“Every day is another sunny day as we do our best each day to make sure there are updated features.” Thomas Hansen, Vice President of Worldwide SMB, Microsoft, shared in a far reaching interview this week. “A couple of years ago it was ‘how are we going to transition to cloud, how will we make money?’ Today, through effort of people like you, we have a large ecosystem. One of largest in the world. Every cloud solution from MS is available in various channel models. The Channel is now putting its weight behind cloud.” I would concur. The favorable ratings on cloud are skyrocketing in 2015, as the hostility subsidies.
“Customers are speaking with their wallet. Millions of companies are running on Office 365. That business has reached critical mass. Whenever we have a channel partner involved, customers and the partners are getting a higher-end SKU and customer satisfaction is higher.” Hansen said. Bottom line is that the channel adds value for customers.
So now for the reason we were meeting.
CHALLENGE: How to support a mobile workforce.
IDC is saying that SMBs are showing strongest growth in supporting mobile workforces. Participation Increased from 5% to 13%. Small businesses that are growing revenue are 54% more likely to prioritize mobile support.
“So the Enterprise Mobility Solution (EMS) is the right offering at the right time.” Hansen declared!
The Core EMS mobility messaging is:
- Notion of BYOD and security concerns. This speaks to why EMS is coming at the right time.
- This will change the spending dynamic of SMBs and security.
- Most SMBs don’t have IT staff.Cloud is democratizing IT. It offers a level of scalability and security that will encourage SMBs to grow, but at a better price point.
- Security sounds complex and enterprise-y, but the reality is that EMS is designed for all sizes of organization. Affordable and easy to use for a small IT staff.
- I wanted to note that, in our community, we are seeing less resistance to the word “enterprise” than we have in the past.
“I only have two devices, don’t work in paper, and I spend 60% of my time on the road, but I still think face-to-face time is important.” Hansen said. “I live mobility which is why I’m so excited about EMS.”
Three components of Enterprise Mobility Suite:
- Enable secure access using Azure Active Directory Premium: Employees can sign in to multiple applications across devices with just one password (known as single sign on), and use self-service capabilities to manage and reset their own passwords reducing IT helpdesk costs.
- Mobile device and application management using Microsoft Intune: Business owners gain more control over company data and applications on mobile devices. If employees use their personal mobile devices for work, they can keep their personal and company data completely separate. And employers have the option to selectively wipe out only company data and applications from a device, enabling employees to keep their personal data when they leave the company. This is also a great way to remotely remove sensitive data and applications when devices are lost, stolen, or retired.
- Enable information sharing while keeping data protected using Azure Rights Management Service: This enables employers to protect sensitive information wherever it goes by extending data policies beyond the walls of a business. For example, a mortgage broker processing a loan application can protect sensitive information shared via email, such as social security numbers and credit card details, by restricting the ability to edit, copy, and print to the broker and her immediate team.
Thank you to Thomas and his team for taking the time to speak with us!
