Ultimate Guide to Partnering®

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/  Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Jen Odess, Group Vice President of Partner Excellence at ServiceNow, joins Vince Menzione to discuss the company’s incredible transformation from an IT ticketing solution to a leading AI-native platform for business transformation. Jen dives deep into how ServiceNow has strategically invested in and infused AI into its unified platform over the last decade, enabling over a billion workflows daily. She also outlines the critical role of the partner ecosystem, which executes 87% of all implementations, and reveals the company’s strategic initiatives, including its commitment to the hyperscaler marketplaces, the goal to hit half a billion dollars in annual contract value for its Now Assist AI product, and the push for partners to adopt an ‘AI-native’ methodology to capitalize on the fact that customers still want over 70% of AI buying to be done through partners. Key Takeaways ServiceNow is an ‘AI-native’ company, having invested in and built AI directly into its unified platform for over a decade. The company’s core value today is in its unified AI platform, single data model, and leadership in workflows that connect the entire enterprise. ServiceNow will hit $500 million in annual contract value for its Now Assist AI products by the end of 2025, making it the fastest-growing product in company history. An astonishing 87% of all ServiceNow implementations are done by its global partner ecosystem, highlighting their crucial role. The company is leveraging the half-trillion-dollar opportunity of durable cloud budgets by driving marketplace transactions and helping customers burn down cloud commits using ServiceNow solutions. To win in the AI era, partners must adopt AI internally, co-innovate on the platform, and strategically differentiate themselves to rank higher in the forthcoming agentic matching system. Key Tags: ServiceNow, AI-native platform, Now Assist, Jen Odess, partner excellence, workflow leader, AI platform for business transformation, hyperscalers, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, marketplace transactions, cloud commits, AIDA model, agentic matching, F-Pattern, Z-Pattern, group vice president, MSP, GSI, co-innovation, autonomous implementation, technical constraints, visual hierarchy, UX, UI, responsive design. Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Transcript: Jen Odess Audio Podcast [00:00:00] Jen Odess: The AI platform for business transformation, and I love to say to people, it sounds like a handful of cliche words that just got stacked together. The AI platform for business transformation. Yeah. We all know these words, so many companies use ’em, but it is such deliberate language and I love to explain why. [00:00:20] Vince Menzione: Welcome to, or welcome back to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi on your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. Today we have a special leader, Jen Odes is the GVP for Partner Excellence at ServiceNow. And joins me here in the studio in Boca Raton. [00:00:40] Vince Menzione: Jen, welcome to the podcast. Thanks, Vince. It’s so great to be here. I am so thrilled to welcome you. To Boca Raton, Florida. Our podcast home look at this amazing background we have Here is this, and this is where we host our ultimate partner Winter retreat. Actually, in February, we’re gonna give that a plug. [00:00:58] Vince Menzione: Okay. I’d love to have you come back. I’d love to have an invite. And you flew in this morning from Washington DC [00:01:04] Jen Odess: I did. It was 20 degrees when I left my house this morning and this backdrop. Is definitely giving me, island South Florida like vibes. It’s fabulous. [00:01:13] Vince Menzione: And we’re gonna talk about ServiceNow. [00:01:14] Vince Menzione: And you’re also opening an office down here? We [00:01:17] Jen Odess: are [00:01:17] Vince Menzione: in West Palm Beach. Not too far from where we are. Yes. Later 2026. Yeah. I love that. And then so we’ll work on the recruiting year, but let’s dive in. Okay. So thrilled to have ServiceNow and to have you in the room. This has been an incredible time for your organization. [00:01:31] Vince Menzione: I have been watching, obviously I work with Microsoft. We’ve had Google. In the studio, Amazon onboard as well. And other than those three organizations, I can’t think of any other legacy organization that has embraced AI more succinctly than ServiceNow. And I thought we’d start there, but I really wanna spend some time getting to know you and getting to know your role, your mission, and your journey to this incredible. [00:01:57] Vince Menzione: Leadership role as a global vice president. We’ll talk about Or [00:02:01] Jen Odess: group. Group Vice president. I know it doesn’t roll off the tongue. I get it. A group vice president doesn’t roll. [00:02:05] Vince Menzione: G-V-P-G-V-P doesn’t roll off the time. And in some organizations it is global. It is in other organizations, it’s group. So let’s, you’re not [00:02:12] Jen Odess: the first to say global vice president. [00:02:14] Jen Odess: Okay. I’ll take either way. It’s fine. [00:02:15] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Yeah. And might be a promotion. Let’s talk. Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about you and your career journey and your mission. [00:02:22] Jen Odess: Yeah, so I’ve been at ServiceNow for five years. In fact, January will be like the five year anniversary and then it will be the beginning of my sixth year. [00:02:31] Jen Odess: Amazing. And I actually got hired originally to build out the initial partner enablement function. So it didn’t really exist five years ago. There was certainly enablement that happened to Sure. All individuals that were. Using, consuming, buying ServiceNow, working with ServiceNow. But the partner enablement function from pre to post-sale, that whole life cycle didn’t exist yet. [00:02:54] Jen Odess: So that was my initial job. I got hired to run partner enablement and it before. And how big [00:02:59] Vince Menzione: was your partner organization at that point? It must have been pretty small. [00:03:01] Jen Odess: It was actually not as small as you would think. Gosh, that’s a great question. You’re challenging my memory from five years ago. [00:03:08] Jen Odess: I know that we’re over 2,500 partners today and we add hundreds every year, so it had to have been in the low one thousands. Wow. Is where we were five years ago. But the maturity of the ecosystem is grossly larger today than it was then. I can imagine. So back then there was less than 30,000 individuals that were skilled on ServiceNow to sell or solution or deliver. [00:03:34] Jen Odess: Today there’s almost a hundred thousand. Wow. So yeah that’s like the maturity in the capability within the ecosystem. But before I start on my ServiceNow and my group vice president. Which is a great role, by the way. Group Vice President. Yeah. Partner Excellence group. I’m very proud of it. [00:03:49] Jen Odess: But but let me tell you what brought me here, please. So I actually came from a partner, but not in the ServiceNow ecosystem. Okay. I won’t name the partner, but let’s just say it’s a competitor, a competitive ecosystem. And I worked for a services shop that today I would refer to as multinational. [00:04:11] Jen Odess: Kind of a boutique darling, but with over 1,500 consultants, so Okay. A behemoth as well? Yeah. Privately held. And we were a force to be reckoned with, and it was really fun. I held so many roles. I was a customer success manager. I led the data science practice at one point. I ran global alliances and partnerships. [00:04:35] Jen Odess: At one point I was the chief of staff to the CEO at the time that company was acquired. Big global si. And and then at one point I even spun off for the big global SI and helped run a culture initiative to transform co corporate culture. Wow. Very inside the whole organization. Wow. That is very, yeah. [00:04:54] Jen Odess: Really interesting set of roles. And the whole reason I came to ServiceNow is by the time I was concluding that journey in that ecosystem on the services side, I felt like. I didn’t fully understand what it meant to be on the software product side. And I often felt like I approached friction or moments of frustration and heartache with resentment for the software company. [00:05:20] Jen Odess: Sure. Or maybe just a lack of empathy for what they must be going through as well. It always felt like I was on the kind of [00:05:26] Vince Menzione: negative you were on the other side of the table. Totally. [00:05:27] Jen Odess: Yeah. And, or maybe like the redheaded stepchild kind of a concept as a partner. And so I sought out to. Learn more, which is probably a big piece of my journey is just constant curiosity. [00:05:38] Jen Odess: Nice. And I thought I think the thing I’m missing is seeing what it means firsthand to be on the software product side. And that was what led me to a career at ServiceNow. Five years strong. Yeah. So [00:05:50] Vince Menzione: talk about partner experience for those who don’t know what that means. [00:05:53] Jen Odess: Yeah. Today my role is partner excellence, but it used to be partner experience. [00:05:58] Jen Odess: Okay. And so the don’t. Yeah, that’s normal to say both things. And they actually mean two very different things. [00:06:04] Vince Menzione: Yeah, I would say so. [00:06:05] Jen Odess: And we delibera

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/  Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this insightful session, Vince Menzione is joined by Erika Irby of Veeam and Pat Primavera of Microsoft to discuss the evolution of their strategic partnership. They unpack Veeam’s transition from a “drinking company with a software problem” to a $2 billion enterprise aiming for $5 billion, revealing the tactical shifts in engineering alignment, sales play development, and co-sell activation that led to their landmark five-year agreement. Pat shares his framework for precision execution within the Microsoft ecosystem, while Erika details how Veeam leveraged “customer zero” strategies and internal alignment to drive success. Key Takeaways Engineering alignment is the critical first pillar before attempting to execute go-to-market strategies. Successful co-selling requires specific packaged plays tailored to distinct seller roles like security specialists or ATSs. Alliance leaders and cloud sales leaders must be in the same room to create joint plans rather than doing internal selling later. Veeam’s commitment to Azure and aligning with Microsoft seller compensation was vital for their five-year agreement. Partners should act as “Customer Zero” by using tools like the Data Resilience Maturity Model on themselves first to prove value. The next major growth opportunity lies in Partner-to-Partner (P2P) collaboration to bundle solutions for the marketplace. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags: Veeam, Microsoft partnership, co-sell activation, ISV strategy, engineering alignment, precision execution, Veeam Data Cloud, Data Resilience Maturity Model, Azure commitment, partner-to-partner, P2P collaboration, channel marketing, sales plays, crossing the chasm, cyber resilience, agentic AI, customer zero, marketplace growth, alliance strategy, ecosystem transformation. Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Transcript: [00:00:00] Erika Irby: Kinda what you were talking about earlier about the, the idea of the channel is non-existent anymore, right? Like we’re, we’re all in this kind of universe of different entities and we all, you know, work together and orbit each other and compliment even, you know, frenemies. I mean, we look at them like, how can we learn? [00:00:15] Erika Irby: How can we grow? You know, how can we be better? [00:00:19] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner, live at Carahsoft Training Center in Reston, Virginia. [00:00:35] Vince Menzione: Over two days, we gather top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode brings you right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. We have another incredible group of another organization here, and this is a really great conversation point too. Maybe I kind of alluded to it. [00:00:57] Vince Menzione: Um, you know, those who know me, when I started the podcast, I was actually doing individual consulting work, uh, before we got to do these events and really started to get front and center with the community in a big way. Uh, and Veeam was actually a client of mine back for several years. Um, so this is gonna be a really interesting conversation. [00:01:17] Vince Menzione: Uh, so we have two incredible leaders gonna be joining me up on stage here. Uh, Eric, I guess I’m gonna introduce ’em, right. So, Erica Irby, who recently rejoined Veeam, who’s been on stage before at other ultimate partner events and is a sponsor for us, and Eric Irby, who leads the channel marketing organization. [00:01:38] Vince Menzione: So taking Veeam, which is a large ISV, and making ’em front and center with the channel and the reseller community. And Pat Primavera, who I worked with at Microsoft, in fact, way back in the day, and his wife as well, who is now a leader in the ISV organization. We’re gonna have ’em go in the specifics of their roles, but having them join me on stage today. [00:01:57] Vince Menzione: So welcome you both on stage. Come on up and join me. I feel like come on down. Come on now. [00:02:08] Vince Menzione: Thank you. Thank you. So good to see you, pat. So great to have you here. It’s really great. So, um, yeah, so we are interesting. Great conversation by the way today. Uh, and it kind of flow, it’s kind of flowing into each other, right? ’cause we, we just had a couple of marketplace leaders up on stage talking about marketplace. [00:02:27] Vince Menzione: And at one point people thought that it was ISVs directly selling to customers, right? And there’s this whole other world out there. Uh, when I was working with Veeam, um, there were some, uh. Pratfalls, I guess probably looking for the right word here. Uh, but things have really changed in the last several years. [00:02:46] Vince Menzione: So first of all, Erica, maybe an introduction first to you and your new role. You were at Microsoft before this, but you were at being before that. So you boomerang back and then a leadership role. So take us through your, your role and your organization. [00:03:00] Erika Irby: Yeah. Uh, we call it, uh, Veeam Ringing, er, everything at Veeam. [00:03:05] Erika Irby: Uh, you have to have put Veeam in front of it, but, um, I started back at Veeam in 2014 and you had brought up earlier about, um, you know, when cloud. Was the new thing. And I remember very distinctly, um, attempting to get people to trust that they could put their backup in this nebulous thing called the cloud. [00:03:25] Erika Irby: And, you know, it was pretty wild back then. Yeah. Um, but I, I had several roles and then I ended up, um, moving to Microsoft and my ex-boss is right over there. Yeah. Thank you so much. Um, and then Veeam had an opportunity for me to come back and, and run their America’s channel marketing, and I said, sure. And I have been on board now for th my second three months, and, um, I’m loving it. [00:03:50] Vince Menzione: Very, very cool. Great to have you back again. And Veeam is, and Mark e sponsored the event as well. So really appreciate your support ultimate. Sir, uh, new role for you too, or fairly new. You’ve been around Microsoft. I’ll let you go through your history and [00:04:06] Pat Primavera: background. Sure, [00:04:06] Vince Menzione: sure. [00:04:07] Pat Primavera: Uh, what Vince didn’t share when he introduced me is he actually enjoys working with my wife better than working with me. [00:04:13] Pat Primavera: She, Kelly was an amazing, that’s leader. She was really great to work with. She’s doing great. She’s doing great. Uh, yeah, so Pat Primavera, uh, I’ve been with the company 16 years recently, came back to the ecosystem after doing some other things within Microsoft. I like to joke that I’ve completed my ecosystem Bingo card, where I’ve run distribution. [00:04:32] Pat Primavera: I’ve run the reseller channel. I’ve run OEM. I ran our hardware business, hardware business for a while too. I got to ISB and, and my bingo card is complete. Nice, nice. Uh, but listen, it’s, it’s, I’m super excited. This is right in the growth and heartbeat of the company. Uh, it’s where transformation’s happening with great partners like Veeam. [00:04:51] Pat Primavera: And so I, I wouldn’t want to be in any other place at Microsoft. And so there’s just a ton of opportunity for everybody in this room. Yeah. [00:04:57] Vince Menzione: And you work with some amazing friends of ultimate partner as well? Uh, yeah. Your leader is, was a podcast guest and was up on stage at one of our events. One of our first, yeah. [00:05:05] Vince Menzione: We, we [00:05:05] Pat Primavera: worked with some of the most strategic ISVs in the ecosystem and so, um, you know, I have a, a portfolio of a lot of the, the partners that are driving the application and infrastructure modernization out there happening. And so it’s, it’s just, it’s a great time to, to be in the ecosystem together. [00:05:21] Vince Menzione: So for those, I, I, you know, we, leaving out the audience, we’re, we’re gonna have a great conversation up here on stage, but I do wanna ask people like, how many of you actively working with Veeam or No, Veeam. [00:05:32] Vince Menzione: Uh, so show of hands. So a lot of, a lot of organizations here. That’s really terrific. And then also working with Microsoft. I’m just gonna take the, like a lot of hands there, I’m just assuming. Right. So that’s, I I just thought I also like Gipping and we we’re all gonna dance a little bit later too, so I hope everybody’s up for that. [00:05:47] Vince Menzione: So, uh, so great to have you both. I have a personal, like sit, you know, I worked with Veeam way back at, at a point when I was. Again, doing some consulting work and uh, it was an interesting time for Veeam. Veeam had been a top partner, Microsoft, um, and kind of fallen out of favor, I guess is probably the right term to use. [00:06:10] Vince Menzione: A few years. It was a, that was a way back period of time, but then had a lot of learnings from that experience. And I thought today we would share some of those learnings. And one of the things I, I remember

