sept. 9-11
Dear Partners, Due to an overwhelming demand for our FastTrack Architect Bootcamps, we’re excited to announce in-person bootcamps EXCLUSIVELY for our Dynamics 365 systems integrator partner architects, taking on place on the new Microsoft Main Campus in Redmond, WA on Sept. 9-11, 2024. FastTrack Architect Bootcamps with Dedicated Product Tracks Specialized Senior Architects from Dynamics 365 FastTrack Engineering team are conducting 3-day intensive Architecture Bootcamps for our top tier partner architects. These Bootcamps are FREE for systems integrator partners commencing customer implementations governed by the Microsoft Dynamics 365 FastTrack, with specific product tracks including: · Field Service · Commerce · Customer Service · Customer Insights · Sales+Copilot · Finance, Project Ops & HR · Supply Chain Management Each Product has a dedicated 3-day track, going deep in areas of deployment implementation best practices, product strategy, common challenges, tooling, operational excellence, etc. We have a limited number of seats, so attendees must meet the requirements and pre-register for the events. Register Now! Bootcamp Details Pre-registration via this form is required since space is limited. Spots will be confirmed once customer implementation details and architect qualifications are verified. Specific details on timing, Microsoft Teams link, and detailed agendas will be communicated once spots are confirmed. Space is limited. Register today! Register Now!Ready for FY25? Join us in Houston or online August 22nd for the next IAMCP TOLA meeting
You're invited to join us in-person or virtually on August 22! https://www.iamcp.org/'s TOLA Chapter (Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas) rotates monthly and hosts chapter meetings in Austin, Houston and Dallas. All meetings are hybrid and anyone is welcome to attend, no matter where you are! We'll be talking about the FY25 updates, announcements and partner program changes. Come ask your partner questions as you navigate FY25 as a Microsoft partner! I know many of us are excited about the new additions to the partner benefits, including over 20 new SKUs that were teased in July. Join us online or in-person (lunch included) in Houston at the Microsoft office - 750 Town and Country Blvd., Ste. 1000 Houston, Texas 77024 11:30am-1:00pm CST https://www.iamcp.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1875137&group= Not a member of IAMCP? You can attend for $30 or, as a new member, join for $1 for your first 90 days! I myself have been a member of IAMCP for about 2+ years and I'm the Secretary of the Houston chapter. There are plenty of other virtual meetings every month covering all topics concerning partners. It's a great way to understand the ecosystem, how to gain designations and credentials, and find partner to partner opportunities.
Very basic question
I apologize for the very basic question. I was involved in the Microsoft partnership of a company I worked for several years ago, but I see that a lot of things have evolved. Imagine a company that wants to become a Microsoft partner today, where should they start? What are the partnership levels and areas of specialization? What are the requirements for each level of partnership in terms of certifications, business, or otherwise? What are the benefits? Where can I find a table that explains all this in a concise way? RegardsPartner Alert: Microsoft Build May 21-23, 2024
Event Information Microsoft Power Platform will be featured prominently at Microsoft Build, Microsoft’s flagship event for professional developers kicking off on May 21! Microsoft will be landing key news through a set of executive-delivered keynotes as well as breakout sessions, demonstrations, hands-on labs, and expert meet ups. If you haven’t already, there is still time to register for the event. In addition to the keynotes, a roundup of the top news will be covered in a breakout session led by Charles Lamanna, as well as be included in Microsoft’s hero Power Platform blog. Release Summary The top tier news at Microsoft Build 2024 includes: New copilots with agent capabilities, built in Copilot Studio and entering a limited private preview program, will enable developers to build copilots capable of independently managing long-running processes and associated tasks with contextual memory and learning. New Copilot Studio connectors to enhance your conversational experiences with data from your productivity, analytical, and operations, and within Copilot for Microsoft 365. New AI flows in Power Automate to enable developers to build a new type of AI powered flow. Simply describe the goal, including any parameters, and AI will build an execution plan and run it, reasoning with the LLM at every step – changing automation from rules-based to outcome based. AI recorder in Power Automate is a new intuitive, multimodal desktop automation experience where users create flows by showing and telling the recorder how to