Source: venturebeat.com
At its Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto today, Microsoft made a slew of announcements, including new subscription service offerings for Surface and Windows 10. Of course, the news focuses on giving the company’s partners more options, which, in turn, helps Microsoft’s bottom line. Microsoft now has 10,000 resellers, up from 5,000 in October.
First up, Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Providers and Surface Authorized Distributors can now sell Surface as a Service. That means Surface devices are available to the company’s resellers and customers through a managed service, alongside managed cloud services, Office 365, Windows 10, and ISV software.
Furthermore, Microsoft has expanded its Surface Multi-National Purchasing Program with the addition of CDW, Insight, SHI, and Zones — these resellers can now offer their enterprise customers Surface devices and accessories. Last but not least, Microsoft has also partnered with IBM and Booz Allen Hamilton for industry-specific solutions that work with Surface; the former will create offerings for the financial services and consumer packaged goods sectors while the latter will develop offerings for governments, the public sector, and healthcare.