With 270 million devices on Windows 10 and rising, it really is a cloud-first, mobile-first world. Thanks in very large part to you, our partners, we are well on our way to our goal of having Windows 10 on one billion devices. Clearly, customers are embracing the flexibility, ease of use, and power of Windows 10 to help them be more productive across all facets of their daily lives.

As demand for Windows 10 and cloud solutions continues to grow, we want your business to grow along with it! I’d like to tell you about some recent investments to help you take advantage of demand, keep up with changes, and communicate to your customers the depth of your organization’s expertise:

1. The new Windows and Devices competency

If you’re ready to build or grow your Windows practice, the new Windows and Devices competency is a great way to align yourself to customer demand. We know that Microsoft certification builds confidence with prospects, so achieving a Silver or Gold level competency tells prospects you have the knowledge to help them get the most from their new technology.
Here’s how you can benefit from acquiring the new competency:

• Enjoy the most Windows 10 Internal Use Rights (IURs) licenses of any competency. Leverage your IURs to gain first-hand knowledge of all the features and functions of Windows 10—then bring that knowledge to your customer to help solve their challenges.
• Build on the amazing capacity for innovation in Windows 10. HoloLens, Cortana, Windows Hello—use our tools and platforms to build extraordinary things that serve and delight your customers.
• Earn eligibility for device reseller incentives and receive tailored training and extensive go-to-market resources.
• Gain access to desktop deployment planning services (DDPS) and Accelerate funding.
• Achieve recognition in the market for your competency with stronger customer connections.

This competency is free at the Silver level and at a reduced price for Gold level until June 30, 2016, so take advantage early.

2. Expanded Internal Use Rights for Office 365 E5

Office 365 Enterprise E5 is a productivity-and-collaboration-platform powerhouse. The simplified infrastructure makes it easy for large organizations to manage communications; data analysis tools allow for insightful, actionable storytelling, and the people-centric security makes it possible for your customers to permit flexibility for their employees without compromising security.

Office 365 E5 IUR is Microsoft’s most comprehensive and most secure cloud productivity and communications offering. Originally available only to Gold Cloud Productivity competency partners, we’re now extending these benefits to all Communication and Cloud Productivity competency partners:

Communication Competency partners:

• Silver partners receive 25 seats
• Gold partners receive 100 seats

Cloud Productivity Competency partners:

• Silver partners receive 25 seats
• Gold partners receive 100 seats

The new benefits are available now, so if you are a Cloud Productivity or Communications competency partner, you can get started with Office 365 E5 right away. If you don’t yet have them, be sure to learn more about how to add earn a Cloud Productivity or Communications competency.

3. Extended cloud demo tenants for CRM

How do you showcase a sophisticated solution? With a sophisticated demo environment.

Your customers have data, and they’re eager to find ways to use that data to improve their customers’ experiences and drive better engagements. In Dynamics CRM Online, you have the tools to help make that happen, and we want to make it easier for you to demonstrate the power of the solution to your customers.

We hear from many CRM Online partners that you’re building complex demo environments to showcase the value of the solution, and a renewable, 12-month demo environment would help you make full use of what you’ve built. So, we’re extending demo tenants for CRM and Cloud CRM competency partners: All CRM and Cloud CRM competency partners now receive up to 10 instances of Office 365 E3 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Professional through the Microsoft Partner Download portal.

4. Windows 10 roadmap

Get a view into what’s new with the Windows 10 Roadmap. Covering critical issues like security and productivity, and including key features such as Pen & Ink, Windows Defender, and Continuum, the roadmap gives you insights into what’s coming, so you’re better able to answer your customers’ questions and help them achieve their business goals.

Windows 10 represents an enormous opportunity for our partners to provide best-in-class solutions, services, and tools to customers, and we want to help you capitalize on that opportunity. As your customers’ needs continue to evolve, we continue to remain committed to providing you the resources necessary to meet those needs.