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/  Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this critical discussion, Mike Levy from AWS and Jon Yoo from Sugar sit down with Vince Menzione to explore the seismic shifts occurring within the AWS Marketplace, focusing heavily on the recent launch of AI Agents and Tools. Mike Levy details AWS’s comprehensive strategy to provide not just off-the-shelf agents, but the foundational ‘ingredients’—like security, guardrails, and knowledge bases—via the marketplace to help enterprises become “agentic.” Jon Yoo provides the partner perspective, highlighting the immense but often misunderstood role of channel partners in marketplace revenue, and provocatively challenges the current state of AI ‘features,’ emphasizing that the future requires agents to truly understand a business’s tribal knowledge and processes, not just rules-based workflows. The conversation culminates with the two sharing best practices, including the AWS COSS (Characteristics of Successful Sellers) framework, to help ISVs and partners accelerate their growth and effectively monetize in this new, AI-driven cloud economy. Key Takeaways The AWS Marketplace is now offering a comprehensive suite of AI agents and tools, including agent development platforms and essential security ingredients. AWS is working across the AI stack, from underlying hardware like Inferentia chips to foundational services like Bedrock for accessing LLMs. The Marketplace organization at AWS is strategically integrated within the Partner Organization to build go-to-market channels and procurement systems. The growth of the private offer business and the inclusion of Channel Partner Private Offers (CPPOs) is fundamental to the Marketplace’s future strategy. Successful sellers on AWS Marketplace are guided by the COSS (Characteristics of Successful Sellers) framework, which has been shown to accelerate growth by 31 times. Partners new to the Marketplace should “start narrow” by proving their motion manually before investing in automation, focusing on a clear, simple value proposition. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags AWSMarketplace, AIagents, Bedrock, ISVstrategy, ChannelPartner, COSSframework, CloudMonetization, Sugarplatform, AmazonQ, AgentCore, PrivateOffers, LLMs, GenerativeAI, GoToMarket, CloudEcosystem Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Transcript [00:00:00] Michael Levy: Uh, if we just double click on, you know, what it, what is an AI agent? ’cause it’s probably important, then we kind of have a shared understanding of what that is. Um, there’s a number of, uh, call it ingredients to the recipe of an AI agent. [00:00:15] Vince Menzione: Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you. [00:00:22] Vince Menzione: Achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner live at Caresoft Training Center in Reston, Virginia. Over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode brings you right to the edge of what’s next. [00:00:43] Vince Menzione: Let’s dive in. So I am thrilled to welcome. So the first time as a sponsor of Ultimate Partner, and also to be up on stage with me, an organization that I also had a, you know, I was at Microsoft, you have to realize the lineage of how these organizations all work together. Uh, this little company that was a, they were like a bookseller company, a little company. [00:01:10] Vince Menzione: And then they, uh, decided that they were gonna, they had all this computing horsepower and never, but wasn’t being used consistently. And what if we just like, share, you know, sell some, swipe a credit card and we’ll share some timeshare on it. Uh, this little company called AWS incredible and so I’m really privileged to have AWS join us as a sponsor this year. [00:01:32] Vince Menzione: Um, and just I think it gives the world a much more well-rounded view of what we’re seeing in our world of ecosystems as well. And I would love to invite to join me up on stage. Mike Levy from AWS Mike is nearby somewhere. Here he comes. Uh, so, so great to have you, Mike. Join us. Thank you so much for joining us. [00:01:54] Vince Menzione: Absolutely. Um, and then also we’re gonna have, we’re gonna have some really good conversation today. So I want to, you have the distinction of being the very first AWS guest and an ultimate partner event. Hopefully not the last It’s an honor. [00:02:05] Michael Levy: Yeah. First, uh, first of many, hopefully. [00:02:07] Vince Menzione: Yeah. Well, great to have you. [00:02:08] Vince Menzione: Uh, we got to meet recently and we’re, and, and we’re also gonna be joined by a partner, uh, in a little bit here. So, uh, John Yo is a good friend of ours and he is also gonna be up on, on with this as well. But I thought we’d spend a few minutes because you are up on stage this summer, in fact, and really carrying the message. [00:02:26] Vince Menzione: We be, we talk about marketplaces and it’s incredible world, world of mar marketplaces and AWS really led the, the fold on this, right? Because coming from the pedigree of retail and all the automation that AWS had. You were the first to market with marketplace, and you’ve also been an incredible innovator. [00:02:43] Vince Menzione: So I thought we spent a little time, I wanna give you a little time to talk about that, if you don’t mind. [00:02:47] Jon Yoo: Absolutely. [00:02:47] Vince Menzione: And I can stay up here with you or give you a couple minutes alone if you like. Yeah, we can have a seat. That’s fine. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Let’s, [00:02:52] Michael Levy: let’s [00:02:52] Vince Menzione: sit down and talk. [00:02:53] Michael Levy: Happy to. Um, so yeah, so for those who don’t know me, Mike Levy from the AWS Marketplace Team, um, and as Vince was referring to this summer, we launched, uh, an extension of AWS marketplace. [00:03:04] Michael Levy: Which is AI agents and tools in marketplace. So first I wanna say thank you to, to Vince for having us as a sponsor, uh, and to the incredible community that you built here. It’s, thank you. It’s really super impressive. Thank you. And we’re very glad to be a part of it now. Um, and second, I want to thank all the partners in the room, a number of which were part of that launch of AI agents and tools in marketplace. [00:03:24] Michael Levy: And I think the big thing for us and importantly for our mutual customers is really launching a comprehensive strategy when we say AI agents and tools. We really mean AI agents and tools, because I think we all know in this market, many of our enterprise customers or even startup customers, you’re not just buying an a w you know, you’re not buying an AI agent off the shelf and just setting it free in your production environment. [00:03:47] Michael Levy: Um, and so it’s really the, the tools aspect that’s an important part of the launch for us, um, and really a comprehensive offering. Of kind of, regardless of where a company is on their Ag agent AI journey, the idea is that there’s something for them in marketplace that they can procure and use in, in their own business. [00:04:04] Vince Menzione: So tell us more about that. Take, take us down another level or, or step within that conversation. Yeah, so we’ll [00:04:09] Michael Levy: double click. So the, the launch was big and we’ve seen a lot of momentum since then. Uh, but we had over 900 listings in marketplace. Uh, and that really runs the gamut. So there are off the shelf AI agents that you can take. [00:04:22] Michael Levy: Procure, uh, and deploy through marketplace and through AWS. And there’s, uh, things in between, like agent development platforms, think Salesforce agent force, uh, LR writer, some of these newer companies that are really focusing on this space and how to help enterprises really transform and become agentic, um, or develop their own ai. [00:04:42] Michael Levy: And tons of services partners as well. So obviously tying it all together, really honing, you know, what is the agent strategy for your enterprise is really part and parcel with what a lot, a lot of our services partners are helping customers with. And so the listings that we have in marketplace, uh, and the solutions that we have and the partners that we’ve worked, been working with really kind of run the gamut. [00:05:03] Michael Levy: Um, and then tools. When I say tools, uh, if we just double click on, you know, what it, what is an AI agent? ’cause it’s probably important, then we kind of have a. Shared understanding of what that is. Um, there’s a number of, uh, call it ingredients to the recipe of an AI agent. Things like memory, things like security, things like observability, um, guardrails is a part of it. [00:05:25] Michael Levy: Um, MCP servers, if we’re, if we’re familiar with MCP. Uh, we can double click on that. That’s really just, it’s a common protocol of, uh, basically calling various tools. So an agent is nothing, uh, if it doesn’t have the right data sources, like a knowledge base, if it doesn’t have the right tools, the right capabilities to call and actually implement a, a plan. [00:05:48] Michael Levy: An

AI is changing everything: Are you ready?  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. As we kick off Thanksgiving in the United States this week, I’m incredibly grateful for this exclusive interview with Craig Abod, President of Carahsoft, which reveals the mindset and unique market strategy that fueled the company’s astronomical growth, hitting over $22 billion in bookings. Craig discusses the crucial role of the channel in serving the government and public sectors, how Carahsoft built its foundation by partnering with emerging technology companies like Salesforce and Splunk before they were giants, and how they balance massive $30 million deals with tiny $30 orders. He also shares his vision for the next chapter, including expansion into a $10 billion hardware business and a focus on accelerating partner implementation services, alongside his perspective on the inevitable, fast-approaching ‘aha moment’ for AI transformation across all industries. Craig shared this journey as we kicked of Ultimate Partner LIVE. This was the second LIVE event we hosted this year and the fourth Ultimate Partner Event of 2025, including Winter Retreat, UP Live Spring, and our Executive Breakfast at Microsoft Ignite. Through our events and community, you have access to exclusive content, workshops, and strategies that help you achieve more and stay ahead of what’s next. The buzz around our community is simply astounding. We are building something I couldn’t even dream of when we started a simple podcast almost 9 years ago out of my spare bedroom. If you haven’t already, please consider joining our Ultimate Partner Community, where the most compelling leaders in the technology partnership world come to experience, share, learn, and grow. Thanks for being on this journey with us. — Vince Key Takeaways Carahsoft has grown by roughly $3 billion annually for the last three years, reaching over $22 billion in bookings. The company’s strategy involves centralizing vendor ecosystems to help partners and government customers find, acquire, and deploy technology successfully. Carahsoft established early success by partnering with emerging tech companies like Salesforce and VMware before they became major franchises. A key element of their philosophy is operational excellence, taking the same care of the smallest customers as the biggest ones. The company is focused on expanding into a $10 billion hardware market and growing its services/MSP capability, which currently processes $1.5 billion in implementation services. Craig Abod believes AI will lead to an “aha moment” in the next few years where the value of self-driving cars and automated systems will become undeniable. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags Carahsoft, Craig Abod, public sector, government IT, channel ecosystem, technology distribution, VMware franchise, Salesforce, Splunk, emerging tech, hyper-growth, AI adoption, self-driving cars, Max CPV, MSP, implementation services, deal registration, long tail work, verticalization, enterprise healthcare, education market, Google Ads, Ultimate Partnering, Menzione. https://youtu.be/5uhSY9BydrM Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Transcript [00:00:00] Craig Abod: We’re all gonna wake up and go, yeah, why are we driving our own cars? Why isn’t, you know, why isn’t there a self-driving car in every city, in every, in every parking lot? And we’re gonna have a, an aha moment in, um, 24 months, or 36 months, or 48 months, where we’re all like, why, why do I own this car that, that I have to drive, I have to drive myself. [00:00:18] Craig Abod: And you can apply that to, um, payroll systems and collection systems and bidding systems. There’s an odd moment where, Hey, do I deploy some of this AI today or do I wait just two months and see what’s out there? [00:00:35] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner, live at Caresoft Training Center in Reston, Virginia. Over two days, we gather top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. [00:00:57] Vince Menzione: If you weren’t in the room, this episode brings you right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. I, I am, uh, incredibly privileged. Uh, in many respects I feel like. Like, I had to keep benching myself for just life in general and just, uh, the amazing opportunities that just happenstance come our way in, in so many forms and functions. [00:01:20] Vince Menzione: I, I’m, I wanna save the time with Craig when he comes up here, but, ’cause I, I don’t want to steal the thunder of the conversation, but what an incredible organization he’s built. I want to, I wanna just wanna say thank you. I said this a little bit earlier. The team of people that have just surrounded my team and supported us doing our event here has been incredible. [00:01:39] Vince Menzione: Like they don’t need to do this. They don’t need to make their facilities available to organizations like ours. They make them available to some of their top partners, some of which are in the room here today, are gonna be up on stage over the next two days. And, um, I talk about mindset and I will say without, I haven’t even talked to ’em about this, but I think that mindset really drives how organizations thrive. [00:02:02] Vince Menzione: And so hopefully you’ll see this demonstrated like all these principles that I talked about briefly. You’ll see this print, this, uh, demonstrated in different ways over the next couple of days just by some of the conversations that we’ll have in the room. So, uh, without further. I do, uh, Craig Abbo, I’d love to invite you to the stage here. [00:02:21] Vince Menzione: Uh, thank you sir. Thank you for having us. So Craig, just, uh, ’cause I mean there might be people in the room who don’t know you, but I know there are some people in the room that do maybe just a little bit your title and role at, at Caresoft And is it on [00:02:39] Craig Abod: guys? Thanks everybody for coming out. Um, uh. Vince mentioned the building. [00:02:46] Craig Abod: Um, uh, four years ago, uh, we said, Hey, we ought to, um, use this building for more than just, um, what it was being used for. And we started offering it to our vendors, uh, and reseller partners, uh, for big events and little events. And, um, so far this year we’ve had 40,000. Um, visitors in the building. Wow. For events like this, there’s a Coast Guard event going on downstairs. [00:03:15] Craig Abod: Um, two Saturdays ago we had a charity event. Uh, uh, in the building. Um, and it’s been, it’s been, it’s been really a good, um, privilege to be able to, to do this. We’re a little bit uniquely positioned to, um, uh, to loan the, to loan the space out to people. And, um, it’s been, it’s been fun. So, uh, where did we, where did we come from? [00:03:36] Craig Abod: Uh, we’re, we’re 21 years, uh, in business. Um, we should end this year. A little over 22, uh, billion dollars in, in bookings. Um, we’ve grown, uh, about $3 billion a year for the last three. The last three years. Um, we’re up, we’re up more this year than we were last year. Uh, a little bit. Uh, somebody said, in spite of all the turmoil that’s going on in the, in the public sector market, and maybe it’s a little bit because of all the turmoil, um, we’ve sort of centralized a lot of stuff and a lot of the vendor ecosystem, um, supports us. [00:04:15] Craig Abod: So 20 years ago, 21 years ago, we had a unique opportunity to start a business and, um, have developed it into, it’s funny, we run. We’re gonna switch to mic four. Okay. That’s good. That’s good. Um, and we’ve de developed it into a business that, um, helps our vendors and the, the channel routes to market ecosystem. [00:04:43] Craig Abod: Um, and our government customers, um, find. Technology, acquire technology and then successfully, um, deploy technology. And if you take those three things 20 years ago, what we found was there was a lot of activity from the manufacturers, um, helping TriNet find government customers that need needed their product. [00:05:10] Craig Abod: And there was a lot of work by the reseller community at the procurement office door. Um. Just trying to close a deal. But those two were really, really disconnected and, and we got in the market, um, with a sales and marketing kind of, uh, mindset into the market and found, yeah, if you do a lot of selling and marketing at the front end, you might not get the order at the back end. [00:05:33] Craig Abod: Yeah. And helped the vendor community sort of figure out that, um, deal reg was important and demand creation was important, but you gotta reward the right, um, the, the right partners. Um, and five or six or seven years ago. Um, an interesting phenomenon where a lot of partners were still in a direct mindset. [00:05:54] Craig Abod: Um, we started taking on a lot of small companies and a lot of emerging tech companies, and what we found was the VCs were telling them, Hey, if you don’t start to build out a channel today, you’re gonna be a, a really, really tough business. Um, a year or two from now whe

AI is changing everything: Are you ready?  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. What a thrilling week hosting partner leaders at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Reston, VA at the Carahsoft Training Center. Even if you couldn’t be with us in person at the groundbreaking event, you can listen to the most profound sessions. In this exclusive interview, Erwin Visser, a key leader at Microsoft, discusses the company’s major organizational restructuring into Enterprise and SMEC (Small, Medium, and Corporate) divisions, and their massive, channel-led $600 billion bet on partner-led growth, with a core focus on AI and security. Visser outlines the “Frontier Firm” mindset—a commitment to being AI-first across customer experience, employee productivity (with Copilot saving users an estimated 34% of their time on boring tasks), business processes, and product innovation. He details Microsoft’s enormous investment in partner enablement, a new dedicated partner sales organization, and the urgent challenges of data compliance and software sprawl in the new age of AI agents. He concludes by sharing the three non-negotiable traits of a great partner, providing crucial guidance for anyone looking to navigate the tectonic shifts of the current business world. Through our events and community, you have access to exclusive content, workshops, and strategies that help you achieve more and stay ahead of what’s next. If you haven’t already, please consider joining our Ultimate Partner Community, where the most compelling leaders in the technology partnership. Thanks for being on this journey with us. Key Takeaways The three non-negotiable traits of a great partner are integrity in business, leveraging Microsoft’s investments, and possessing proven technical/sales ability to deliver solutions for customers.. Microsoft has restructured into two core divisions: Enterprise and SMEC (Small, Medium, and Corporate), with SMEC representing an estimated $600 billion market opportunity. The company has made its largest ever investment in partner training, financial incentives, and programs for the SMEC segment, viewing it as a major channel-led bet. A “Frontier Firm” must adopt an AI-first mindset, focusing on transforming customer experience, employee experience, business processes, and innovation. Early adoption of Copilot for employee experience is the fastest win, with one belief suggesting it saves employees 34% of their time on boring tasks. Microsoft has created a new Partner Sales Organization and an “outbound share” metric to ensure its sellers actively share opportunities and co-sell with partners in the SMEC space. https://youtu.be/xmUFSbk_IyQ I Ultimate Partner is the independent community for technology leaders navigating the tectonic shifts in cloud, AI, marketplaces, and co-selling. Through live events, UPX membership, advisory, and the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® podcast, we help organizations align with hyperscalers, accelerate growth, and achieve their greatest results through successful partnering. Key Tags: Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Transcript:: Transcript [00:00:00] Erwin Visser: I, I believe that when, uh, people start adopting copilot, they save 34% of their time. Yeah. Have, uh, and it’s, it’s the, and it’s the 34% that you don’t wanna do often. [00:00:15] Vince Menzione: Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. [00:00:25] Vince Menzione: We just came off Ultimate partner live at Carahsoft Training Center in Reston, Virginia. Over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode brings you right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. Uh, I also wanna, I wanna invite another friend up on stage here. [00:00:49] Vince Menzione: Uh, he’s been at many of our events. He’s been incredibly supportive of our ultimate partner. And, uh, as many of you know, uh, Microsoft has been a sponsor, has been, uh, may have been the title sponsor for this event and for many of our other events, uh, over the last few years. Uh, incredible support from that organization as well and what we do. [00:01:09] Vince Menzione: And, uh, when I picked up the phone and I said, Irwin, I know you got a really busy calendar this fall, but we really need to hear from you. And one of the things I love about doing these is that we’re gonna have a very intimate conversation. Around what’s going on at Microsoft. And I hear this, by the way, I hear this from a lot of you, like, eh, we’re figuring out our strategy. [00:01:29] Vince Menzione: We got it with company B, but we don’t have it with company A or A and B. And so, uh, we’re gonna have a really great conversation today about Microsoft, about the tectonic shifts that have been impacting. The, the world and how Microsoft sees the world. So with further ado, Erwin Ser, my incredible friend, also from Florida, by the way, [00:01:53] Erwin Visser: first of all, Vince, uh, uh, it’s great to have you, uh, on stage after you. [00:01:58] Erwin Visser: Thank you, uh, after your recovery, I think, uh, thank you. A lot of people were shocked seeing what happened to you, and it’s awesome to be here. And the pictures of your daughter. Uh, sweating. So, um, no, very happy that, uh, we have, uh, this event with, uh, with all our friends here. And, uh, thank you. I’ve had a [00:02:15] Vince Menzione: lot of reasons to continue going on. [00:02:17] Vince Menzione: Yes. Uh, including, uh, I’ll just share this for a second. ’cause I, I haven’t shared this on stage with many people, but um, as they were driving me in the ambulance, I yelled out to the guy, I, I don’t remember very much, but I remember yelling out, said, I’ll be okay, honey. I’ll be all right. And then when they got me to the hospital, my wife called my daughter who was getting married in eight weeks from that day. [00:02:37] Vince Menzione: And I, I’m yelling out in the background, Hey honey, I’m gonna be able to walk you down the aisle now, meanwhile, my foot was, was, was broken in two places and I was in a cast and I went from a wheelchair to Walker to crutches. Uh, but I got, I was able to get up and I was able to get through physical therapy and, and do that within a fairly short period of time. [00:02:58] Vince Menzione: So, yeah. Yeah. Amazing grit. [00:02:59] Erwin Visser: Thank [00:02:59] Vince Menzione: you. Amazing grit. Thank you. Thank you. And, uh, you’ve had some things as well, so we, we share ailments kind of getting all Yeah. Yeah. This is [00:03:07] Erwin Visser: probably the real reason we we’re doing this shit thing. Correct. You’ve had multiple hip [00:03:10] Vince Menzione: replacements as well. Exactly. And now he’s climbing mountains again. [00:03:13] Vince Menzione: It’s crazy. Oh, yeah. I, uh, I wanna stay [00:03:16] Erwin Visser: busy as long as I can. Yes. [00:03:17] Vince Menzione: And for those who don’t know, uh, Irwin is. Has one of the distinctions that very few people in our world have been. You climbed a very important mountain at one point, not a couple years ago. Yeah. Maybe just share that for a second. We started, [00:03:31] Erwin Visser: yeah, I was, uh, yeah, I was able to, uh, climb Everest, uh, two, uh, two years ago. [00:03:34] Erwin Visser: Yeah. Uh, some of it, yeah. It’s, uh, incredible. It’s, uh, uh. It’s hard always to describe Everest because it’s, it’s almost every superlative you can use. It’s like amazing. It’s traumatic. Uh, it’s hard. Uh, the hardest thing I ever did. And so any, any excess, it’s kind of what, uh, what Everest was. Well, you talk about it like it’s these Oh yeah. [00:03:56] Erwin Visser: I was over, over at Everest. [00:03:57] Vince Menzione: Last week. [00:03:59] Erwin Visser: Yeah. No, this, uh, it takes some preparation and, uh, yeah. You, you do learn, uh, to know your own boundaries and your thresholds when you do something like that. Yeah. And, and, uh, yeah. I know we, we have so many topics to, uh, to go through, but one of the reasons for me. To try to climb Everest. [00:04:18] Erwin Visser: Was, was also kind of curiosity, you know, it’s the, had the, I was always intrigued by seeing the, as a, as a young kid by seeing the movies, read the books. And as I always ask myself the question like, would I be able to do something like that? You know? And so the curiosity of finding out where your, where your own like, uh, boundaries are, uh, yeah. [00:04:40] Vince Menzione: And I don’t wanna go down a path here ’cause we have a lot to talk about today. Yes. But I just will ask you one question. Do you think going through the, that whole process, did that, has that prepared you for the business world? ’cause it’s changing rapidly. Today we talk about tectonic shifts. Uh, there’s even changes within your organization. [00:04:57] Vince Menzione: Do you think having like that fortitude and that strength that you develop around that helps you? [00:05:03] Erwin Visser: Yeah. Yeah. I, I think so. It’s, um, like, it’s, it’s hard sometimes to describe, but it’s, I, I think professionally I. But also in my personal life, you, you learn really not to sweat the little things anymore. [00:05:17] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:05:17] Erwin Visser: Super. And you, you kind of cave up like a lot of things that maybe would be frustrated in the past or irritated. I, I became much more patient, but also like an an a no ca like attitude, like really focused on. Things that are important. Yeah. And be able to really put aside the, the minded details. I [00:05:35] Vince Menzione: love that. [00:05:36] Vinc

Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. In this episode, Vince Menzione and Reis Barrie, CEO of Carve Partners, dive deep into the 12 most common pitfalls that can derail a successful Microsoft partnership. They discuss the misconception that Microsoft will simply send leads, the critical need for a dedicated partnership owner, and why a misalignment in sales compensation can be a recipe for disaster. The conversation also covers the importance of speaking Microsoft’s language, the proper way to leverage certifications and incentives, and the necessity of having a one-page plan. This is a must-listen for any organization looking to maximize its partnership with Microsoft by avoiding the mistakes that lead to stagnant growth and missed opportunities. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/p0mkz5C0JvU?si=RASwYNmZxHT0L_OH Key Takeaways: Microsoft acts as an amplifier for your efforts; you must be proactive and put in the work to see results. A Microsoft partnership requires a dedicated, full-time owner or team to manage its complexity. Misaligned sales compensation models can doom a partnership before it even begins by creating internal conflict. Partners must translate their value proposition into Microsoft’s language, focusing on shared priorities and seller incentives. Certifications and badges are a start, but their true value lies in leveraging the benefits and programs they unlock. A one-page plan is a critical tool for aligning internal teams and providing a simple, consumable reference for Microsoft sellers. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Join Us In Reston, Virginia, October 27-29th. As we enter the last four months of the calendar year, you are probably asking yourself, “What events should I attend this fall and why?” Many Partners and Leaders are trying to determine if the big events make the most sense and what they will learn. Many of these events are big and unyieldy, and while you may bump into some friends, you need to really ask yourself if they will help you achieve your greatest results – as a leader, as an organization, or as a partner. Our attendees tell us they get more accomplished in two full days than in most of the year at our events – they learn from Hyperscaler Leaders, Top Award Winning Partners, and the Masters. Learn from the best, meet the best, grow your business faster and further. Why Ultimate Partner is Unique An Ultimate Partner LIVE is like YOUR Masterclass. We begin with a view of “Where We Are Today” as the tectonic shifts are happening faster than ever before. Our first day sessions explore the advances in AI, Hyperscaler Growth, Marketplaces, Co-Selling, Ecosystem Led Growth, and more. These sessions are led from the leaders driving the discussions at Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, AvePoint Veeam Software, Carahsoft, Elastic and more. Bringing it All Together On Day Two, an Industry Analyst will bring it all together as our industry experts help you plot the future course – applying the learnings to maximize results. And, you’ll learn more from the Partner Technology firms, Partner Consultants, and others helping partners like you achieve more and walk away with over a million dollars worth of insights, learnings, and practical advice to apply to your business. In fact, we will have over 10 unique workshops at the fall event alone. The Executive Experience You will be in the room with other executives like you, or partner leaders looking to get to that level. Join us for a unique welcome reception and – if you’re fortunate – you’ll be joining our Executive Dinner. This event will feel more intimate than past Ultimate Partner LIVE settings. You’ll love the experience. Book your tickets today and get ready to join this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I look forward to hosting YOU this fall! Click HERE while time still lasts. Key Tags: Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Transcript:: REIS BARRIE AUDIO PODCAST [00:00:00] Reis Barrie: I’ve seen this really interesting trend, frankly, of lately, of people not only just not, not only going net neutral, but going. Uh, incentivizing it. Yeah. And so, absolutely. I think, you know, we’ve all been surrounded by a lot of these stats and, and facts about what partnerships drive, whether it’s, uh, access to more budget, access to more customers, uh, faster sales cycles, bigger deal sizes, all of these things. [00:00:23] Reis Barrie: Like, you hear these, you hear these outputs, and you start to think like, well, why wouldn’t I incentivize something that gives me that? [00:00:32] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, your host, and I’m thrilled to welcome a great friend and an expert in the world of partnering to this podcast. Reese Barry is the CEO of Carve Partners. He’s been on stage here in in Boca Raton at our events, and he’s gonna be joining us soon at the next Ultimate Partner Alive Reese. [00:00:55] Vince Menzione: Welcome to the podcast. [00:00:56] Reis Barrie: Yeah, it’s always great to be here. It’s so good to have you back. Super excited to, to, frankly, you mentioned the event. I’m, I’m stoked to be there. Uh, I can’t wait. [00:01:03] Vince Menzione: Yeah, so, and you’ve been supporting us since day one? Yeah. In fact, from the very, I think this is number seven. On the events that we’re doing now. [00:01:10] Vince Menzione: Yeah. So incredible time. Yeah. Great to have you back. Yeah, great to have you back here in the studio. You’ve been here a few times. This is not, you’re a familiar face here to our, i, i viewers, listeners. [00:01:19] Reis Barrie: I am. Yeah. It’s great to be here, frankly. Yeah. It’s, it’s, yeah. Awesome studio. I always, I always love coming down here. [00:01:25] Reis Barrie: It’s, uh. Pretty quick drive for me too, so, well, [00:01:27] Vince Menzione: we’re gonna have some more going on. We’ll talk about that at the end. We’ve got some more things coming up in January here in the studio. We’re gonna share with you all soon. But today we’ve got a really incredible topic. You’ve been doing quite a bit of posting lately, by the way, on your own. [00:01:41] Vince Menzione: I [00:01:41] Reis Barrie: have been, yeah. Some really great content. I made some commitments to myself and so we’re, uh, we’re, we’re full steam ahead. I love it. Uh, sharing as many insights as we can, getting as much knowledge of the ecosystem as we can. Yeah. So it’s, uh, yeah, I’m super excited [00:01:53] Vince Menzione: and you’ve got a tremendous amount of insight. [00:01:55] Vince Menzione: You work with some of the top bias vs some of the top SDCs, as we call them now, software development corporations. And today we’re gonna spend some time talking about, we, we’ve always talked about like what it takes to be the most successful. Mm-hmm. But today we’re gonna roll over on that and say. About pitfalls. [00:02:12] Vince Menzione: We’re gonna talk about you, you call it the 12 pitfalls to successfully partnering with Microsoft. [00:02:18] Reis Barrie: Yeah. [00:02:19] Vince Menzione: And so I thought we’d start here, right? This is a, a set of 12. We’ll take, we’ll take our listeners through this massive opportunity for them to drive the greatest results. So the first one you have is Microsoft sending us leads. [00:02:32] Vince Menzione: And this is something I’ve heard many times mm-hmm. From organizations, they kind of expect it. But why don’t you take us through why, why that’s a pitfall and why organizations misunderstand working with Microsoft. [00:02:44] Reis Barrie: Yeah, a hundred percent. So, and, and even just to back, back up a like a moment from there is I would say, people always ask me what to do and. [00:02:55] Reis Barrie: It’s just as easy if not easier to say like, oh, just don’t do these things. Yeah. And you’ll naturally gravitate towards the things you should be doing. I love it. I love it. And so I, the concept of, of what not to do is frankly, something that I, I resonates with me. I’m probably learning more, more what not to do than what to do. [00:03:11] Reis Barrie: Um, and so, yeah, starting with number, like starting with the first one you mentioned, just like that, that leads conversation. And so, oh man, this is. By far the most common conversation I have when I’m first yes. Jumping in or starting with a, starting with a particular someone on the, like who has dealt with Microsoft less or they’re earlier in kind of their partnership journey. [00:03:31] Reis Barrie: And it’s often this, this, uh, resetting of the frame of like, well, what’s the value of a Microsoft partnership? And they went into it for whatever reason, with the assumption of, Hey, I’m gonna, I’m gonna list on marketplace. And all of a sudden, you know, this windfall of, of deals is gonna, is gonna, is gonna come towards me. [00:03:50] Reis Barrie: Um, and most of these times these people I’m talking to are like maybe recently or part of I v’s. Success, uh, leveraging some of the great value, they can’t get there. And they got published, they got transactable and they kind of just like. I’d sit around and like, wait. Um, s

Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. In this powerful discussion, Vince Menzione shares his personal journey and the mission behind the Ultimate Partner movement. After a near-fatal accident, he gained a new perspective on the importance of community and the power of partnerships. Vince dives deep into the “tectonic shifts” reshaping our industry—from the rise of AI and cloud marketplaces to new buyer expectations. He introduces the seven Operating Principles of successful partnering, a framework designed to provide leaders with the clarity and conviction needed to thrive in a world of constant change. This is more than a podcast; it’s a movement built on the belief that success is never achieved alone and that together, leaders can achieve extraordinary outcomes. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k64CcIbLZNc Join Us In Reston, Virginia, October 27-29th. As we enter the last four months of the calendar year, you are probably asking yourself, “What events should I attend this fall and why?” Many Partners and Leaders are trying to determine if the big events make the most sense and what they will learn. Many of these events are big and unyieldy, and while you may bump into some friends, you need to really ask yourself if they will help you achieve your greatest results – as a leader, as an organization, or as a partner. Our attendees tell us they get more accomplished in two full days than in most of the year at our events – they learn from Hyperscaler Leaders, Top Award Winning Partners, and the Masters. Learn from the best, meet the best, grow your business faster and further. Why Ultimate Partner is Unique An Ultimate Partner LIVE is like YOUR Masterclass. We begin with a view of “Where We Are Today” as the tectonic shifts are happening faster than ever before. Our first day sessions explore the advances in AI, Hyperscaler Growth, Marketplaces, Co-Selling, Ecosystem Led Growth, and more. These sessions are led from the leaders driving the discussions at Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, AvePoint Veeam Software, Carahsoft, Elastic and more. Bringing it All Together On Day Two, an Industry Analyst will bring it all together as our industry experts help you plot the future course – applying the learnings to maximize results. And, you’ll learn more from the Partner Technology firms, Partner Consultants, and others helping partners like you achieve more and walk away with over a million dollars worth of insights, learnings, and practical advice to apply to your business. In fact, we will have over 10 unique workshops at the fall event alone. The Executive Experience You will be in the room with other executives like you, or partner leaders looking to get to that level. Join us for a unique welcome reception and – if you’re fortunate – you’ll be joining our Executive Dinner. This event will feel more intimate than past Ultimate Partner LIVE settings. You’ll love the experience. Don’t Miss this Early BIRD Opportunity – Ends in a Week This is your last chance to take advantage of a unique opportunity to sign up early and SAVE.> Next weekend, Early Bird Pricing Ends – and will NOT be available again. Also, our special Hyatt Regency Reston will only last for a short time. Book your tickets today and get ready to join this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I look forward to hosting YOU this fall! Click HERE while time still lasts. Vince Menzione, Microsoft, Ultimate Partner, The Ultimate Guide to Partnering, business strategy, cloud marketplaces, AI transformation, partnership principles, technology leadership, organizational alignment, growth mindset, executive commitment, visionary leadership, scalable startups, resilient leadership, tectonic shifts, ecosystem growth, tech industry, B2B sales. Transcript: Ultimate Partner Promo 2025 [00:00:00] Vince Menzione: Welcome. I’m Vince Menon, and if you followed me, you know me as the host of The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. Some of you have attended our events or maybe you’re part of our Growing Ultimate Partner community. But today I want to go deeper. I wanna share my journey, what’s happened earlier this year, and how my friends and team have rallied behind me and why I believe this movement we’re building together. [00:00:26] Vince Menzione: Is about to become bigger than ever because in this moment of massive change, these tectonic shifts, we talk about reshaping our industry and our lives. We need clarity, we need frameworks, and we need community more than ever, my journey began way before ultimate partner. I grew up in a family that taught me the power of resilience and trust. [00:00:50] Vince Menzione: I ran a small business while in college. Scaled startups from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars and later led a multi-billion dollar partner business at Microsoft. Through it all, I learned one powerful truth. Success is never built alone. It happens through partnerships. When I started Ultimate Guide to Partnering nearly a decade ago, it was my way of amplifying those lessons. [00:01:19] Vince Menzione: To bring you the voices, insights, and stories of the leaders shaping our industry. Over 270 episodes later, it’s grown into a trusted platform, but more importantly, it’s grown into a movement. A community of leaders committed to helping each other achieve their greatest results, and then this year changed everything for me. [00:01:44] Vince Menzione: You see, a near fatal accident brought my life to a halt. Overnight. I went from building businesses and hosting events to fighting for recovery. In those difficult months, I was carried by my family, my team, and by so many of you friends and colleagues reaching out with encouragement, support, and belief. [00:02:07] Vince Menzione: It reminded me of something powerful. You see, this mission is bigger than me. Ultimate partner is about all of us. A collective of leaders, builders, and innovators navigating change together. That clarity gave me even more conviction to double down now on this work, because let’s face it, the world isn’t slowing down. [00:02:35] Vince Menzione: AI is transforming every business and redefining what’s possible. Cloud marketplaces are reshaping how customers buy and how we go to market. New buyer personas and new expectations are changing. The way we sell the ecosystem is no longer a nice to have. It’s the multiplier for growth. These are the tectonic shifts we talk about at Ultimate Partner and in times like this, leaders need frameworks, clarity, and a community they can trust. [00:03:09] Vince Menzione: That’s why I developed what I call the seven Operating principles of successful Partnering. These principles come from decades of experience, hundreds of conversations with leaders and the lived lessons of this community. Here’s what they are and how they guide everything we do at Ultimate Partner. You see, the first is a growth mindset. [00:03:32] Vince Menzione: In a world of change, curiosity and learning are the superpower. Winners embrace possibility. The second is executive commitment. Success requires leadership buy-in and organizational alignment. It doesn’t happen at the edges. The third is vision and value alignment. Great partnerships are built when leaders align on purpose, outcomes, and value creation, and once you’ve got that, you need the fourth maniacal focus. [00:04:04] Vince Menzione: The best results come when we prioritize, simplify, and concentrate energy on what matters most. Once you get to there, you need the fifth element, Brandon’s story. You see, your story is your magnet partners and customers rally around belief, credibility, and trust. And it’s the easiest way and the best way to sell with the hyperscalers. [00:04:29] Vince Menzione: And once you start to build that flywheel, you get to getting results. Number six, where outcomes are the currency of trust winning partners obsess over execution and measurable impact. And once you’ve gotten those first six, all right. And you’ve reached the pinnacle of success. What happens? Things change. [00:04:51] Vince Menzione: The world changes. We have tectonic shifts. We have organizations like Hyperscalers, like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon changing programs, changing priorities. And you need to change because change is your constant. Leaders must anticipate pivot and leverage change before it overwhelms them. These aren’t just abstract ideas. [00:05:14] Vince Menzione: This is the heartbeat of Ultimate Guide to Partnering our live Ultimate Partner events, our community, and this movement. So what do we stand for? We stand for helping technology leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We do it through our podcast, bringing you the most relevant voices in technology. [00:05:36] Vince Menzione: We do it through our ultimate partner live events and events that we host here in our studio in Boca Raton, where leaders gather to align, learn, and connect, and we do it through our community where frameworks, best practices and experience sharing, create clarity and confidence. And we do it together because no single leader, no single company, can thrive in isolation any longer. [00:06:05] Vince Menzione: This is why I say ultimate partner is more than a podcast, more than an event. It’s a movement and it’s about to become bigger than ever because as these tectonic shifts accelerate, leaders who embrace growth, align on

Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join Peter Graber from Ingram Micro and Christine Mulcahy from ContentGen as they unveil a powerful synergy transforming the MSP and SMB landscape. Peter details Ingram Micro’s evolution from a traditional distributor to a “platform first, experience-driven company” with their Al-powered Xvantage platform, seamlessly integrating commerce, insights, automation, and enablement for multi-vendor, multi-solution environments. Christine then introduces ContentGen, an automated content development platform leveraging Al to drastically reduce the cost and complexity of content marketing for partners, enabling them to tell compelling “better together” stories and accelerate their go-to-market. This session highlights how these innovations are providing MSPs with simplified management and strategic growth, crucial for navigating the complex world of Al, hardware, and software solutions. https://youtu.be/MR2mGDnEbik Traditional distribution is evolving beyond logistics to focus on intelligence, integration, and enablement, driven by the increasing complexity of hybrid cloud, multi-vendor, and AI environments. Ingram Micro is transforming into a “platform first, experience-driven company” with its AI-powered Xvantage platform, designed to be a growth engine for partners by simplifying operations and accelerating market access. Xvantage unifies commerce, insights, automation, and enablement, allowing MSPs to manage subscriptions, hardware, SaaS, and services seamlessly in one intuitive interface, even integrating with their existing ERP/CRM systems. ContentGen provides an automated, AI-powered content development platform specifically for the partner channel, drastically reducing the cost and complexity of creating diverse marketing materials. Partners, particularly MSPs, need to tell differentiated stories for various audiences (customers, platform partners, resellers) requiring tailored content, which ContentGen helps to scale efficiently. The combined offering of Ingram’s Xvantage platform and ContentGen empowers MSPs with simplified management and strategic growth, enabling them to effectively deliver complex AI and multi-vendor solutions to the SMB market. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. As we enter the last four months of the calendar year, you are probably asking yourself, “What events should I attend this fall and why?” Many Partners and Leaders are trying to determine if the big events make the most sense and what they will learn. Many of these events are big and unyieldy, and while you may bump into some friends, you need to really ask yourself if they will help you achieve your greatest results – as a leader, as an organization, or as a partner. Our attendees tell us they get more accomplished in two full days than in most of the year at our events – they learn from Hyperscaler Leaders, Top Award Winning Partners, and the Masters. Learn from the best, meet the best, grow your business faster and further. Why Ultimate Partner is Unique An Ultimate Partner LIVE is like YOUR Masterclass. We begin with a view of “Where We Are Today” as the tectonic shifts are happening faster than ever before. Our first day sessions explore the advances in AI, Hyperscaler Growth, Marketplaces, Co-Selling, Ecosystem Led Growth, and more. These sessions are led from the leaders driving the discussions at Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, AvePoint Veeam Software, Carahsoft, Elastic and more. Bringing it All Together On Day Two, an Industry Analyst will bring it all together as our industry experts help you plot the future course – applying the learnings to maximize results. And, you’ll learn more from the Partner Technology firms, Partner Consultants, and others helping partners like you achieve more and walk away with over a million dollars worth of insights, learnings, and practical advice to apply to your business. In fact, we will have over 10 unique workshops at the fall event alone. The Executive Experience You will be in the room with other executives like you, or partner leaders looking to get to that level. Join us for a unique welcome reception and – if you’re fortunate – you’ll be joining our Executive Dinner. This event will feel more intimate than past Ultimate Partner LIVE settings. You’ll love the experience. Don’t Miss this Early BIRD Opportunity – Ends in a Week This is your last chance to take advantage of a unique opportunity to sign up early and SAVE.> Next weekend, Early Bird Pricing Ends – and will NOT be available again. Also, our special Hyatt Regency Reston will only last for a short time. Book your tickets today and get ready to join this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I look forward to hosting YOU this fall! Click HERE while time still lasts. . Key Tags: Ingram Micro, Content Gen, distribution evolution, MSPs, SMB market, AI platform, Advantage platform, ecosystem enablement, automated content, channel marketing, go-to-market strategy, strategic growth, digital transformation, cloud solutions, hardware-software integration, recurring revenue, partner profitability, AI agents, cybersecurity, hybrid cloud. Transcription: [00:00:00] Christine Mulcahy: Well, I’d say, you know, if you’re any type of partner in the ecosystem, buy into these platforms because they, there’s a lot of smart people building them and doing all the work for you so that you don’t have to figure that out as part of the rest of your biz dev strategy, and you can just focus on what you do. Well, [00:00:17] Vince Menzione: we believe this time is like no other. We, we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:23] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:55] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus. Our most powerful event yet. Over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode and interview features Peter Grabber from Ingram Micro and Christine Mulcahy from Content Gen for a lively discussion on the future of distribution. We take it right to the edge of what’s next. So let’s dive in now, and we’ve talked about this SMB moment. And the MSPs and this incredible opportunity area. This is where the fire hydrant is gonna come at us and the, and the power is coming at us really strict right now in terms of how we drive more success in our marketplaces. I am thrilled to invite on stage for the first time. Ingram Micro as both a speaker and a sponsor or event, and Peter Grabber is joining me for an in-depth conversation on what’s been going on in Ingram. We talked, we heard PAX eight yesterday, but Ingram has an incredible approach, has an incredible pedigree as a distributor and is really evolving their business as well. So I wanna welcome to the stage Peter Grabber. Thank you. Thank you for joining us, Peter. Thanks Vince. So good to have you join us. Thank you, sir. So, so great to have you on stage. Absolutely. Thank you. And supporting our event. Awesome. Awesome. Peter’s from Buffalo, New York. For those of you go Bills who might be part of the Bills mafia. Yes. Uh, they are my second favorite team after the Philadelphia Eagles. So, so great to have you. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. So, so great to have you join us. Um, some really exciting things happening in your organization. Uh, for, I, I want you to. Tell us about your role and maybe a little bit about Ingram. I don’t want to pre assume some things, even though I know about Martha and Bronson back in the day. Sure, sure, [00:02:57] Peter Graber: sure. Go ahead. Um, so Peter Grabber, I actually run our, uh, Cisco and our Microsoft practice at Ingram Micro. Plus a couple other hats that I wear as well. Um, but Ingram Micro is a global distributor. Obviously. We have a, a huge scale from a distribution standpoint, multi-vendor, multi solution service generated organization. And, um, we’re, we’re taking the leap into a platform company, which is something that I’ll, I’ll dig into a little bit. [00:03:21] Vince Menzione: Fantastic. Yeah, and I think the really important to note, because back in the day, distribution was a very different thing than it’s today, right? We used to think about credit. Availability of product. Right. And shipping and all those things. Sure. That were so important to be a distributor and why people use distributors back in the day. [00:03:38] Peter Graber: Absolutely. And now all that still is valid, but it’s being rolled up into a platform now. Yeah. That will be pretty seamless. [00:03:44] Vince Menzione: Yeah. I want, we wanna hear about that, right? Yeah, we want to talk about that. So let’s talk about this, we’ll call the future of distribution. Right. As we, we, we go back to the old days and

Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join Vince and Hayley McSpirit from PAX8 as they explore the immense opportunities within the Small and Medium Business (SMB) space, particularly through the lens of cloud marketplaces. This session delves into how PAX8 is disrupting the traditional channel by being a cloud-first organization , empowering MSPs and SMBs to rapidly adopt and leverage AI, often quicker than larger enterprises. Discover the evolving role of MSPs , the power of community-first approaches , and how marketplaces are becoming the critical platform for delivering comprehensive, integrated solutions to this underserved yet highly lucrative market. https://youtu.be/4lcMHcoiejE Key Takeaways The SMB market represents a significant and often underserved opportunity for cloud and AI adoption. PAX8 differentiates itself as a cloud-first marketplace, focusing on providing best-of-breed technology and a complete customer lifecycle for MSPs and SMBs. SMBs and MSPs are at the forefront of AI transformation, capable of adopting and transforming with AI much faster than larger enterprises. The traditional channel is evolving, with MSPs increasingly becoming software development companies (ISVs) and system integrators, driven by new tech opportunities. Community-first approaches and strong partner engagement are crucial for supporting MSPs in their growth and adoption of new technologies like AI agents. Marketplaces are becoming the primary vehicle for delivering integrated solutions and enabling new business models, including the reselling of AI agents by MSPs. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. . Key Tags: SMB market , MSPs , PAX8 , cloud marketplace , AI transformation , channel disruption , cloud-first , digital natives , software development companies , ISVs , community-first , customer lifecycle , agentic AI , business growth , technology adoption , partner ecosystem , Microsoft , innovation , procurement, cybersecurity, data security , unified solutions Transcription: [00:00:00] Hayley McSpirit: And as the new wave of AI as well has come in and, and we see MSPs and SMBs at the forefront of that, to be able to transform far quicker honestly than enterprises. And so we think that we are best placed to, to be doing that. [00:00:18] Vince Menzione: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:24] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger because it is the customer buying behavior that has created a need for all of us to rethink our models. Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:56] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus, our most powerful event. Yet, over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room. This episode featuring Haley McSpirit, the SVP of Pax eight, brings us right to the edge of what’s next in the SMB segment. Let’s dive in. So this is gonna be an incredible session. We have, uh, the next half hour or so, you’ve heard me talk about this moment right now in the SMB space in a big way. We’ve talked about marketplaces, the marketplace moment. It’s continuing to evolve. You heard about, about the incredible investments you see. You know, it’s kind of the tip of the spear with Cy talking about it, but you also heard Sandy talk about this as well, just this incredible investment opportunity around marketplaces. There’s another area where marketplaces are having another significant impact, and this is in the SMB business, right? We thought about the s and i, I’ll just share, as a Microsoft executive, we didn’t quite know how to manage this SMB business when I was a, a partner leader GM at Microsoft, uh, it’s, it’s, it’s handled very well. But there are organizations that do an even more incredible job and there’s a huge opportunity in this MSP space. In fact, there’s gonna be a workshop on MSPs. Hopefully you’ll be able to attend that session. Uh, but we wanted to get the market leaders in the room and we were very fortunate to have PAX eight in the room. And Haley McSpirit is gonna join me up on stage really talking about the future. Of SMBs and this marketplace opportunity ahead of us. And for those of you who don’t know PAX eight, I’ll have Haley take us through it. But I’m, I’m delighted to invite ha Mc spirit to the stage. Great to have her here. She didn’t have to travel as far as some of us. Great to see you, my friend. Good to see you. Uh, you’re gonna be here and I’m gonna be on this side of you. Thank you. Uh, we got to work together at Microsoft, so it’s great to have you here. [00:03:04] Hayley McSpirit: Thank you for having me. [00:03:04] Vince Menzione: Um, you were in an incredibly innovative portion of Microsoft. I’ll tell you. You tell your story. Yeah. But, uh, we got to interact when I was, uh, after I left Microsoft, in fact, and was leading a large ISVs organization. So, so great to have you in the room. [00:03:19] Hayley McSpirit: Yeah. Thank you for having me, uh, [00:03:19] Vince Menzione: up on the live stream as well. Yeah. Uh, great opportunity for discussion today, so I’m so glad you could join us. [00:03:25] Hayley McSpirit: Thank you. Thank you for having me. So where would you like to start? [00:03:29] Vince Menzione: Um, you know, I’ve been talking about PAX eight. Mm-hmm. I, I do think that PAX eight leaned in, in a very significant way on the SMB market. Uh, how are you different than the rest of the channel, though? And it seems like the evolution of PAX eight is important here and how the company evolved and where, where it’s going. But, uh, you’re making waves in the market as well recently, and I think there’s some conversation we’ll have. Uh, we won’t trip any wires in this conversation, but, uh, let’s know that you’ve made a big noise in the market, which I think has been heard. Right. And, um, how does PAX eight see itself differently and what is the industry getting wrong about PAX eight? [00:04:08] Hayley McSpirit: Yeah, well, so yeah, let’s, let’s say we like to make some waves and, uh, we’ve recently launched. Some brand campaigns Yes. Out there. Um, to disrupt the market. We are really going back to our roots in terms of how we like to be a disruptor, how we like to have a big place. And um, actually I think also. Put focus on the SMB. Yes. So the SMB market is, um, an area which we thrive in, and which we see a huge opportunity. And so where we see a differentiator for us is we truly are a marketplace and we truly bring together what our partners, um, are looking for in terms of that best of breed technology and that complete customer lifecycle, which is the piece that I heard Nicole talk about earlier around how we really need to continue Dr. Driving that. Um, and I think, you know, PAX Eight’s different because we are a cloud first organization as well, so we’re very much focused on that. And as the new wave of AI as well has come in and, and we see MSPs and SMBs at the forefront of that to be able to transform far quicker honestly than enterprises. And so we think that we are best placed to, to be doing that as well. [00:05:20] Vince Menzione: Yeah. You mentioned first of all the cloud. Approach is incredibly significant. And we’ve had this conversation backstage. Uh, I’ve been to some of the events where some of the SMB market comes, uh, some of the MSP market comes to, and it really isn’t cloud first. It isn’t cloud significant. Mm-hmm. And I’ve been in the room speaking at some of these groups and some of these meetings where a lot of these organizations are kind of playing in the past. Right. And, um. It’s really great to see the embrace that Pax has had. And I’ve, I haven’t been to, I’m, I’m hoping to come to your event this June. Oh, I hope to see, yeah. I’m gonna be there. This, it’s a great event this June, but I’ve heard they’re really happening, so I thought maybe you could talk about that a little bit. It’s almost like a, I don’t wanna use the word cult ’cause that’s always misinterpreted. Yeah. But there is a very strong, uh, engagement with the, with the partners in, at your events. [00:06:06] Hayley McSpirit: Absolutely. So, um. I mean, it is a great event. I think that’s an opportunity to come together. And Community First has been such a driver for PAX eight around the MSPs out there and being able to support them in the enablement of their journey. Uh, and so we’ve, we’ve. Put a lot into that as a way of bringing partners together, help them understand where the market’s going. Um, we’ve talked, uh, you, I’ve heard our CEO Scott Chaison talk about the AgTech AI and the future and had some very bold statements last year on stage around ai, which actually has sort of moved forward very quickly and, and so interesting. A little bit more of a visionary in terms of seeing where it’s going. And I think that event is a way of us really. Starting of

Our First LiveStream From the Boca Studio Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join industry leaders Vince Menzione, Scott Sacket, Per Werngren, and Nabil Aitonumeziane as they discuss the evolution of MSPs, the critical role of AI readiness, the power of strategic partnerships within the Microsoft ecosystem, and the growing importance of co-selling and digital marketplaces. Learn actionable strategies for profitability, navigating new buying behaviors, and becoming an “ultimate MSP” by focusing on outcomes, building trust, and embracing community. https://youtu.be/Z9towXE6hfk?si=Gjy11ItjqSN8yxf_ Key Takeaways The MSP landscape is undergoing “tectonic shifts” driven by cloud adoption, AI integration, and evolving customer buying behaviors through marketplaces. Successful MSPs must evolve beyond the “break-fix” model to become strategic partners, focusing on business outcomes rather than just technology. AI presents significant opportunities for MSPs, but requires immediate adoption and internal training to avoid being left behind. Strategic partnerships, particularly within the Microsoft ecosystem, are crucial for MSP growth, emphasizing mutual value and trust. Standardizing offerings and specializing in specific technologies or solutions can significantly improve MSP profitability and success. Engaging with communities and peer groups like Ultimate Partner provides invaluable networking, learning, and collaboration opportunities for MSPs. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags: MSP,Managed Services,AI,Artificial Intelligence,Microsoft ecosystem,cloud transformation,hyperscalers,marketplace,co-selling,partner strategy,Nabil Aitonumeziane,Scott Sacket,Per Werngren,Vince Menzione,AppPoint,FSI strategy,Ultimate Partner,channel growth,digital buying,data security,governance,copilot,agentic AI,recurring revenue,business model,profitability,trusted advisors,community building,IT business,technology evolution,strategic partnerships Transcript: [00:00:00] Vince Menzione: We believe this time is like no other. We, we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:08] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:42] Vince Menzione: Good morning. I’m Vince Manzione, the CEO of Ultimate partner, and the host of the Ultimate Guide to Partnering Podcast. And I’m thrilled to be back in the studio here in Boca Raton. We have a lot of stories about Boca Raton. It is really the seminal point in the start of this ecosystem we all care about. It’s also where we host the Ultimate Eye to Partnering podcast where we host our events, and we’re gonna do our very first live stream here today. Uh, it’s designed for you to achieve incredible success as a partner. We’re working with hyperscalers like Microsoft. Our topic today is becoming the ultimate MSP. This is a topic that we care deeply about as, as our guests do as well. And each of my guests that are here today, I am so privileged to have members of our community, friends, uh, people that I truly appreciate and admire who are here now, who feel the same and are so passionate on this subject. I wanna invite them each to say, introduce themselves and say a couple words about why they believe this MSP moment is so unique and why it’s so relevant to all of us today. So s Scott, good to see you. [00:01:49] Scott Sacket: Great to see you. So exciting to be here alive, right? Gotta be careful. So for those who have, I’ve not met yet. My name is Scott Sackett and I’m the senior Vice President of Partner Strategy at AAV Point. And, um, I’ve been in the channel ecosystem now for over 25 years. I was a partner, of course, I’ve been at AAV point, leading channel now for many years, um, almost 20 years. And, um, this moment’s incredible, right? Um, you know, cloud really democratized what, what partners could do. And how to build up, um, and, and support many customers, small and large. And, and today, MSPs really are, um, the linchpin to how we build and, and, uh, manage it. So it’s an incredible moment for them and, and it’s only getting, uh, more important as things change and grow and evolve. So exciting times. [00:02:36] Vince Menzione: I love the linchpin comment ’cause it really holds it all together. I love that. And p Wgre, another great friend of ours, p uh, please take a moment and introduce yourself to our audience or all of our friends that are watching [00:02:47] Per Werngren: us today on the line. Yes, thank you, Ian. It is a privilege to be here. So I’m the CEO of Idex. We do AI and Azure operations. And why do I love MSPs? Well, I’ve been doing subscriptions all my life, and recurring revenue is such a beautiful thing because you start small, you sell a little bit. You sell more and you don’t lose what you have sold. You just keep on building and it all piles up. Beautiful business model. [00:03:16] Vince Menzione: I love it. I love it. [00:03:19] Nabil Aitonumeziane: Right. Hi, great to see [00:03:20] Vince Menzione: you, my friend. [00:03:21] Nabil Aitonumeziane: Thanks for having me. I mean, it’s been, uh, amazing coming to Florida. To the Hot Florida. But, uh, I’m Nabil Ian. I’m the president of FSI strategy. We’re an MSP. Uh, we specialize in Microsoft. We’re a, uh, managed service provider, but, uh, we specialize a hundred percent in Microsoft, uh, technologies. So thanks for having Well, [00:03:41] Vince Menzione: and you are an MSP, right? Yes. We talk about this all the time and how you’ve evolved your company. You a case study. We are, but [00:03:48] Nabil Aitonumeziane: we are not Your traditional MSP, which is. Managed service provider. We are more of the modernization solution partner ’cause we are trying to, uh, live in the AI era. Yeah. World. So we had to change our name as well. How to help our customers, uh, move forward with this technology is moving very fast. So [00:04:10] Vince Menzione: I’m gonna frame that and we’ll go right into, I’m gonna, I have, I’m gonna hit you with the first question, but you know, we talk about this tectonic shifts. That we’ve seen in our world, in our lives, and we’ve been talking about transformation and ultimate partner for many years. It started back in my Microsoft days, 10 years leading the partner business for public sector and growing that organization during the clouds transformation. But we’ve been talking about a, a, the hyperscalers really at the center and really the, we talk about Boca, the fact that Bill Gates came down here in 1981 and signed an agreement with IBM really sparked this ecosystem. There’s over a half a million just in the Microsoft ecosystem of partners. Probably well over a million if you put Google Cloud and AWS and, and you look at that center of the universe and we’ll talk about that center and how there are now seven seats at the table. But then, you know, we talked about the last couple years, AI really became a thing. Chat, GBT started it all back in November, 2022. And now, you know, we’ve had this incredible transformation that we’re gonna talk about, why it’s so fundamental today. And why it’s even more important, and then also how marketplaces are so fundamental to success today that the buying behaviors have changed. The millennials, the new buying persona, and they buy from, they’re very comfortable in marketplaces. We’re all more comfortable now hitting our phone three times and having a box show up at the end of the day, right? We’re all used to digital buying and it’s becoming the buy. The buying process has changed dramatically. And the hyperscalers have all embraced this marketplace. But then what do you need? Fundamentally, in order to have success, you need to have engagements with those sellers. And that’s why co-selling is so critical and important. We’re gonna talk about that as also an important component. And then the hype. We talk about this ecosystem and why you can’t go alone. And then we, we’ve been around ultimate partner. We created ultimate partner. ’cause we recognize that success is all about coming together. And I talk about the seven seats at the table because the buying persona is May now making a decision about driving a solution. They’re not buying a one-off vendor solution. They’re creating a solution set, and they need multiple vendors to come together. And this conversation today is how MSPs need to embrace these tectonic shift. Nabeel, you’ve owned this successful MSP for many years. You said 25 years you’ve been in this business, which is incredible. Long [00:06:29] Nabil Aitonumeziane: time [00:06:29] Vince Menzione: you don’t even look old enough to have been No. Been doing this for 25 years. Tell us what successes look like for you and your organization and what has the change been like? Can you speak to the change that we’ve been seeing? [00:06:40] Nabil Aitonumeziane: So we have seen the big changes in the past 10 years when it comes to the MSP world. Uh, we went, I think all of us in the MSP world, we came all from the break and fix model. To all