automate a task, using voice and screen share rather than mouse clicks and keyboard entries. New pro dev features in Power Apps, including copilot, to explain code and convert natural language to Power Fx, native Git integration, co-authoring in Canvas apps, and viewing source code in PowerApps Studio. Product Announcements Copilot Studio: powering the next wave of copilot experiences Microsoft is introducing new capabilities in Copilot Studio that enables developers to build copilots that can act as agents, able to run and orchestrate many long-running business processes, integrate line of business data directly into copilot experiences and publish new copilot extensions. Copilot Studio is introducing new agent capabilities, empowering developers to build copilots that can proactively respond to data and events, tailored to specific tasks and functions. Copilots built with this new category of capabilities will be able to independently manage complex long running business processes by leveraging memory and knowledge for context, reason over actions and inputs, learn based on user feedback and ask for help when it encounters situations that it doesn’t know how to handle. You can now put copilot to work for you – from IT device procurement to customer concierge for sales and service. These capabilities in Copilot Studio are available for customers in a limited private preview program. Based on feedback from program participants, we will iterate and refine capabilities for wider availability in preview scheduled for later this calendar year. Introducing Copilot connectors (public preview), which brings together Microsoft Graph, Power Platform Connectors, Microsoft Fabric AI skills (in private preview) and Dataverse. This makes the process of grounding Copilot in 1st & 3rd party LOB data a wizard-based experience, enabling developers to quickly incorporate their organizational knowledge into Copilot, enable new actions, and add real-time intelligent Q&A. Copilot extensions can be published through Partner Center (public preview), allowing the copilot extensions to be available for users to install from the relevant Copilot, Microsoft 365 Store (Teams, Outlook), and Microsoft AppSource. Conversational analytics in Copilot Studio (public preview) gives deep insights into user engagement for your own copilots, providing developers with valuable metrics to enhance user satisfaction. New conversational design experience (public preview) enables easier development and configuration of copilots via conversational, human-like interaction. Templates (public preview) allow you to build your own copilot faster with pre-built templates including IT Helpdesk, Order tracking, Travel assistance and more. Next steps: Learn more about this update Attend the breakout sessions: What's new with Microsoft Copilot Studio Build Microsoft Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio Demo: Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio (onsite only) Lab: Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot studio (onsite only) Visit the Copilot Studio page on Power Platform Partner Hub for resources - What’s News in Copilot Studio and Build a Copilot with agent capabilities in Copilot Studio decks coming soon. Power Automate: AI and process automation updates Several new innovations are being launched in Power Automate, capitalizing on process automation and generative AI to help revolutionize the way people work. AI flows (early access preview) which offers a brand-new type of outcome-based automation that allows generative AI to achieve a result by building a flow autonomously and within set guardrails, without requiring users to map out every process step. AI flows will employ LLMs at runtime to dynamically reason, configure actions and execute them. AI recorder (early access preview) in desktop flows creates a more intuitive, multimodal experience where users create flows by both showing and telling the recorder how to automate a task. Natural language to flow capabilities (private preview), now available for desktop, allow users to build rules-based desktop flows faster and more easily by using natural language. Automation Center (public preview) provides in-depth monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, providing an end-to-end view of company-wide automation status including SLA attainment, average processing time and work queue throughput. Flows inside Microsoft Copilot (public preview) allows users to discover and run flows as plugins in Copilot for Microsoft 365. Conversational cloud flows (public preview) allow users to create, refine and troubleshoot workflows using natural language. Personal automation recommendations mined from M365 Graph (public preview) helps optimize personal processes based on patterns in the work. Next steps: Learn more about this update Review the blog on Partner Center certification and publishing Attend the breakout session: Revolutionize the way you work with automation and