One of the key benefits of being an IAMCP member is the access to key Microsoft execs and invites to exclusive events. A recent example was the round table in January with Chris Perkins, Public Sector GM, Microsoft UK. The event was a great opportunity to find out more about Chris’s team in the UK and the best ways of engaging with them.
The customers fall in 2 key groups:
– Strategic – 8 organisations (HMRC, DWP, for example) who have 1:1 engagement and Microsoft invests highly in resources like solution architects as there is a high adoption of Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 36
– Enterprise accounts – the other organisations on the list whose account managers have multiple accounts to look after
The Account Team Units (ATUs) are vertically aligned:
- – Central Government
- – Healthcare
- – Education
- – Public Safety
- – National Security
Another key focus area this year is Social Care (remote monitoring, IOT solutions, managed service, first line support, etc.).
Non Profit sits as part of a global organisation and the local UK team reports directly to them, not the PS team.
The key objectives of the accounts is to help their customers with the digital transformation more efficiently and at a lower cost. The technologies that are supporting this transformation are Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365.
Microsoft changed the way they compensate their employees from heavily driven revenue metrics to a combination of revenue and usage. This is important for partners as it helps with the engagement. There are 4 key areas that the team is measured on:
- – Office365 billed revenue
- – Dynamics 365 billed
- – Azure consumed revenue
- – Office 365 usage
Interestingly Brexit or “EUExit”, which is the term used by the accounts, has not slowed down the engagement with the public sector accounts. It has created higher traction, but the uncertainty of the outcome and the overall impact is still there.
Chris outlined the key opportunity for partners in the Public Sector:
1. IP development – create solutions and get them listed on the OCP catalogue – the PS team is actively working with partners who have finished solutions.
2. Managed services – the lack of skills, understanding and planning migration is a big blockage for many of the accounts; there is an opportunity to provide customers with complete solutions on a CSP platform.
3. Advisory deployment service – adoption and change management services are on high demand; driving cultural change is highly valuable.
The audience had a chance to ask about specific accounts and team leaders to engage with, which was extremely useful for the attendees.
If you are interested in finding out more about IAMCP and how to become a member, you can click here – http://www.iamcp.uk/premier/.