Microsoft’s America’s Partner Leader joins Ultimate Partner Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Nina Harding, Microsoft’s partner leader for the Americas, joins host Vince Menzione to discuss the seismic shifts happening at the start of Microsoft’s fiscal year 2026. This isn’t just another discussion; it’s a deep dive into Microsoft’s renewed partner-centric strategy, the transformative power of AI, and the tactical steps partners need to take now to thrive. Nina reveals how partners are now “front and center” in Microsoft’s priorities, how a new industry-based structure is changing everything, and the crucial role of AI in boosting sales and innovation. She shares actionable insights on co-selling, the new “Frontier” mindset, and why being a “customer zero” for AI is no longer optional. This conversation provides a strategic roadmap for every partner looking to align with Microsoft’s vision for the future. Key Takeaways Partners are now one of Microsoft’s top three priorities, with a major focus on tighter integration with sales teams and a “partner-first” tone from leadership. Microsoft is moving to a 100% industry-based structure in the US, with new industries like oil and gas and gaming, to focus on solving customer problems with industry experts and partners. The new “SDC” (Software Development Company) term is more comprehensive and inclusive than the traditional ISV (Independent Software Vendor) term. AI is delivering a 10% increase in pipeline, a 23% higher close rate, and a 9% larger book of business in revenues for sales reps who use it consistently. The “Frontier” mindset is Microsoft’s new theme for FY26, emphasizing the exploration of possibilities with AI, moving beyond out-of-the-box functionality. The most critical advice for partners is to become “customer zero” for AI, differentiating themselves by articulating their value proposition and depth of expertise by industry. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags: Microsoft, Nina Harding, Vince Menzi, Ultimate Partner, partner strategy, fiscal year 26, FY26, AI, artificial intelligence, Copilot, Microsoft partners, co-sell motion, customer engagement methodology, CEM, industry-based, operating units, OUs, Total Addressable Markets, TAM, small medium enterprise, SMC, software development companies, SDCs, ISV, channel partners, account executive, AE, solution areas, Biz Apps, security, Azure, Microsoft field, America’s Partner Brief, APB, agentic AI, marketplace, digital transformation, Frontier, enablement, technical roles. Transcript: [00:00:00] Nina Harding: We’re finding such intense productivity. Um, for example, with our sales reps, the ones that are using AI consistently, we’re seeing, um, about a 10% increase in their pipeline. We’re seeing a 23% higher close rate and 9%, uh, larger book of business in actual revenues. [00:00:25] Vince Menzione: Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, the CEO of Ultimate partner and your host, and I am thrilled today to welcome Nina Harding, Microsoft’s partner leader for the America’s business. Nina, welcome to the studio here. [00:00:41] Nina Harding: Oh, thanks so much for having me. [00:00:42] Vince Menzione: So excited to have you. Was great. Many of you don’t know this, but Nina actually lives here in Florida. Yeah. We both live in Florida only. Yeah. We live [00:00:50] Nina Harding: pretty close to each other everywhere. Pretty close together. Yeah. What, three and a half miles, maybe? [00:00:54] Vince Menzione: Something like that. Yeah. Yeah. It’s crazy. Yeah. And this is our Boca studio. For those of you who haven’t been here yet, Nina’s gonna be here this, this winter. We’ll have you, we’ll have you on stage. [00:01:03] Nina Harding: Great. [00:01:03] Vince Menzione: In front of our partners, all of our partners that watch and listen to the ultimate guide to partnering, but so, so thrilled to have you join us today. We have such an amazing conversation to have today because. This is an important inflection point in Microsoft’s year, right? The beginning of fiscal year 2026. Yeah. For those of you looking at your calendars and watches. Uh, it’s 2025, but for Microsoft we’ve started fiscal year 26 and so, so many changes that are happening. So much excitement and enthusiasm around the new year. [00:01:33] Nina Harding: Absolutely. We have a lot [00:01:34] Vince Menzione: to cover today. [00:01:35] Nina Harding: Yeah, we do. Yeah, [00:01:35] Vince Menzione: we do. So I thought maybe we’d spend a minute on that, if you don’t mind. Sure. Maybe we’ll start there because there were a lot of announcements made. Sure. And, uh, Judson and Nicole and some others were on the on stage just about a week and a half ago talking him through the changes. Yeah. I thought maybe you could help lead us through some of the conversation Yeah. On what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. [00:01:56] Nina Harding: Right. Um, well, I think the. Biggest change I’ve seen is partner is front and center as one of the top three priorities at the company. [00:02:06] Vince Menzione: I’m so happy to see that. So [00:02:07] Nina Harding: that is really exciting. Yeah. So, uh, we had to start, as you mentioned, a couple weeks ago, and every single. Presentation every, some single executive was talking about our partners. Uh, when Judson normally has like a panel of customers up there. This time he had two partners in one customer. So I love that the tone is really, uh, forward on partners. The major changes that you’re seeing, uh, first is that we’re trying to bring the partners more into the core business. Uh, align them with the sales teams. So what that means is our channel partners are now sitting toe to toe, shoulder to shoulder with the um, sm. C and e folks, right? Yeah. Yep. So, um, what we hope with that is there’s even tighter integration. We get rid of some of that friction that might have been there, and we operate as one. I love that our partners really become that extension of our Salesforce, um, out, out there on the front lines, um, on the, on the other side. We have an opportunity in the enterprise to go even tighter and deeper with our services and what we’re now referring to as our SDC software development. SII [00:03:24] Vince Menzione: know, it’s I know, I know, I know. Good [00:03:26] Nina Harding: old, good old Sandy [00:03:27] Vince Menzione: Gupta and I had a conversation about this at our last event and, uh, it’s so hard it doesn’t roll off the tongue very easily. [00:03:33] Nina Harding: No, it doesn’t, but it’s actually much more inclusive. Yes. So, um, it’s funny, I had a conversation with an Nvidia and. They were the ones that kind of prompted even that opening with me of saying, Hey, we don’t see ourselves as an ISV. And they’re not, they’re not, right? They’re, and so SDC is much more comprehensive, but kind of going back to some of those changes, that’s, uh, that’s where we’re seeing even tighter integration and how that shows up. That shows up in the way. Um, we look at pipeline, how we do reporting, um, in each of the ou, um. Do you want me to talk about the OU as well? I do. Let’s [00:04:11] Vince Menzione: talk about, so just for people that don’t under, don’t understand our acronyms. Yeah. But, uh, so Small Medium Enterprise and corporate is Ssec. [00:04:18] Nina Harding: Yes. Is smec and [00:04:19] Vince Menzione: a lot of partners we’re gonna, we’re gonna talk about where, what partners sit where. Sure. And then the OU are the operating units. Correct. Uh, they are. And what people don’t always realize about the way how Microsoft is structured, because you sit on a leadership team and you’ve got representatives that are very industry focused, right? Correct. Across various aspects of the business. They have their own vp, they have their own marketing organization, they have their own selling organization, and so on and so on. [00:04:43] Nina Harding: Yeah. [00:04:44] Vince Menzione: So talk to us about that. That’s the operating units, [00:04:46] Nina Harding: right? So, um, we affectionately call them operating units, but they’re really, as Judson affectionately calls them tam capture units. Right. So, um, a country, uh, you could have a country, yep. Or, um, an aggregate of countries or you could have division of countries. They’re really based on the TAM capture opportunity. So in the United States and TAM being total [00:05:12] Vince Menzione: addressable market, correct? Most correct. Sorry. No, that’s right. Yes. [00:05:14] Nina Harding: Um, but for example, in the US. We have gone 100% industry based this year. I love it. It’s really, really exciting. Yeah. So we no longer have territories anywhere, and we’ve actually been able to introduce some new industries like oil and gas, right? So I’ve [00:05:31] Vince Menzione: seen that [00:05:31] Nina Harding: gaming, those are real industries that make a difference, uh, to everyone. And so what’s exciting about that? As the conversation is changing, we’re going further and further away around how do we position product to how are we really solving customer problems? And the conversation is all at that industry level, in that language with the experts from the industry helping to solve problems with the customer. And that’s where our partners come in too. [00:06:01] Vince Menzione: It makes such a big difference. And then the partners that are surrounding that, or that sales organization are ones that are laser focused

with Leigh Ann Campbell, Ultimate Partner Community Member Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. In this insightful episode of The Ultimate Guide to Partnering, host Vince Menzione welcomes Leigh Ann Campbell, CEO of Rev Alliances and a seasoned expert in building successful Microsoft partnerships. Leigh Ann shares her remarkable journey, including her pivotal role in transforming Quest into Microsoft’s number one co-sell partner worldwide. They delve into the critical elements of effective partnering, introducing Leigh Ann’s powerful “FAME” framework: Focus, Audience, Message, and Execution (now “E-squared” with Enablement). The conversation uncovers practical strategies for navigating the complexities of the Microsoft ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of sales enablement for your own team, understanding Microsoft’s internal scorecards, and aligning partnership goals with your CRO’s revenue objectives. Leigh Ann provides valuable advice on focusing your approach, crafting the right message for the right Microsoft audience, and executing with precision. She also shares her vision for the future of Rev Alliances, including the exciting integration of AI to scale her proven methodologies and help even more partners achieve their greatest results. Key Takeaways: Sales enablement for your own sales team is crucial for scaling your Microsoft partnership beyond the alliance team. Understanding the tectonic shifts in customer buying behavior is essential for rethinking partnership models. Data quality and a shared purpose between your company and Microsoft are fundamental for a strong partnership. Leigh Ann Campbell’s FAME framework (Focus, Audience, Message, Execution/Enablement) provides a practical roadmap for partnership success. It’s vital to understand Microsoft sellers’ scorecards and how they are measured to align your efforts. Engaging your CRO and aligning partnership KPIs with sales goals is critical for company-wide buy-in and success. Focusing your efforts on a specific area of success within Microsoft and then expanding is more effective than trying to do everything at once. Building trust and making it easy to work with your company are key to successful engagement with Microsoft sellers. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insider knowledge from industry leaders shaping tomorrow’s digital world. Tune in now for an inspiring conversation that could redefine your business strategy! Keywords: Microsoft partnership, co-sell, sales enablement, partner program, ISV, SI, Rev Alliances, Leigh Ann Campbell, Vince Menzione, Ultimate Guide to Partnering, FAME framework, focus, audience, message, execution, enablement, Microsoft sellers, channel partners, partner strategy, alliance management, tech partnerships, B2B partnerships, software partnerships, cloud partnerships, Azure, Microsoft Marketplace, partner center, co-selling with Microsoft, achieving partner success, partner growth, revenue generation, pipeline development, Microsoft ecosystem, navigating Microsoft, partner of the year, product integration, AI in partnerships https://youtu.be/LcvmtORAV6E If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. . https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Leigh Ann Campbell Audio Episode [00:00:00] Leigh Ann Campbell: Sales enablement, uh, not of Microsoft Sellers. This is your sellers. Ah, because it doesn’t, it doesn’t do you any good if the only group within your company who understands Microsoft are the, is the alliance team, right? Because that doesn’t scale. You need your sales people out there doing co-sell with their peers at Microsoft. [00:00:23] Vince Menzione: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:28] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together, managed services will be one and a half times larger [00:00:34] Vince Menzione: because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models [00:00:41] Intro: until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized, and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. [00:00:47] Intro: Can you figure out first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:01:00] Vince Menzione: Welcome to, or welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you. [00:01:08] Vince Menzione: Achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. And today I have for you a leader who’s helped organizations drive their greatest results as Pinnacle Partners working with Microsoft. I. Leanne Campbell was a leader that led one of the largest ISVs to the top partner status working with Microsoft. [00:01:26] Vince Menzione: And today she leads her own company as CEO of Rev Alliances, and I’m privileged to have her join us today here in Boca Raton. Leanne, [00:01:35] Leigh Ann Campbell: welcome to Boca. Thank you so much for having me. [00:01:37] Vince Menzione: I’m excited to have you. You know, you and I have known each other for several years. Yep. And when I first met you, you were leading one of the largest partnerships working with Microsoft. [00:01:46] Vince Menzione: I thought we’d spent some time talking about your career journey and how you got to this point in your career. [00:01:51] Leigh Ann Campbell: Absolutely. So I was born and raised in Silicon Valley, so uh, just kind of worked out that tech was where I wanted to be and where I landed. So I have spent over 25 years. Wow. You’re too young to be 25. [00:02:06] Leigh Ann Campbell: You started 10 years [00:02:08] Vince Menzione: old, I’m sure. Yes. [00:02:09] Leigh Ann Campbell: Uh, working in all types of companies within Silicon Valley. Right. So I’ve done the startup thing, I’ve done the.com thing, like we’ve talked about. Yes. And you know, later in my career I had a great opportunity to lead sales and alliances for companies like PeopleSoft and HPE. [00:02:26] Leigh Ann Campbell: So Very cool. I feel like I’ve seen it all. I bet you [00:02:30] Vince Menzione: have. So tell us about, ’cause the journey to Quest and. My introduction to you was when you were actually leading the alliance strategy for Quest. Mm-hmm. And at that point had taken the organization to the pinnacle working with Microsoft. And I thought maybe you could take us through what that was like, what you, uh, found when you got there, and then how you led the organization into that journey. [00:02:52] Leigh Ann Campbell: Yeah, thank you. So when I got there, quest had already been around for quite some time. I think they were founded in the late eighties, early nineties. Right. So their claim to fame with Microsoft was their ability to migrate Office 365. Right. So fast forward to when I joined in 2019 ish, they were somewhat struggling to figure out the better together story now that Microsoft had moved on to cloud. [00:03:20] Leigh Ann Campbell: Yep. Right. So my team and I had the opportunity to kind of rebuild that partnership and so we really started. Looking at what mattered to Microsoft, what mattered to Quest, and figure out how we can get best of both worlds. And so, gosh, four years later, we built Quest into the number one co-sell partner worldwide. [00:03:42] Vince Menzione: Wow. That was amazing. And I knew Quest from back in my Microsoft days. And they had gone through several lights, I would say. [00:03:49] Intro: Yep. [00:03:49] Vince Menzione: They were a private company. Then they became part of Dell. Mm-hmm. And they became private again, or I don’t remember the, the, the path exactly. You came, when you came there, they really weren’t relevant in the Microsoft ecosystem. [00:04:02] Vince Menzione: So how did you get them there? Like was there any, any learnings or We’re gonna talk a little bit more about what you do today with partners. Yeah. Is there any specific learnings from that experience that you’ve moved forward with? [00:04:11] Leigh Ann Campbell: Oh my gosh, so many. Uh, I would say overall the value that Quest brought to the table was they really had a wide variety of solutions to help customers, right? [00:04:22] Leigh Ann Campbell: So. They touched all areas of Microsoft except for dynamics. So the message that we were bringing to the Microsoft sellers were, we can do it all. Like just pick, we’ve got 25 solutions in the marketplace. Yeah. And 25 co-sell approved products. Just pick ’cause we can be your one-stop shop. And I thought, wow, they’re gonna be banging down my door. [00:04:44] Leigh Ann Campbell: Yep. For all these opportunities, when in reality nobody needs everything. They have a very specific need. Right? And so we went through several years of kind of rebuilding our messaging to make it be more focused to figure out who within Microsoft would. Care about that. Get compensated on it. Right. And so that we could build a joint go to market strategy. [00:05:06] Vince Menzione: Very cool. Very cool. [00:05:07] Leigh Ann Campbell: Yeah. [00:05:07] Vince Menzione: And then you left to go on your own and you started Rev Alliances. Yeah. So tell us a little bit more about Rev Alliances. [00:05:12] Leigh Ann Campbell: Yeah, so Rev Alliances really came out after we made it to the top with Microsoft as their number one partner for co-sell. We had won partner of the year rewards, right? [00:05:23] Lei