AI Watch the demo: New Copilot experiences for developers in Power Automate (onsite only) Power Apps: helping developers build apps at scale Power Apps is making it even easier to build and deploy modern enterprise applications at scale. Developers can now build comprehensive applications faster and more cost effectively than before. New improvements, now in preview, include: Use Copilot to create and understand Power Fx inline (public preview) as it is now going beyond the basics to explain code intricacies (GA), auto-generate comments, and generate Power Fx code from natural language instructions right in the formula bar in a “type ahead” style similar to Github Copilot. Native Git integration (public preview in July) allows developers to synchronize their Power Apps environment and Git repositories. By connecting the two, development teams can see and track all changes, quickly and seamlessly integrate their development processes, quality tools, and best practices directly into their Power Apps environment, thereby reducing the time it takes to build an app. Copilot in apps on mobile (public preview in June) lets developers modernize mobile apps for frontline workers with copilot on mobile devices. Frontline workers will soon be able to use voice dictation and generative AI to complete tasks, including collecting and submitting information. Developers can customize and extend Copilot in Power Apps using Microsoft Copilot Studio to create specialized conversational experiences. Co-authoring in canvas apps (public preview) means multiple makers can now edit a canvas app at the same time with live co-authoring in the same style as Office apps like Power Point, Word or Excel. Co-authoring was previously announced in the modern app designer. It is now available across experiences, so all makers can work better together. Code in Power Apps Studio (public preview) enables developers to view source code directly in Power Apps Studio, making it easy to use in a readable YAML format. Next steps: Learn more about this update Attend the breakout sessions: Enable every developer to collaborate with low code + pro code Using Power Platform to accelerate full-stack software development Building the apps of the future today with Power Platform and Copilot Lab: Developing a custom control using the Power Apps Component Framework (onsite only) Power Pages: New security features to help monitor, protect sites Power Pages empowers users to create dynamic, customizable sites tailored to their specific needs. New security and AI features cater to a wide spectrum of users with tailor-made solutions. Power Pages chatbots and customization with Copilot Studio (generally available): The ability to use chatbots on Power Pages websites is now generally available and will enable makers to configure a copilot chatbot out-of-the-box with no additional authoring. This chatbot will also understand authenticated user context and can be customized using Copilot Studio. Generative AI-Powered search (public preview): Microsoft Copilot in Power Pages provides AI-enabled search capabilities including summarization of results, akin to Bing copilot chat experiences. This improves end user experience by providing information upfront. Security workspace (public preview) seamlessly integrates into the Power Pages design studio and provides value-add security features to safeguard sites from potential data breaches, limit user access and permissions, and promotes secure hosting. Power Pages upgraded Web Application Firewall (WAF) (generally available) is now offering enhanced capabilities, including IP and Geo filtering to strengthen against cyber threats. Easily manage access control with authentication and authorization configurations, and with a built-in copilot experience that assists with security-focused Q&A, security testing, and summarizing scan results, users can stay in control and stay informed. Virtual Tables with no-code connectivity to Salesforce and Oracle databases (public preview) enables organizations to build Power Pages websites on top of their Salesforce or Oracle databases. Integrate data from Microsoft Fabric and Business Central (public preview) into Power Pages websites without coding, enabling self-service actions for suppliers using templates. This is yet another example of data connectivity with SAP. Power Fx formulas in the Power Pages Design Studio (public preview) enables users to utilize Power Fx formulas to bind data with UI Components in Power Pages design studio and build custom user experiences in their websites. Next steps: Learn more about this update Attend the breakout sessions: Reimagine Enterprise Website building with Low Code using Power Pages Demo: Build enterprise websites over Salesforce and Oracle using Power Pages (onsite only) Demo: Build Dynamic website content using Power Fx and Power Pages (onsite only) Lab: Dev tools to extend Power Pages websites (onsite only) Microsoft Dataverse: New security and connectors