The Record - Issue 18: Autumn 2020

60 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om Even amid the coronavirus pandemic, organisations are rapidly evolving operations to improve efficiencies, empower workforces and increase profitability. We find out how Microsoft supports partners to help customers with this digital transformation BY E L LY YAT E S - ROB E R T S M icrosoft has been talking to our custom- ers and partners about digital transfor- mation for a very long time,” says Sarah Muckler-Visser, global director of Microsoft’s Go-to-Market (GTM) with partners strategy. Digital transformation continues to be a pri- ority for enterprises, and Microsoft is enabling this via its partner network. “The depth of our cloud offerings and breadth of our technology portfolio give partners the power to build inno- vative products and services that enable virtually any scenario or function, for any customer, any- where,” says Muckler-Visser. “The speed and pace of innovation and digital transformation have been phenomenal over the last year, and especially in the last six months,” adds Muckler-Visser “Partners are striving to meet customers’ emerging needs and expec- tations at an ever-increasing rate, and this has resulted in a dramatically accelerated need for always-on digital marketing.” Muckler-Visser says thatwhenpartners co-mar- ket with Microsoft, they are able to increase their effectiveness, alignment, success, and profit- ability. Partners get access to customer-ready campaign materials, customisable marketing resources, on-demand training, marketing pro- grammes, referrals, and various additional forms of expert guidance and support. “These opportunities let partners benefit from the brand trust of Microsoft while also building trust with their customers and driving digital transformation,” she says. “The Go-To-Market programme is designed to provide partners with everything they need to build a strong marketing engine,” continues Muckler-Visser. “They get marketing and cam- paign content, marketing technology, and the support and resources to amplify their solution and power their business. To meet the wide range of our partner needs, these resources are available in 10 languages to help localise part- ners’ co-marketing message. “The partner ecosystem always steps up to address the changing needs of our customers” S ARAH MUC K L E R - V I S S E R , M I C ROSOF T “ Reimagining a culture innovation of COV E R S TOR Y