Recorded Live at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join Alistair Butler, Jennifer Weis, and Steve Hale in a deep dive into Microsoft’s Small, Medium, and Corporate (SME&C) business – aptly called the “Acre of Diamonds.” This session unveils how Microsoft’s intentional decision to establish SMEC as its fourth and fastest-growing region, now a $72 billion business, creates unparalleled opportunities for partners. Learn about the MCEM framework, a common methodology for solution selling, and how partners can strategically align their sales organizations, leverage Microsoft’s investments, and build a “win formula” to unlock immense customer value and profitability in this high-growth segment. Key Takeaways: Microsoft’s SME&C (Small, Medium Enterprise and Channel) business is now its fourth and fastest-growing region, representing a $72 billion opportunity for partners. This dedicated SME&C region brings unprecedented consistency, dependability, and investment that did not previously exist across Microsoft’s geographies. Partners must align their sales organizations with SME&C’s customer segmentation and internal structure (ATU, STU pods) to gain engagement from Microsoft sellers. Leveraging Microsoft’s funding and investments, particularly for driving Azure consumption and specific customer workloads, is a critical strategy for partners. The MCEM framework provides a consistent methodology and language for solution selling, enabling partners to fast-track their go-to-market and collaborate effectively with Microsoft sellers. Success in SME&C requires partners to have executive buy-in, build a clear “win formula,” and focus on delivering end-to-end customer lifecycle services, as Microsoft relies heavily on partners for stages like “realize value” and “manage and optimize”. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/a8jwaqWFNAA Key Tags: Microsoft partners, Acre of Diamonds, SME&C, mid-market, channel business, MCEM, Microsoft investments, partner programs, solution selling, Azure consumption, customer value, win formula, executive buy-in, sales alignment, territory planning, ATU, STU, ecosystem multiplier, partner profitability, co-sell, services revenue. . https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Key Tags: Microsoft, Lori Borg, Microsoft Partner, Go-to-Market, Technical Agility, Organizational Agility, AI, Agentic AI, Ecosystem, Partnerships, Growth Mindset, Digital Transformation, Business Strategy, Innovation, Technology, Microsoft Americas, Channel Partners, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Customer Success, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Cloud, Satya Nadella, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Change Management, Business Growth, Co-selling, Solution Areas, Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, Microsoft Programs, Partner Hub, Future of Work, Tech Trends. Transcription: Transcription: [00:00:00] Jennifer Weis: My recommendation to a partner is if you wanna get serious in this space, go figure out what solution you’re gonna go sell. Build your wind formula, set how many goals you’re gonna do, and then build a territory plan. [00:00:14] Vince Menzione: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:20] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:52] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus. Our most powerful event yet over two days. We gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode featuring Alistair Butler and Jen Weiss of Microsoft and Steve Hale, a partner from suse, brings us to the conversation of the acre of diamonds and how to achieve your greatest results. Working with Microsoft, it’ll bring us to the edge of what’s next. So let’s dive in now. So I’m excited to help lead this conversation with you all. And this is, has a very unique theme. It’s called Acre of Diamonds, and anybody who knows who about acre of Diamonds, it’s actually a fairly common term. It was a thesis. Russell Conwell who created Temple University in Philadelphia, which has become an outstandingly successful university system, wrote this thesis about your acre of diamonds. And I’ve been talking about how Microsoft, especially its S-M-C-E-N-C business, its small, medium enterprise and channel business, that mid-market is really your acre of diamonds. ’cause so many partners tried to focus in on the very top at the tip, tip of the top. And we talked about that. Yesterday, Nicole and I had that conversation about like focusing in this area. So I’m thrilled to welcome on stage. Alistair, Jennifer and Steve, thank you for joining us. Come on out. Come on out. Woohoo. We got some, a kickass team here. Jennifer, so great to see you. I heard [00:02:36] Jennifer Weis: that introduction. I’m a little, I’m [00:02:38] Vince Menzione: sorry. Whoops. I’m dropping things. I’m gonna grab it for you. [00:02:41] Jennifer Weis: Where to go. [00:02:41] Vince Menzione: Yeah. I didn’t want to get. You know, start attaching. Thanks. Good to see Alison. I don’t think I can live up to that side. See my friend introduction. Oh, we know. We all kind of know that. So, um, we’ve got an incredible panel conversation today and I really wanted to spend some time with each of you. I thought we’d take a moment just from a context perspective, have you intro, because I did a little bit of an introduction, but I didn’t do it justice, to have each of you introduce yourselves. Your roles in your organizations, and then we can talk about like, how do we take advantage of this business opportunity. So Steve, [00:03:13] Steve Hale: we’ll start with you since great to see you, Vince. Great to see you, sir. Well, it’s a pleasure to be here. Thanks so much for the invitation. I appreciate it. Real. Uh, quick background. I think I’ve worked in four different buildings around campus here, over my, my career. But, uh, you know, right now I run, uh, software, uh, partnerships at suse. So it’s a really a pleasure to be here with all of you. So great to have you in the room. Alistair. [00:03:35] Alistair Butler: Thank you for the opportunity. Lovely to be here, Vince. So good morning everybody. My name’s Alistair Butler. I run our, um, mid-market West business here in our SME and C [00:03:47] Vince Menzione: business. Right. And you, and you’re even struggling with that we call SMC. I know, I know. We, [00:03:52] Alistair Butler: we, we, on the day it happened, we are, we EC now, but uh, we’ve moved a little bit past that. There was intentionality for it. Yeah, of course. Our mid-market customers, um, you know, we really wanted the enterprise piece in that small, medium enterprise and channels [00:04:08] Vince Menzione: and just to find that. Mar the, the, the scope that you have. ’cause it’s a very significant, you talk about it very casually. Yes. Like you have a lot of customers in that market. Yeah. [00:04:17] Alistair Butler: So, um, I think many of you would understand, um, Microsoft’s regions and SME and C as its fourth Yep. Uh, region. That’s a $72 billion business in, of its own right. Um, you can do the math on roughly what that’s going to be in the us. Um, but for me, I have, um. Um, small, medium, uh, corporate customers or enterprises. 5,000 of those through the western part of the us [00:04:41] Vince Menzione: Yes. That’s a very significant number. Absolutely. 5,000 just in the us in the western us. [00:04:47] Alistair Butler: Yeah. And then I have a peer, uh, Noman Act who has a similar sized business on the east, and then we have a Canadian team in the Latin team and a team. [00:04:54] Vince Menzione: Yeah. And after Jen, I’m gonna ask you a que another question about how your team is organized as well. Sure. But Jen, kick ass, by the way, I do know I’ve known you for many years. Um, you have an excellent reputation from partners about the work that you do in helping organizations, and I got to see up on stage yesterday as well. So, [00:05:13] Jennifer Weis: yeah. Well, thank you for having me. Here I am. My role today is I’m actually A PDM in our global SI organization, but I heard Vince mention some of my history and you talked to Lori this morning and you talked to Alyssa this morning and you’re asking the number of years, and I started counting back and I’m like, I’ve been in the Microsoft ecosystem for. 30 years, so, and we were just joking right? Outta school? Yeah, we were just joking behind back there. I said I was a Microsoft partner when I received a fax to put an internet email. For a company with Microsoft Mail, an exchange for, oh, beta was just coming out. So I’ve been, I’ve been in the Microsoft ecosystem since then and uh, I’ve worked for small sis, I’ve worked for medium size sis working on th

Recorded Live at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. This was a fan favorite as I was joined by former Microsoft executive and current Elastic leader, Alyssa Fitzpatrick, as she reveals the strategies behind achieving pinnacle success as a Microsoft partner. Learn how Elastic consistently earns “Partner of the Year” awards by prioritizing technology innovation, fostering deep engineering alignment, and ensuring maniacal focus across all functional teams. Alyssa shares invaluable insights on gaining executive buy-in, establishing clear communication “swim lanes,” and leveraging data to drive impactful decisions. Discover the importance of consistent engagement, human relationships in partnering, and why adaptability is the new IQ in today’s rapidly changing market. Key Takeaways: Achieving “ultimate partner” status requires a deep understanding of how to congruently apply principles across all aspects of the business. Executive commitment is paramount; the entire leadership team must be on board and actively driving the alliance strategy. Aligning functional teams (build, go-to-market, sell) with their Microsoft counterparts through dedicated points of contact ensures effective feedback and execution. Leading with technology and embedding innovation is the “secret sauce” for winning partnerships, going beyond traditional co-selling to integrate roadmaps and push for new functionalities. Resource allocation must align with strategic focus; sometimes trade-offs are necessary to maintain intensity on critical hyperscaler relationships. Data-driven decision-making and continuous analysis of performance are crucial for adaptability and predicting market shifts, allowing leaders to defend and explain their strategies to leadership. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership, this is your community. At Ultimate Partner®, we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/DgzjeaUiYM8?si=fScjJ-a3QaZlMMh0 Key Tags: .Microsoft partner, Elastic, ultimate partner, partner of the year, cloud go-to-market, alliance strategy, executive commitment, technology innovation, engineering alignment, co-selling, go-to-market, influence strategy, partner resources, adaptability, data-driven decisions, human relationships, BRS, QBR, EBC, channel leadership. https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Transcription: [00:00:00] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: Adaptability is that has become really the most important thing that any leader needs to do in this, this world that we’re in. Um, it’s no longer one, two year roadmaps. It’s three months. [00:00:16] Vince Menzione: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:22] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger [00:00:28] Vince Menzione: because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. [00:00:34] Intro: Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:54] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus. Our most powerful event yet. Over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this fireside chat with Eissa Fitzpatrick, the partner leader for Elastic, an award-winning partner, brings us right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. So we always talk about like the pinnacle of success, like how do you get to be the top Microsoft partner? And that’s one that we aspire to is where we came up with the term ultimate partner. ’cause an ultimate partner is a partner that she’s their greatest results. They understand how to be part of that 0.001 point. Percent, you’re not in that 99, 9 per percent. And I saw that quite a bit when I was at Microsoft. I got to see the one per the 1% that knew how to, how to operate in a, in a, in a congruent way. They knew, knew how to apply all these principles in order to be successful. So we wanted to have, as our next guest, an organization and a leader that’s been driving that. In fact, this is also somebody who’s former Microsoft who’s gonna be joining us and having a conversation about. How do you get to be partner of the year? How do you get to the pinnacle of success as an organization? And so I’m thrilled to invite, and I think she’s in the back ready, uh, Alyssa Fitzpatrick, I don’t know if anyone knows Alyssa. Alyssa was at Microsoft for many years. She was in the global partner organization. Uh, she’s now running Elastic, which if, if you, if you haven’t been keeping up, like who are the top partners, especially in the marketplace world, elastic is at the very pinnacle of success across the entire ecosystem. Of partners and cloud go to market. And so I’m so thrilled to have her spend some time with us talking about how do you get to that level? How do you become the most successful partner out there? How do you become a pinnacle partner? And so Alyssa, so great to see you, my friend. That’s great to meet. Thank you. Great to see you. Thank you. Great to see you. We were comparing scars the other day. Yes. I had, um, we both had accidents within the last month or two, right? Yes. Yes. Your, yours is much better. You look much better. Mine. Mine was a little bit easier [00:03:13] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: than the getting hit by a car. I, uh, I did it all to myself. Um. When you have low blood pressure, there is a you swoon sometimes, and if you don’t get yourself to a place where you’re stable, you can fall over and the heaviest part of your body is your head. So I broke my fall. Right there. So it was three weeks ago. I’m healing pretty well, but I had a couple of black eyes for two weeks, which was really wasn’t Turn the camera on, I’ll tell you that. But um, but yeah, I was, [00:03:43] Vince Menzione: I wasn’t turning the camera on either, so. Well, it so great to see you. Thank you, dad. So great to have you. Yeah, we’re in, we, we brought the event up to you. [00:03:50] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: Yes, you did. We did. I love it. Yeah. Yep. [00:03:53] Vince Menzione: And I wanna sit, I wanna sit down with you and have some conversation’s today. Let do, let’s do, uh, it’s so great to have you. I mentioned the fact that you spent many years at Microsoft. That’s how we first met you were at Microsoft. [00:04:03] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: Yep. [00:04:03] Vince Menzione: I knew. I knew even back in that day. You were in the sailing. You were a big sailor. Yeah, [00:04:07] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: I did. But you didn’t grow up in [00:04:08] Vince Menzione: the Pacific Northwest. No. Yeah. So tell us more about your background. I grew up in [00:04:11] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: Colorado, actually in Boulder, Colorado. Nice. Beautiful town [00:04:14] Vince Menzione: and, uh, [00:04:16] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: kind of, it was a small town in the seventies. Very, very small town, very different. Um, but I did come to University of Washington for school, but I quickly left because I was only up here for the school year, never spent a summer. Oh, and if any of you have ever experienced a summer in Seattle, that’s why, you know, we live here and I didn’t until 30 years later. When I came back to work for Microsoft and I was like, how did I not know this? I got to work in all these other places. I lived in San Francisco, I lived in London, I lived in New York. Um, finally came back here and, uh, it, it’s outstanding. [00:04:54] Vince Menzione: Summers are beautiful here. Yes, absolutely gorgeous. [00:04:56] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: It is, it’s amazing. And I, yes, I love boating and I’ve taken my passion for sailing, which I’ve been sailing for about 35 years, and I’ve transitioned that into cruisers. Um, there’s a lot that you can accomplish up here and up into Canada and just, it’s the most beautiful boating place in the world. So I love it. [00:05:16] Vince Menzione: I love it. And you know, we had Lori Borg gun just before you. Mm-hmm. Spent 26 years in the Microsoft ecosystem at a partner. You, I know you’ve had several. Points before you got to Microsoft, but you went from being a Microsoft executive. I want you to talk about what you did at Microsoft and then you went back, you went back out now and leading a top award-winning partner. So take us through a little bit of that. Yeah, [00:05:36] Alyssa Fitzpatrick: it’s, it’s actually been a lot of fun. Yeah. Um, and, and I will, you know, kind of caveat it, that you don’t have to come from Microsoft to have a successful partnership. Um, because it was already happening before I got there. It was, it was already in line. And so, um, I can’t take credit. For the, the Partner of the Year awards because I joined Elastic a year ago. And, um, and that motion was already happening and, and what the, what I see is, um. A company that made commitments and followed through on them and was very, very focused in, uh, making the partnership itself work. And so it doesn’t mean that because I’ve got a background at Microsoft that that was the recipe. Um, it really is understanding all of the

Recorded Live at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join us for an insightful conversation with Lori Borg, Vice President of Microsoft America’s Go-to-Market, as she shares her incredible journey from Microsoft partner to a key executive at Microsoft. Dive deep into the critical importance of organizational and technical agility in today’s rapidly changing tech landscape, especially within the Microsoft ecosystem. Lori emphasizes the need for technical intensity, urging partners to not only adopt the latest Microsoft technologies, including agentic AI, but also to apply them internally to drive innovation and efficiency. Discover the magic that happens when you strategically build with, sell with, and market with Microsoft, and gain valuable insights on how to foster a culture of growth and adaptability within your own organization to become the ultimate Microsoft partner. We’re curating the very best of these moments—fireside chats, expert panels, and executive insights—so you can stay ahead of the curve and fully aligned to where Microsoft and the industry are heading. And this is just the beginning.More sessions. More voices. More of what you need to know. If you’re not yet part of the UPX Community, now’s the time to join us. Access exclusive content, events, and strategies that keep you in front of what’s next. Thanks for being on this journey with us.— Vince Key Takeaways Agility—both organizational and technical—is essential for Microsoft partners to adapt to rapid changes in the tech landscape. Partners should actively adopt and apply technical intensity, leveraging new technologies like agentic AI internally to drive innovation and efficiency. True success for Microsoft partners lies in strategically integrating efforts to build with, sell with, and market with Microsoft. A strong culture of agility, fostered from the top down, is crucial for organizations to remain competitive and adaptable. When introducing new initiatives, it’s vital to not only generate energy but also provide clear clarity on practical implementation steps. Microsoft is committed to simplifying partner engagement and enhancing clarity in its processes, keeping partners at the core of its strategy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDYnyj3IAXg If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Key Tags: Microsoft, Lori Borg, Microsoft Partner, Go-to-Market, Technical Agility, Organizational Agility, AI, Agentic AI, Ecosystem, Partnerships, Growth Mindset, Digital Transformation, Business Strategy, Innovation, Technology, Microsoft Americas, Channel Partners, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Customer Success, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Cloud, Satya Nadella, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Change Management, Business Growth, Co-selling, Solution Areas, Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, Microsoft Programs, Partner Hub, Future of Work, Tech Trends. Transcription: Lori Borg  [00:00:00] Lori Borg: I think we talk so much about ai. We talk so much about how it’s changing everything and the opportunity in front of us, but we really need to hold the mirror up. Yeah, I do as well. And go, what am I doing to make sure I’m using it for myself? Yes. And I’m encouraging and supporting my teams to be using it as well. [00:00:21] Intro: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, all the hyperscalers in the world. If you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:59] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus, our most powerful event. Yet, over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room. This episode featuring Lori Borg, Microsoft’s new Vice President for Go to Market, kicks us off for day two and brings us right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. I have an incredible privilege this morning. Um, we, we wanna have the conversation about embracing change, and I could think of no one better to come on stage with me today than someone who’s been around the Microsoft ecosystem and around the community of partnerships her entire career. In fact, and we will talk a little bit about it. I want, I wanna save some of the conversation for her. She recently joined Microsoft like a hundred days ago, became a vice president at Microsoft. So she went from being one of you all, like one of us in the, in the ultimate partner world that we live in to now being an exec at Microsoft and shaping a very important part of Microsoft’s business. You see, if you know anything about how Microsoft is organized, you have the global roles and Nicole’s organization drives it at. The global level. But when you get into the Americas, which is where you all sit, whether you’re in Canada, Latin America, or the United States, there’s an America’s business that’s very deliberate, very focused on driving success. And within that business, a very, very strong component of that business is go to market. It’s marketing. Because as you know, being around Microsoft, all the engines, all the support, all the investments that make partners successful, that go to market strategy is critically important. So I am thrilled to invite my friend, we’ve known each other for many years around the partner ecosystem. I can’t wait for her to spend some time with us this morning talking about embracing change. Laurie Borg is the vice president of Microsoft America’s go to market for the. Global partner community. That’s a mouthful. A lot of acronyms out there. Lori, I’d love to have you up on stage. Come on up. Come up. So good to see you. Good. So good to see you, my friend. So good to meet here. We got to be together. We, we were together just a little, was it a month ago? It seems like a hundred years ago. Of course, before a lot has changed. Before I sit down, I have to [00:03:24] Lori Borg: say who noticed? The ultimate partner pillows the amazing attention to detail. I love it. [00:03:30] Vince Menzione: Thank you. [00:03:30] Lori Borg: Yes. I’ve got a whole [00:03:32] Vince Menzione: collection of them in my house, by the way. But, uh, we, we will give you a ch we’ll give you a challenge coin and an ultimate partner pillow if you sign up today. How’s that? [00:03:40] Lori Borg: Perfect. [00:03:41] Vince Menzione: And a hat. So, and a hat. Absolutely. You got a hat ab Absolutely. For being here. So thanks for having you. So great to be here with you. Yeah. So great to be here. Um, and I, I just wanna spend a moment talking about your journey. ’cause it’s been incredible. You’ve had an incredible career in the, in the ecosystem that we know and love. [00:03:57] Lori Borg: Yes. [00:03:58] Vince Menzione: And, and now you jumped and you came over to the other side. I did. So I want to, let’s, let’s talk about it. I did tell, take us through it. [00:04:03] Lori Borg: I, I, I would love to ask before I jump into it. I’ve been in the Microsoft ecosystem for 26 years, so it’s been a minute. Um, and I have some of my peers on my team now at Microsoft celebrating 15, 20, 25 years at Microsoft. And we do a lot to celebrate them inside of Microsoft. Amazing. What I’m curious of, is anybody in the room? Have you been in the Mark, Microsoft partner ecosystem? Like 20 plus years. Can you raise your hand? Yes. What about 25 plus years? Keep your hands up. There’s several of you. 30 years, anybody? 30 years. Yeah. A few of you, Jeff. Yeah. Good. Well, I wanna do celebrate all those people. Absolutely. Yeah. Congratulations. Because we celebrate, we celebrate inside of Microsoft. So, um, thank you for choosing Microsoft and for being so committed to the Microsoft ecosystem. Okay with that, a little bit about my journey. So yeah, let’s [00:04:52] Vince Menzione: talk about you like, yeah, [00:04:54] Lori Borg: so my journey, I started in the late nineties actually, with a training company. Wow. So back in the CPLS Ctech days. Yeah. And that’s how I got into the business. I started in, in sales and sales leadership, but I really had a passion to run a company and to be an i, a entrepreneurial spirit, wanted to build a business. Uh, so when I had my first kiddo, I used that as the opportunity to step back from what I was doing and take that big jump. Very cool. And start a Microsoft partner company. Where’d that [00:05:24] Vince Menzione: entrepreneurial edge come from? Was there, was it in your DNA? Was it, I will tell [00:05:28] Lori Borg: you, my first little business was when I was 12 and I started teaching piano. Okay, nice. Very nice. So it very much was in my DNA. It’s DNA. Yeah. Yeah. It’s DNA, um, which I’m sure a lot of you have that same DNA as well since you’re sitting here and partners. And tell us about the first company [00:05:42] Vince Menzione: that you start