Security hub (public preview), a new feature in the Microsoft Power Platform Admin Center, allows administrators to quickly assess the security posture for the tenant and identify and act on the most impactful recommendations to improve the posture, proactively set policies in place to safeguard from vulnerabilities and risks and use a rich set of tools and security capabilities available to gain deep visibility and detect threats effectively. Knowledge (public preview) in Microsoft Dataverse enables makers to build custom copilots and agents that include various enterprise and LOB data sources, helping efficiently access relevant business insights. Supported data sources include public websites, SharePoint/OneDrive, Microsoft Fabric, Dynamics 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Oracle, and other external data sources indexed in Microsoft Graph. Next steps: Learn more about this update Attend the breakout sessions: Activate enterprise data in AI-enabled business applications Secure and govern Copilot within enterprise-grade low code solutions Demo: Maximize Power Platform and Source Control (onsite only) Demo: Build a conversational AI app using enterprise data (onsite only) Demo: Leverage Copilot plugins to activate your dynamics applications (onsite only) Demo: Protect AI-driven applications with high value capabilities and tools (onsite only) Demo: Unlocking efficiency: low-code app building with Dataverse and Copilot (onsite only) Copilot Platform: Introducing Copilot extensions Microsoft is unifying all Microsoft Copilot extensibility concepts into a single construct called Copilot extensions to streamline the way developers create extensions for workflows they use everyday. Copilot extensions (public preview) enhance Microsoft Copilot by enabling new actions and customized knowledge for grounding within Copilot. With Copilot extensions, users can get a Microsoft Copilot experience that is tailored with the data, systems, and workflows they use every day, and for developers, this opens opportunities to create Copilot extensions through plugins, Copilot connectors, and even by developing their own copilots. Developers can create Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio or using Teams Toolkit for Visual Studio Code. Copilot extensions from leading apps like Jira, Priority Matrix and Mural are available in preview for Copilot for Microsoft 365, along with company-developed line of business Copilot extensions. IT admins can control and manage access to extensions via the Microsoft 365 Admin center. Copilot extensions can be published through Partner Center (public preview), allowing the copilot extensions to be available for users to install from the relevant Copilot, Microsoft 365 Store (Teams, Outlook), and Microsoft AppSource. Next steps: Learn more about this update Understand the new process to publish Copilot extensions Review the ISV Partner Blog: Copilot Studio brings power of generative AI to ISV offerings Download the ISV Partner Datasheet: Develop a Copilot-enabled Solution Attend the breakout sessions: Developer’s Guide to Customizing Microsoft Copilot Extend Microsoft Copilot with Copilot Studio Developer deep dive on building plugins for Copilot with VS Code Build your own copilot with Microsoft Copilot Studio Reach 320M+ users in flow of work building your own copilot for Teams Grow your business with Copilot extensions and marketplace Transforming the most valuable industry workflows with Copilot Build Microsoft Copilot extensions with Copilot Studio Stay Connected with Business Applications Partner Resources Sign up for the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Partner Newsletters Follow the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform partner LinkedIn channels Bookmark the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform Partner Hub pages Join and engage in the Business Applications Microsoft Partner CommunityDon't miss the upcoming Microsoft Business Applications Launch Event!
Microsoft Business Applications Launch Event More than 46,500 attendees have registered for the 11 th instance of the Microsoft Business Applications Launch digital event on April 10, 2024 from 9:00-10:30 AM Pacific Time. Microsoft product leaders and engineers will provide an in-depth look at the latest AI features and capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform. Attendees will learn how advances in AI and Microsoft Copilot can help connect teams, processes, and data, and respond to changing business needs with greater agility. The event aligns with release wave 1 for 2024 and will showcase hundreds of new features and enhancements to the Business Applications portfolio. Register here!Business Applications Partner News: Week of March 18
