Earlier this year, Microsoft transitioned over 90% of its predominantly on-premise workforce to remote work—all within two weeks. An essential element of this process involved standing up the capacity for 32,000 Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktops to accommodate 10 times our usual remote workforce, enabling employees to access all of their work files from home computers and eliminating the need to return to the office.
As organizations across the globe continue to rely on remote work, demand for Windows Virtual Desktops has grown exponentially across industries. And further growth is expected, with IDC predicting the total market opportunity for desktop-as-a-service will reach USD2.99 billion by 2021 as customers increasingly seek scalable remote working solutions.
Windows Virtual Desktop presents a unique opportunity for your organization to support customers as they transition to desktop-as-a-service. It serves as a gateway for new customers who have not yet moved to the cloud, and it simplifies the licensing needs for your current customers. This can lead to cost savings that can either be passed on to your customers or funneled to your margins, resulting in growth and upsell opportunities.
As I shared in a previous blog post, your profitability and growth fuel the success of the entire Microsoft Partner Network, and we’re committed to ensuring you have the guidance and resources you need to thrive. With this in mind, I’m excited to highlight our new Windows Virtual Desktop advanced specialization that partners with an active gold Cloud Platform competency can now achieve.
Advanced Specialization—Microsoft Windows Virtual Desktop
Our newest advanced specialization will showcase your experience with implementing Windows Virtual Desktop, including deploying, optimizing, and securing virtual desktop infrastructure on Azure. This will ensure you’re prepared to meet the needs of your customers as they continue to evolve their remote work approach.
To earn an advanced specialization in this area, partners with an active gold Cloud Platform competency must meet specific requirements related to performance and knowledge and pass a third-party audit.
As the desktop-as-a-service market continues to grow, it will attract more competitors over time. Achieving a Windows Virtual Desktop advanced specialization can help you build momentum and credibility, and it’s an effective way to help you to stand out in a crowded and competitive market. While it requires an investment of time and resources, an advanced specialization helps customers to easily identify the partners that are best qualified to meet the needs of their organization. You’ll also benefit from increased visibility in the Microsoft commercial marketplace and have the opportunity to gain access to specific Microsoft go-to-market, customer and financial incentives programs.
Remote work has never been more relevant—on a global scale—than it is now. Developing specialized expertise in this area has the potential to pay dividends both now and in the long run, and I encourage partners to work towards achieving a Windows Virtual Desktop advanced specialization where it makes sense for your business, to take advantage of this unique opportunity. As always, we’re committed to providing you with the guidance and resources you need to be successful and will be here for you every step of the way.
You can review a list of all advanced specializations currently offered for the Microsoft Partner Network here.