Recorded Live at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join industry leaders John Janke of Tackle.io and Shane Wilson of Cohesity as they delve into the transformative power of cloud marketplaces. This engaging discussion explores the evolution of marketplace adoption, from its early pioneering days to its current status as a multi-billion dollar opportunity. Discover how buyer behavior is shifting, the increasing importance of channel partners, and the strategies that winning ISVs are employing to achieve unprecedented scale in the cloud go-to-market. We’re curating the very best of these moments—fireside chats, expert panels, and executive insights—so you can stay ahead of the curve and fully aligned to where Microsoft and the industry are heading. And this is just the beginning.More sessions. More voices. More of what you need to know. If you’re not yet part of the UPX Community, now’s the time to join us. Access exclusive content, events, and strategies that keep you in front of what’s next. Thanks for being on this journey with us.— Vince https://youtu.be/kydm0sEq6ac?si=XbuyStK3opiB-i6e KEY TAKEAWAYS: The cloud marketplace has evolved from a niche concept to a multi-billion dollar ecosystem, with projections to reach $100 billion by 2026. Buyer behavior is shifting, with a significant increase in buyers utilizing cloud marketplaces for procurement across all software and partner types. The role of channel partners is becoming increasingly critical, with marketplace strategies shifting from ISVs to channel partners who own the buyer relationship. Successful ISVs are integrating marketplace and co-sell motions into a unified company-wide cloud go-to-market strategy, encompassing sales, product, rev ops, and marketing. The concept of “storefront evolution” is emerging, where buyers discover products in new places beyond traditional marketplaces, leading to more specific solutions and bundles. Consistency in strategy, execution, and celebrating wins is paramount for navigating the evolving cloud marketplace landscape and achieving long-term success. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Key Tags: Cloud go-to-market, cloud marketplace, ISV, channel partners, co-selling, procurement, software sales, digital transformation, B2B software, multi-party offers, ecosystem, strategic partnerships, revenue growth, sales motion, alliances, rev ops, marketplace operations, product-led growth, SMB, enterprise, storefronts, cyber resiliency, Microsoft partnership, NetApp, Amazon, CrowdStrike, Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, Wiz, PAX8, Ingram Micro. Transcript: [00:00:00] John Janke: Another big, and this I think trend will be next year. It’s happening right now, but it’s still really early, is this idea of evolution of storefront. So if you want to change buyer behavior, you have to meet buyers where they show up. [00:00:14] Intro: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together, managed services will be one and a half times larger [00:00:26] Vince Menzione: because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models [00:00:33] Intro: until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized, and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:52] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you. Achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft’s Redmond campus, our most powerful event. Yet, over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room, this episode on marketplaces featuring John Yanke, the CEO of Tackle. And Shane Wilson from Cohesity brings us right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in and we’re gonna have some other leaders in the room to talk about marketplace. Uh, in fact, we’re very pri privileged to have both. I. As sponsors, but also really partners in driving the success working with the Marketplace organization. Some of the top organizations that understand Marketplace better than anyone, they’ve been at it the longest. I’m privileged to have John Yanke, the who’s been a great friend, a great supporter of Ultimate Partner, the CEO of Tackle io, and Shane Wilson from Cohesity, who’s also been around this partner partnering, co-selling. Marketplace world that we, we know and love so much. So great to see you again my friend. Good to you. Great to see you, Shane. James, how you doing? Thank you. Good to have you both on stage today. So is the world to have you make the trip and to support us. Good to be here. So great to have Cy on stage too, right? So I know you’ve been around, uh, John, you’ve been around this marketplace thing. We’ve been calling it the marketplace moment for some time. Shane, I know you as well from the ISV side, so I thought maybe we take a moment to have you both introduce yourselves. Maybe just spend a moment. I did a little bit, babe. Didn’t do it justice. Maybe a little bit of your background and Sure. And what you all do and, and why you’re here today. [00:02:36] John Janke: Uh, hey everybody, great to see so many friends, familiar faces. Uh, Vince, thank you for all the work putting this event on. I think it’s, uh, tremendous to be able to focus on Microsoft and everything they have going on. So, I’m John Yanke. I’m CEO of Tackle. I’ve been with Tackle since the beginning. We started the company in 2016 with the idea that the clouds would change the way that software was sold and marketplace represented the initiation point of that. That was long before. Really anyone was buying that way. Anyone was selling that way. We were working with some of the 2016 and there were some really early adopters who kind of saw the world the same way and were struggling to figure it out, and we just happened to be able to meet some of those large partners back then and help them find a way to. Launch their businesses and not only launch, but sell and sell repeatedly and then integrate that selling motion into their system. So, uh, I’m a lifelong se. I grew up in se, which is like my default persona. So if you encounter me like either at a customer or at an event, I tend to be just super curious. I call myself a nerdy cloud go to market guy, which kind of route goes back to my se heritage and uh, I mean tackle. We really live to serve the ecosystem and, you know, support not only ics, ICS channel partners as as the marketplace moments. I think it’s been a lot of moments, a lot of moments, you know, the time series of moments is, uh, interesting to see how it’s evolved. But, uh, it’s, it’s not just for ISVs. It’s really all partner types will go to market this new way, and it’s not just about one partner. Working with Microsoft, it’ll be about all the different partners and how they come together and how solutions get integrated together and just how we make that whole process easier. And AI is like obviously dramatically increasing the quantity of software. So yeah. [00:04:26] Vince Menzione: And I have some questions for you as well about what you’ve seen along the way. So we. I know, I know you’ve done some research on this, but super, super. I do wanna give Shane a moment to talk about his background and why he’s up here on stage as well. ’cause you’ve been at this a long time, Mike. We’ve known each other for a number of years. [00:04:39] Shane Wilson: Yeah. Thanks Vince. It’s, uh, nice to see you in town. I’m glad you’re doing, you’re doing well. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. [00:04:44] Vince Menzione: It’s, uh, getting much better. Much better. [00:04:45] Shane Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. So, Shane Wilson, for those who I haven’t had the chance to meet yet, uh, I run, um, Cohesity’s Cloud, cloud business, and, um. Yeah, like John, I’ve been at this for kind of since the beginning of the marketplace, co-sell, sell with, you know, motion, call it like 13 years ago maybe. Um, you know, I got my start sort of working with Clouds, ISVs at NetApp actually. And, um, I was just chatting with John backstage about this, but we were trying to figure out how to put NetApp into the cloud with Amazon and with Microsoft and, and everybody really. Um, and that was more of a, a build with motion of how we’re gonna partner with. Ias PAs and do something new in the market that’s meaningful for customers and for partners. And um, but since then, co-selling marketplace has become a major motion. Right. And so I’ve spent my time post that at a bunch of ISVs, as small as, um, you know, a 50 person, 40 mil, a CB company, um, up to up to, you know, 10,000 plus. I was gonna say some of the largest [00:05:42] Vince Menzione: up there as well. Yeah, yeah. [00:05:43] Shane Wilson: Yeah. So I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of, uh, great partners and, you know, had the experience of. Trying things and failing and then trying things and winning huge multiple partner of the year awards and all that with the different clouds. And with Microsoft in particular, I’m really passionate about, um,

Recorded Live at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. Join Microsoft’s Sandy Gupta and NVIDIA’s Pat Lee as they explore the monumental shifts driven by AI in the software landscape. Discover why “ISV” is transforming into “SDC” (Software Development Company) , the dramatic reduction in AI token costs and hallucination rates, and the acceleration of cloud migrations. Learn about Microsoft’s commitment to a “marketplace first” approach and a single $1 billion marketplace deal this quarter , and NVIDIA’s vision of embedding AI into every application. This discussion highlights the emergence of agentic AI, the convergence of ISVs and SIs, and the critical importance of embracing AI for all partners to drive significant business outcomes and avoid being left behind. We’re curating the very best of these moments—fireside chats, expert panels, and executive insights—so you can stay ahead of the curve and fully aligned to where Microsoft and the industry are heading. And this is just the beginning.More sessions. More voices. More of what you need to know. If you’re not yet part of the UPX Community, now’s the time to join us. Access exclusive content, events, and strategies that keep you in front of what’s next. Thanks for being on this journey with us.— Vince https://youtu.be/ld9h1pZJ_Ro Key Takeaways: The terminology for independent software vendors (ISVs) is evolving to Software Development Companies (SDCs) to reflect a broader scope of software innovation. The cost of AI tokens has dramatically decreased, and AI hallucination rates have significantly gone down, leading to greater democratization of AI. Cloud migrations are accelerating, largely driven by AI, which is broadening opportunities across the entire value chain for the ecosystem. Microsoft is adopting a “marketplace first” approach, with a single $1 billion marketplace deal projected for this quarter, indicating a massive shift in how software is sold and consumed. Agentic AI, characterized by headless agents focused on specific tasks, is a rapidly emerging area with significant potential for business process automation and interoperability across different applications. The industry is witnessing a convergence of ISVs and system integrators (SIs), as customers require both robust software and hands-on implementation and change management support. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Transcript: Key Tags: AI innovation, software development companies, SDC, cloud marketplace, NVIDIA AI, agentic AI, digitaansfol trrmation, B2B technology, strategic partnerships, ecosystem growth, Microsoft Azure, AI monetization, enterprise AI, digital agents, industry foundation models, employee productivity, customer engagement, business process automation, drug discovery, cyber security, financial services, healthcare AI, channel partner collaboration, tech intensity, go-to-market strategy, cloud migration. Transcript: [00:00:00] Sandy Gupta: This space is moving so fast and it’s like I was talking to the Pearson guys. The fastest training that’s happening is people who are learning how to develop agents who are non-technical. [00:00:14] Intro: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus, our most powerful event. Yet, over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room. This episode featuring Sandy Gupta from Microsoft and Pat Lee from Nvidia brings us right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in. So I am thrilled to invite to the stage. Uh, first of all, I want, I’m inviting back somebody who was with me in Dallas for the very first time. He was a day number 52 in his new role, Sandy Gupta, who’s an incredible leader. Uh, at the time we called his role infras, ISV independent software vendors. We’re kind of moving away from that. We’ll talk about that. And here’s the other cl. Piece, we’ve got Nvidia up on stage, right? So have anybody here who’s heard the name Nvidia before? Uh, any, anyone there? Uh, we, we think that this is a formative moment in time and we talk about tectonic shifts, right? We talk about the world of ai, we talk about the build out. So I am thrilled to invite to the stage both Pat Lee. From Nvidia who leads the alliances and strategic partnerships and Sandy Gupta, who leads the software development corporations SD get ready to say SDC Software development companies. This is the new terminology we’re getting away from the old world of ISV. So I wanna welcome these two incredible leaders to the stage, Sandy and Pat. Glad to have you. So good to see you, my friend. Uh, so good to see you. I love this guy. So good to see you again, pat. Great to meet you. Nice to meet. Glad you could join us. Uh, Sandy, I gotta say, because I’ve, I’ve told you this before. We’ve had you on stage. We’ve had you on the podcast. I am envious, so envious of your hair. I just think [00:02:49] Vince Menzione: it’s incredible. He’s got, he got the most amazing head of hair. Um, well, you know, just by the way, just looking at. I, I just got a haircut and you, and you got a haircut. Like, and, and Pat, and I can, this will take me a full year to grow and Pat, I, and I can, I love it. So good. So join while we can. So good. So good. Uh, I’m gonna let you both introduce yourselves and then we’re gonna dive into this conversation, but so great to have you back. Thrilled to have you both join us. So I’ll let you introduce yourself and then turn it over to Pat. [00:03:17] Sandy Gupta: Yeah. I mean, Vince, first of all, thank you. It’s an honor to be on this platform. Again, thank you with these incredible partners. But first of all, thank you that you are safe. Thank you. I think, uh, you played down the accident you had, and I’m just so glad you are safe, and I know it’s still not easy, but yeah, you’ll recover and thank you. And, and, uh, you know, that’s, it’s, it’s amazing that you, you’re good. Um, look, I, I lead the global ISVs for Microsoft and so, um, or STCs. Yes, yes. Now it’s gonna take some while because it’s been a 32 years of practice of calling ISVs and. Well, we now see software companies emerge who are not like ISVs, what we used to think about as isv. So that’s kind of the change. So I spent a lot of time working with our ecosystem of software companies, helping them grow their top line revenue. Been 18 years in Microsoft and learning every day. Yeah, [00:04:11] Sandy Gupta: and by the way, one thing also is like incredible partner here, pat Lee. [00:04:17] Pat Lee: Well, thank you first of all, it’s a pleasure to be here, an opportunity to speak to this audience. So I’m Pat Lee. I lead a strategic enterprise partnerships at Nvidia, and I’m focused on really the leading enterprise hardware and software providers and helping them bring AI to their platforms to, and let them enable all the power of the data and, and what they’re delivering to their customers. And I think there’s a great opportunity there, huge. Once they’ve done that, it’s a great opportunity for all of you to help deliver and deploy it. [00:04:42] Vince Menzione: So thrilled to have you both on stage. Um, this is gonna be a really exciting conversation. Sandy, I got to be with you day number 52. Uh, I’d love to dive in a little bit about what you’ve learned from, uh, that was early October of 24. I. It seems like it was last week in some respects, but I, I would love, maybe we could share a little bit with this audience, like how you were thinking about this o other than the fact that we now stopped calling them ISVs and we’re calling ’em SDCs. Yeah. But I know that’s an overall vision for how you’re and how you’re supporting these partners. [00:05:15] Sandy Gupta: Oh, thanks Vince. Uh, look, I think if I look about what I’ve learned both in terms of externally and internally, what has changed and how it’s shaping for us for next year. Um, one is just externally, if you look at it, the cost of tokens have come down dramatically. If you look at that, I mean, I was just looking at a. Uh, report from Stan Stanford AI Index. It just came out. It was like the cost of tokens have gone from $20 per million tokens to seven, you know, 7 cents Wow. Per million token, right? And so, and the hallucination, which is also a big part of, hey, for enterprises, like for them to put an autonomous agent, they need to be very thoughtful about that. If you look at the recent reports, the hallucination has really dramatically gone down. In the same linear scale as the cost. And, and that is because AI is now, you know, really also being trained to look at the outputs

Cyril Belikoff at Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. I’m excited to bring you even more from the Ultimate Guide to Partnering®—and this one’s straight from the main stage at Ultimate Partner LIVE at Microsoft’s Conference Center in Redmond. If you haven’t been in the room yet, these events are something special. The energy, the insights, the access—it’s where strategy meets execution, and the partner community comes alive. In this episode, we feature a powerful session with Cyril Belikoff, Microsoft’s new leader for Marketplace, who joined us to share his bold vision for the future. Cyril dives into: The “lightbulb moment” around AI and why it changes everything How Microsoft is mainstreaming the Marketplace as a core GTM motion What partners need to know about incentives, MCAPS priorities, and the rise of multi-party offers And how the shift to AI and ecosystem selling is redefining what success looks like in this era We’re curating the very best of these moments—fireside chats, expert panels, and executive insights—so you can stay ahead of the curve and fully aligned to where Microsoft and the industry are heading. And this is just the beginning.More sessions. More voices. More of what you need to know. If you’re not yet part of the UPX Community, now’s the time to join us. Access exclusive content, events, and strategies that keep you in front of what’s next. Thanks for being on this journey with us.— Vince https://youtu.be/yIfT1HZriGQ?si=yq_hIvNSp1pvrWtS Key Takeaways: AI adoption is creating exponential opportunities for partners, with leading customers seeing 10x ROI in just over a year. Microsoft’s marketplace is centralizing digital transactions, incentivizing co-selling, and simplifying procurement for customers. Microsoft prioritizes its partners, offering the highest compensation among hyperscalers and integrating marketplace deeply into its products. The multi-party offer (MPO) capability is driving significant sales growth, enabling partners to collaborate effectively and increase deal sizes. Microsoft emphasizes a channel-led approach, empowering partners to scale and leverage the marketplace for software and application sales. Microsoft views the current AI landscape as a “light bulb moment,” urging partners to innovate and build solutions within its ecosystem. If you’re ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Transcript: Key Tags: Microsoft, Partner Ecosystem, AI, Marketplace, Cyril Belikoff, AI Adoption, Digital Transformation, Cloud, Azure, Co-sell, Channel Partners, ISVs, Software Development, Multi-Party Offer, Customer ROI, Partner Profitability, Technology, Innovation, Business Strategy, Future of Partnerships, Microsoft Azure, AI Foundry, Trade Ledger, Content Square, Hyperscalers, Managed Services, Data Quality, Ultimate Partner Live, Ultimate Partner Experience, UPX. Transcript: Cyril Belikoff Transcript [00:00:00] Cyril Belikoff: You know, as the AI adoption increases, the opportunity for partners sort of exponentially explode, customers are seeing almost four XROI on average, and then the, the leading customers who are really leading into AI are seeing 10 XROI. They’re seeing that ROI in like 14 months. [00:00:19] Vince Menzione: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, [00:00:25] Intro: all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed  services will be one and a half times larger [00:00:31] Cyril Belikoff: because it is the customer buying behavior that has created a need for all of us to rethink our models. [00:00:38] Intro: Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. [00:00:58] Vince Menzione: Welcome to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. We just came off Ultimate Partner Live at Microsoft Redmond Campus, our most powerful event. Yet, over two days, we gathered top leaders to tackle the real shifts shaping our industry. If you weren’t in the room. This episode featuring Cyro Beov, Microsoft’s new leader responsible for marketplaces. Brings you right to the edge of what’s next. Let’s dive in, uh, all up, uh, Cy Beov, I’m so glad to have you join us. So good to have you here today, sir. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for having me. I’m I gonna grab a water here. Oh, please do. Yeah. I’m gonna grab a coffee. In fact, you uh, you were, you’re second next to me here. Great. Perfect. We put you in the center. The hot seat. In the hot seat. Yeah. So, so great to see you. Yeah. Um. Yeah, we were, I was sharing this with, with the audience, but you and I were supposed to get together in person. Exactly. [00:02:00] Cyril Belikoff: We had a snowmageddon here. I think, you know, I picked the heck of the time. You get a dusting of snow and Seattle sort of shuts down. [00:02:06] Vince Menzione: You know, I grew up in the Northeast, we get 48 inches of snow overnight, and everybody would continue on. And I was like, oh, what happened? I mean, I was, I literally was at the hotel going, okay, well I was doing all these, uh. These teams calls because I couldn’t get people in the meetings and that kind of thing, so I’m so glad we could. Thank you. Do this in person. Thanks for the [00:02:22] Cyril Belikoff: invite again. [00:02:23] Vince Menzione: Thank you. Thank you so much. See you, all of you. So, uh, I thought we’d talk a little bit of a broader, uh, conversation too, and then we’ll dive in on marketplace. Great. Because I think it’s a greater conversation. Great. I happen to know your organization. Um, Alyssa Taylor has been a podcast guest here, somebody I worked with at Microsoft. Yes. And who’s taken on bigger, bigger, and bigger responsibilities within the organization. Uh, leading. Leading, I would call it cloud Go to market probably is probably the right term. But, uh, talk to me about your organization because. You, you drive a tremendous amount of the energy and effort around Azure and industry Yep. And partners, uh, even before this marketplace changes. Yes. Or happened recently. So tell us a little bit about your background. A long time at Microsoft Over, yes. Over 20 years. [00:03:11] Cyril Belikoff: Yeah. Um, so yeah, I’ve been at Microsoft, I think 27 years. 27, 28, something like that. Right outta [00:03:17] Vince Menzione: college. [00:03:17] Cyril Belikoff: Yeah. Lots of different, pretty much. I, you know, I had, uh. I had three days at, uh, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and then I decided, no, no, Microsoft’s my thing. Um, it’s my move. And so, uh, it sort of paid off, I think. Um, so yeah, I, uh, I’m part of, as you mentioned, uh, the commercial, um, cloud and ai, uh, organization. Yeah. Uh, and my particular remit is around solutions and. Partner marketing to really focus on how we take all our products and take them to market with more of a customer outcome solutions basis. And then obviously, how do we enable our partner ecosystem? And that’s where sort of marketplace sort of has now, um, fit, uh, fit in there. So it’s, it’s, you know, it’s an exciting time for software development companies, system integrators, all types of partners really, particularly around this AI transformation. Yes. And what’s going on? Um, you know. And of course being in the, the AI team, I’d be remits to talk a little bit about that and what it really means for partners. I think Please do, please do, please do. Um, for, you know, this is a massive platform shift, I think everyone is, is is talking about it sort of at the same altitude as cloud or mobile or the internet. I sort of prefer the light bulb analogy. Um, and what I mean by that is, you know, back in many, many years before cloud, um, someone invented the light bulb. Yeah. And it, it really changed. Both the con the, the, the life in the home and in the workplace, productivity, you know, sword. Um, but then people were like, well we, now we need sources for that light bulb, so we need to build infrastructure. Yes. And power and then power stations. And then the power station companies built this power stations and then realized, well, we can actually produce more power. So are there other things we can put in a home in a factory? Um, and then. People started to innovate. And then not only were they light bulbs, but dishwashers and washing machines, that’s, and all these sort of innovations came. And so AI is sort of at the same platform level. Yeah. Um, and we are com commit. We are committed in building out tons of data centers. We’re buying. Endless amounts of incredible amounts, AI chip sets, uh, to put into the infrastructure. We are building a few light bulbs, yes. But we need partners to build dishwashers, washing machines, and innovate, um, uh, across the new opportunities for the customers. And it’s just, it’s an exciting time and that’s where sort of marketplace comes into that. Yeah. Portfolio. [00:05:37] Vince Menzione: Well, and I love the fact that it, you, you’ve taken and embraced it in such a more deliberate way. Right? Because when we first started thinking about it, cloud, you men