Check out this week's top resources to stay up-to-date on the latest Business Applications Partner News. Also - make sure to sign up for the monthly Dynamics 365 and Power Platform partner newsletters launching in the next few months. What to register for: THIS WEEK! March 18-22: Business Applications Cloud Week for Partners March 19-21: Build Next Generation AI-powered Customer Experience with Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys - Americas (PDT) March 20: Connected Sales and Marketing Bootcamp March 21: FY24 Customer Success Series What to review/like/share: Copilot for Sales Demo Now Available New Solution Play demos on the Accelerate Revenue Generation, Modernize Service, and Optimize Finance and Supply Chain pages Business Applications AI Tech Summit Recap: LinkedIn post | Direct blog link February Highlights Rewind: LinkedIn post | Direct blog link Updated AIM partner catalog What to download: New Partner Playbook: Expand your practice value with Automation Copilot Studio in Copilot for M365 - Technical Deep-Dive Deck Partner Case Study: TTEC Digital serves up marketing insights for US restaurant chain with Dynamics 365 What to watch: New Power Automate Demo videos Feb. 29 recording: What's Next for CSP Partners and Microsoft Copilot March 6 recording and deck: Copilot for Finance update, Finance Premium overview, and AIM Partner Catalog Partner Webinar March 13 Microsoft Webinar: Fueling CX Transformation: Upleveling Sales and Marketing with D365 Customer Insights March 7 Tech Talk: Assisted Mapping for Dataverse Reminders: Register for the upcoming events! Partner events: Due April 3: Business Applications Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards nomination April 10: Business Applications Launch Event May 21-23: Microsoft Build Trainings: Q3 CSP Masters Copilot Sales & Technical Bootcamps: March and April sessions available Business Performance Planning and Analytics Bootcamp: Enrollment available, date TBDBusiness Applications Partner News: Week of March 11
Check out this week's top resources to stay up-to-date on the latest Business Applications Partner News. Also - make sure to sign up for the monthly Dynamics 365 and Power Platform partner newsletters launching in the next few months. What to register for: THIS WEEK! Microsoft Webinar - Upleveling Sales and Marketing with D365 Customer Insights: March 13 Microsoft Build: May 21-23 What to watch: Feb. 27 SMB Partner Hour deck and recording Feb. 29 Tech Talk: Deploying a custom Copilot in SharePoint with a seamless SSO experience What to download: Copilot for Service: Partner Opportunity Deck | FAQ Copilot for Sales: Partner Opportunity Deck | FAQ Copilot Infographics: Finance | Sales | Service | Studio What to review/like/share: MNP Digital partner case study: MNP Digital drives rapid self-service enablement with Power Platform Updated Business Central Talent Development page with improved diversity content Reminders: Register for the upcoming events! Partner events: Business Applications Cloud Week for Partners: March 18-22, 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards: Submit your Business Applications nomination by April 3rd Business Applications Launch Event: April 10 Trainings: Business Performance Planning and Analytics Bootcamp: Mar. 19-21, Apr. 23-25 Build Next Generation AI-powered Customer Experience with Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys - Americas (PDT): March 19-21, 2024 FY24 Customer Success Series: Mar. 21 Q3 CSP Masters Copilot Sales & Technical Bootcamps: March and April sessions availableBusiness Applications Partner News: Week of February 26
Check out this week's top resources to stay up-to-date on the latest Business Applications Partner News. What to register for: THIS WEEK! Business Applications AI Tech Summit: Feb. 27-28 Feb. 29 What's Next for CSP Partners and Microsoft Copilot Webinar: AM option | PM option SMB Business Applications Partner Hour: Feb. 27 Build Next Generation AI-powered Customer Experience with Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – Journeys - Americas (PDT): March 19-21, 2024 What to download: New Copilot Studio assets: Extending Copilot for M365 with Copilot Studio - Click Through Demo Copilot Studio Pitch Deck Copilot Studio In-A-Day Instructor content Use Microsoft Copilot to simplify and accelerate digital solutions in Power Platform – Whitepaper Copilot for Power Platform Persona deck What to review/like/share: New Copilot for Sales and Copilot for Service Partner Hub page Reminders: Register for the upcoming events! Partner events: Copilot update, Finance Premium overview, and AIM Partner Catalog Partner Webinar: Mar. 6 Business Applications Cloud Week for Partners: March 18-22, 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards: Submit your Business Applications nomination by April 3rd Trainings: FY24 High Volume Acceleration Program: Mar. 4 Build and extend AI-powered Copilots with Microsoft Copilot Studio: March 5-7 (PST) Business Performance Planning and Analytics Bootcamp: Mar. 19-21, Apr. 23-25 FY24 Customer Success Series: Mar. 21 Q3 CSP Masters Copilot Sales & Technical Bootcamps: March and April sessions available
