In my previous column I introduced the concept of Capacity 2.0 – a new approach at Microsoft Canada designed to better define and encourage increased growth and productivity in the channel.
Implementing a new approach to increasing channel capacity, Capacity 2.0 revolves around three primary levers: The first two include increasing the mindshare and productivity of existing IT professionals, while the third lever, People Capacity, involves facilitating the finding, training and hiring of new individuals into the IT professional community.
The changing technology landscape is a key driving factor behind Capacity 2.0. We realize that partners have a growing number of solutions to work with, some of which are quite specialized and sophisticated. And in the ever-changing world of software where products are increasingly being replaced by solutions, the need to develop the skills of existing IT professionals while growing the community overall, is our top priority. Capacity 2.0 enables us to have the right conversation with the right partners, so that together we can capitalize on the market opportunities that exist today, while at the same time building capacity for those opportunities that we expect to mature in the coming years.
Crucial to both increasing the productivity of existing IT professionals and growing People Capacity is the importance and emphasis on skills development. Investments by Microsoft Canada and our partners facilitate more people pursuing careers in IT – something the industry badly needs – and gives partners the resources they need to grow their businesses.
Fortunately, several initiatives designed to address this challenge are already underway.
We’re working closely with two of our leading training partners, Nexient and triOS, to help grow capacity. Nexient, for example, was awarded the 2007 Learning Solutions Partner of the Year Impact Award for its Microsoft Certified System Administrators Upgrade Program. This learning solution was built by Nexient to offer an interactive learning experience and proactive coaching to help candidates successfully achieve Microsoft certification goals as quickly as possible.
TriOS, meanwhile, has been ranked as the Microsoft Training Centre of the Year for three years in a row, and counts its Microsoft certification program as its flagship offering to students. TriOS’ investment in content for both seasoned IT professionals and people new to the profession is extensive and already producing significant results.
But this is just the beginning. We’re also looking at new ways to connect Gold and Certified Microsoft Partner Program partners with this new crop of talent. For example, Microsoft Canada recently launched a Dynamics job portal for Microsoft Dynamics partners to post openings for jobs that they are currently seeking to fill at http://www.microsoft.ca/dynamicsjobs/.
As Capacity 2.0 sets the stage for increased productivity of existing partners and an even greater flow of skilled professionals into the channel, it will help build a stronger and more dynamic community of IT professionals – something the Microsoft ecosystem and indeed the entire technology industry will benefit from.
Robert Buren is the channel capacity manager for Microsoft Canada.