From Ultimate Partner LIVE in Redmond, WA Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ Is your business ready for 2026? Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. This episode is something special. It was originally recorded as the kickoff conversation for our May Ultimate Partner LIVE event—a powerful session that featured none other than Nicole Dezen, Microsoft’s Chief Partner Officer, and a true champion of the ecosystem. Now, we’re bringing it to you, our amazing Ultimate Partner Podcast community. In this candid and insightful conversation, Nicole shares Microsoft’s unwavering commitment to its 500,000+ strong partner ecosystem—especially poignant as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. We explore how partners are not just part of the Microsoft story—they are the story.From driving innovation to fueling growth in the era of AI, this dialogue makes clear that partners are at the heart of Microsoft’s transformation agenda. You’ll hear about the company’s FY26 strategic priorities—known as MCAPS—including renewed focus and record investment in the SMB segment, and the role of partners in shaping what’s next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vuEsmcPvD4 Partnerships are Microsoft’s Core: Microsoft’s foundational commitment to its partner ecosystem is deeply ingrained in its 50-year history and remains central to its future strategy. AI is a Partner-Led Opportunity: Partners are crucial to driving AI transformation, with Microsoft actively supporting and incentivizing those who leverage AI for customer solutions and business growth. Substantial Profitability for Partners: The Microsoft ecosystem offers significant financial returns, with partners earning multiple dollars for every dollar of Microsoft revenue, boosted further by generative AI. Strategic Alignment with Microsoft Priorities: Partners can maximize their success by understanding and aligning with Microsoft’s five MCAPS priorities, which guide both Microsoft’s internal sales and partner incentives. Targeted Investments for Ecosystem Growth: Microsoft continues record investments in its partner ecosystem, with a strong focus on empowering partners, especially those serving the high-growth small and medium enterprise (SMB) segment. “Customer Zero” Enhances Partner Credibility: Partners are encouraged to use Microsoft technologies, particularly AI tools, internally (“Customer Zero”) to build authentic experience and credibility for customer engagements. https://youtu.be/s33fltuizEo Transcript: (0:00) So I wanna take this moment to welcome a friend, (0:03) an incredible leader, somebody who leads the largest, (0:09) imagine this, the largest ecosystem in our industry (0:12) is the Microsoft ecosystem, (0:14) with over 500,000 partner organizations. (0:19) Nicole Deason has done an outstanding job (0:22) of taking this organization to the next level. (0:26) In fact, we recognize, Nicole was on my podcast last year, (0:29) we were up here in Redmond, (0:30) we recorded a really great interview. (0:32) If you haven’t had a chance, (0:33) you can find that on our YouTube channel. (0:35) You can find that incredible discussion that we’ve had. (0:38) I’ve asked her back because a lot of things (0:40) are happening at Microsoft. (0:41) And I also wanted to recognize her. (0:43) Like see, we did this Partner Leader of the Year Award (0:46) at the end of 2024, and we recognized Nicole (0:48) for how she’s reshaped Microsoft’s landscape, (0:51) how she’s really tightened up Microsoft’s focus (0:54) and strategy, and I wanted to have her back today, (0:57) A, to recognize her up on stage (0:59) for her outstanding leadership, (1:01) but also have you hear from her (1:03) about her point of view as partners (1:06) and how Microsoft thinks about this ecosystem (1:09) and its approach to support this incredible thing (1:11) that was created over 40 years ago. (1:14) Microsoft was the first company (1:15) to really embrace partnerships, (1:18) and still is at the very forefront of it. (1:20) And so I’m excited to have Nicole join us. (1:23) Nicole and team, but we also have a little something (1:27) we’re gonna bring out here. (1:28) So here comes Nicole. (1:30) Nicole, so good to see you. (1:31) So good to see you. (1:32) Thank you for having me. (1:34) I love having you. (1:34) Thank you so much. (1:35) I love your jacket, too. (1:36) Obviously, I’m really into the green, okay. (1:38) Yeah, I love the green. (1:39) I love the green. (1:40) I need to wear more green. (1:41) We have a little gift for you. (1:44) I try and lift it. (1:45) They told me it weighs about 300 pounds. (1:46) Okay, well, I’ll do it. (1:47) Here, we’ll do it together. (1:48) We’ll do it together. (1:49) So this is just our recognition (1:51) for all the work that you’ve done (1:53) and all the support you’ve given (1:54) these partners in the room, (1:55) and the thousands and thousands of thousands (1:58) that will be watching us, (1:59) listening to your amazing guidance and leadership, (2:03) and so glad that you could spend some time (2:05) with us this morning and kick off our event. (2:07) Thank you. (2:07) This is a really nice honor. (2:09) Thank you so much. (2:10) We’ll proudly put that there. (2:12) You’ve done an incredible job, (2:13) and we’re excited to have you for a little fireside chat. (2:18) We have some people in the room. (2:19) We have a bunch of people on the live stream as well. (2:22) So we got to do this in a studio. (2:24) It’s a little bit different, (2:25) but I wanted to have the opportunity (2:27) to spend some time here with you (2:28) because I think there’s some really incredible things (2:30) we need to talk about here. (2:32) First off, we haven’t even talked about this yet. (2:35) I was saving this for you. (2:37) Microsoft’s 50th anniversary. (2:38) Yeah, so exciting. (2:40) I mean, it is incredible that it’s been 50 years now. (2:43) It’s amazing. (2:44) It’s really hard to believe, (2:47) you know, 50 years of so much heritage. (2:50) And, you know, when I think about our 50 years, (2:52) I think of it as 50 years of partnership. (2:54) So massive, massive thank you to all of our partners. (2:58) Our success is absolutely based (3:02) on all of the work we do with our partners (3:04) and organizations like yours, Vincent. (3:05) Thank you so much. (3:06) Thank you for your support as well. (3:08) We feel that as well, these partners wouldn’t be here. (3:10) We wouldn’t even have this thing called partners (3:12) if it wasn’t for Microsoft. (3:13) You know, we’re incredibly fortunate here. (3:17) The company was founded in this heritage of partnership. (3:21) It’s in our DNA. (3:23) And every single one of our three CEOs (3:26) has proudly focused on partnership. (3:31) And, you know, Satya always says, (3:32) this company has always been (3:34) and will always be a partner-led company. (3:36) It’s pretty exciting. (3:38) You know, when I, if you think about (3:40) where the company started, (3:42) we started with this really bold vision (3:45) that technology could change the world. (3:47) And it certainly has and continues to, you know. (3:52) And I heard your very nice introduction, by the way. (3:55) Thank you. (3:55) You know, Microsoft is so proud (3:57) to have 500,000 partners in our ecosystem. (4:01) It’s remarkable. (4:02) We actually, we grew the size of our partner ecosystem (4:05) 20% year on year in the last year. (4:08) That’s fantastic. (4:08) And there’s a whole bunch of reasons why. (4:11) And, you know, it’s really exciting (4:12) to see the excitement and enthusiasm (4:15) for everything we’re doing. (4:16) And, you know, you and I go way back. (4:19) And it started in this company. (4:21) Well, you know, I’m sorry we were five. (4:22) You were a lot younger than I was. (4:25) But, you know, it started with building (4:28) and selling Windows PCs in the office, (4:32) still going strong today. (4:34) And then we sort of evolved into cloud migrations. (4:37) And then, of course, now it’s all about the era of AI. (4:42) And, you know, our partners are really the backbone (4:45) of AI transformation, solving complex customer challenges (4:49) around the world. (4:51) Microsoft has always been really deeply committed (4:53) to partner success. (4:55) And I love just seeing how amazing it is (5:00) to see our partners thriving in this time. (5:04) We, just last year, we did some IDC research. (5:07) And the research told us that for every $1 (5:09) of Microsoft revenue, our services partners (5:12) earn $8.45. (5:14) Wow, that’s outstanding. (5:15) And our software partners earn $10.93. (5:18) And it’s one of the measures we hold ourselves to. (5:20) It’s really, really important that we can create (5:23) a healthy, thriving, profitable ecosystem for our partners. (5:28) Then you add generative AI on top. (5:30) And, wow, like hockey stick growth in so many dimensions. (5:33) It’s amazing to see just the growth faster (5:37) than the overall IT market, which is amazing. (5:40) Generative AI, fastest platform adoption (5:43) in the history of technology. (5:46) These stats are pretty awesome, if you think about it. (5:49) It took mobile 16 years. (5:52) And then it took the internet seven years (5:54) to reach 100 million users. (5:57) LLMs achieved that in months. (5:59) It’s incredible. (6:00) Right, and we’re just getting started. (6:02) And for me, when I look across our partner ecosystem, (6:06) and I see the demand and opportunity for the work (6:10) that every single one of our partner types is doing, (6:13) it makes me really motivated and excited. (6:16) And then the partners that are betting their business (6:18) on Microsoft AI, those with more than 25% (6:21) of their Microsoft revenue on AI, (6:24) receive higher margins and revenue growth. (

The Marketplace Revolution: Transforming How Software is Bought and Sold. Unlock the secrets to explosive growth in the digital landscape!  Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ If you haven’t yet attended one of our Ultimate Partner Events, you’re in for a truly magical and industry-leading experience. In case you missed our Winter Retreat, we’re bringing one of the final sessions to you here: the Ultimate Guide to Partnering. In this session, join industry leaders Jason Rook, Dux Sy of AppPoint, and Dexter Hardy of Integral as they dissect the reality behind the cloud marketplace hype. This dynamic panel explores the tectonic shifts driving customer behavior and how major hyperscalers are responding. Industry leaders Jason Rook, Dux Sy of AppPoint, and Dexter Hardy of Integral dissect the reality behind the cloud marketplace hype. This dynamic panel delves into the tectonic shifts driving customer behavior and how major hyperscalers are adapting. Discover firsthand accounts of achieving unprecedented reach, accelerating deal velocity, and transforming sales strategies through platforms like the Azure Marketplace. Explore the evolving promises of marketplaces, from lowering the cost of goods sold to the strategic shift in salesforces and the power of co-selling. Gain invaluable insights into public vs. private offers, multi-cloud strategies, and the role of enablers in navigating this complex ecosystem. Whether you’re a startup or an established enterprise, this session provides actionable takeaways to leverage the immense potential of cloud marketplaces and future-proof your partnering strategy in the age of AI. https://youtu.be/FGed2N2JC2U?si=p9T33-eu5Y7PnhK0 Here are 8 key takeaways from the discussion: Cloud marketplaces are experiencing real and significant growth, driven by customer buying behavior and the need for digital transactions. Marketplaces offer unprecedented reach and the potential for rapid global expansion, as demonstrated by Integral’s experience. Co-selling through marketplaces aligns incentives and can accelerate deal velocity and increase deal size, particularly with cloud consumption commitments. The “lower cost of goods sold” promise of marketplaces is more readily realized by startups with simpler offerings than large enterprises with complex sales motions. Marketplaces are driving a shift in salesforce strategies, with companies increasingly embracing digital-first approaches and leveraging marketplaces for customer acquisition. Combining channel strategies with marketplaces, including multi-party private offers, presents significant opportunities for growth and new service offerings. The choice between public and private offers depends on the company’s maturity, brand recognition, and the nature of their solutions, with public offers being beneficial for initial brand building and private offers for larger, custom deals. While professional services can be offered through marketplaces, they don’t typically decrement cloud consumption commitments, making software sales the primary driver for leveraging those commitments. It was another bold, thought-provoking, and energizing discussion that left the audience inspired and eager to take action. And we’re just getting started. If you found this conversation as compelling as we did, don’t miss another Ultimate Partner event. Our next conference, LIVE, is taking place later this week in Redmond, on May 1–2, at Microsoft’s legendary Conference Center. We’re curating an even more impactful experience, featuring returning thought leaders and fresh voices who have never taken this stage before. Not yet part of the UPX Community? Now’s the time to jump in. Get access to exclusive content, events, and workshops designed to keep you ahead of what’s next. Register Today!!! Register Today! Keywords & Transcript Jason Rook Panel AUDIO EPISODE [00:00:00] Dexter Hardy: It absolutely blew my mind the amount of reach and scale that we were able to accomplish just through the marketplace. When you look at there’s 7 million or more and growing active users in just Azure Marketplace alone, those become your captive audience for your solutions. [00:00:22] INTRO: We believe this time is like no other. We believe we refer to these as the tectonic shifts, all the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together. Managed services will be one and a half times larger [00:00:34] Dux Sy: because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models. [00:00:40] INTRO: Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. Can you figure out, first, what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership. Welcome to, or welcome back to The Ultimate Guide to Partnering. I’m Vince Menzi, own your host, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. On February 20th, 2025, a small group of industry leaders converged here in Boca Raton, Florida, in this very studio for Ultimate Partners Winter Retreat. What followed was an incredible discourse on the tectonic shifts and the rapid change. We’re all seeing as partners. If you weren’t able to join us in person or on the live stream, we’re bringing this incredible session to you here. This is my gift to you. All I ask in return is that you tell your friends, subscribe. Consider joining the ultimate partner community and hopefully joining us in the future. At an Ultimate Partner event. I hope these sessions provide you the learnings you need to continue to achieve your greatest results. And now here to this amazing session. [00:01:57] Jason Rook: Um, but my first question I’m gonna ask is, uh, ducks and ducks are both, is is the marketplace hype for real? And then within that, introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit more about what you guys have been doing in marketplace, and we’ll continue to dive in from there. So Ds, I’ll start with you. Tell us a little bit more about AppPoint and then is this marketplace hype for real? [00:02:15] Dux Sy: Sure. Well, thank you. Hey everybody. My name is Ds Raymond SI serve as a Chief Brand officer at AppPoint. We’re the global leader in data security, governance, and resilience. And we’ve been in business over 20 years and these days we’re so stoked about the channel as, uh. Um, Janet mentioned we’re all in a hundred percent. We’re helping a lot of our partners build new businesses around ai, making sure their customer’s data is secure as they journey through this new world of, uh, uh, transformation. So it’s the hype reel. Absolutely. Now we’re in the early stages, and I can answer that multiple ways, but I, I, I’m gonna highlight three things why I think the hype is real. Number one, if you have large customers, specific to the Microsoft world. So a lot of these customers have what’s called Mac. And what we’re seeing for a lot of our large customers, they want to draw on their Mac and it just helps our uh, deal cycle to go through much faster. So that’s number one. If you’re an enterprise Azure marketplace, for us it’s real second beyond the Microsoft marketplace, there’s tons of marketplaces out there. That’s how really we scale and go to market with our channel business. Uh, we’re in over a hundred marketplaces around the world, and that’s one, one of our top strategies to grow our business in the channel ecosystem. And number three, that’s the reality of the world. Looking forward to the future, you can only hire so many sellers in your organization. You can hire so many p dms and channel uh, leaders. You need automation. You need technology. You need a better way to distribute. So I think that’s why the hype is real. [00:03:50] Jason Rook: So Dexter, I’ll kind of come to you with the same question. I know you’ve, you’ve been on this journey for a little bit of time now. Um, you’ve got kind of a little different business model that you’ve built and you’re building, um, for you is the marketplace hype for real? And then tell us a little bit more about Integral. [00:04:05] Dexter Hardy: Okay. So, uh, glad to be here. Dexter Hardy, president, CTO at Integral, Inc. Uh, simply put, we help you move to the cloud. Um. We started out as an si, so doing a lot of the app application development, migrations, things of that nature. Um, the small thing called covid happened, you may have heard about it in the news, but, uh, what we did was we focused on what was our superpower, what did we do really well, and we created cloud solution accelerators, putting them in the marketplace, Azure marketplace specifically. And what we saw, and this is answering a long-winded way of saying. It’s not hype. It is actually a real thing that allows you to grow. We went from being a small regional organization to the first year of being on the Azure marketplace. We were in 44 countries by the following year. We were in over a hundred countries, and that’s continuing to grow to this day. So I think the first thing that people need to really focus on if you’re leveraging marketplaces, are what is the value proposition of your software and or solution? Second, what is the experience? I heard a lot of conversation about AI and the agents and what it’s gonna do and how is it gonna impact us? Well, people don’t buy an iPhone because it has a feature list. They buy it for an experience. And so I think the marketplace is going to amplify experiences, uh, for by buyers. [00:05:31] Jason Rook: Well, I would, I would just chime in and, and say from the a representing the hyperscalers, um, that it’s absolutely for real. And I think if you think about why it’s for real, it’s really for real. Because of all the things that Jay just lai