Are you missing out on the opportunity to make money in the Cloud?

This article is sponsored by Microsoft.

2015 was “The Year of the Cloud.” It was the first time that Cloud services and infrastructure officially became mainstream. This report by Synergy Research Group stated that cloud technologies are generating big revenues and high growth rates which will continue into the future.

So what does this translate into? The answer: an exciting time for developers to capitalise on the cloud. But, what is more important is how partnering with the right technology solutions provider will help you reap profit from this rapidly expanding market.

Microsoft CloudSparks: The roadmap to profitability with Microsoft Partner Network

A clear way to claim your piece of this rapidly expanding market is by partnering with Microsoft. By doing so, you become part of the CloudSparks community, which means you will have all the support, incentives, and guidance you need to expand your business.

If you’re a cloud developer, you should look no further than the Microsoft Partner Network for the benefits it presents. While there are host of Microsoft solutions – Windows, Office, Dynamics, Cloud, etc. – Microsoft’s Cloud-based solutions will elevate your business to new heights of growth. Tell us more about yourself and find out how you can benefit from Microsoft CloudSparks.

Before, we specifically go into how you can grow your business and make more money, check out the many ways in which you stand to benefit by being part of the Microsoft Partner community.

The Microsoft Partner Network: Helping you grow

The Microsoft Partner Network consists of thousands of technology companies around the world, is a great platform to connect, collaborate, network and grow your business. As existing partners observe, the partnership helps to strengthen your capabilities, serve customers better, and more importantly save time and money.

By being part of the network, you will get to access all the tools, resources, and support you'll need as an independent software vendor or an application builder to

• take your app to market,
• grow your business, and
• become an industry leader.

More importantly, as your business grows, you’ll have instant access to Microsoft’s catalogue of tools at every step of journey. Harish Vaidyanathan, Director of ISV Programs at Microsoft says, "Organisations across different industries are using the flexibility, security and advanced computing capabilities of Microsoft cloud to drive innovation and customer value. SaaS companies are innovating with advanced features such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure Analytics, Power BI among others to develop interesting solutions.”

He adds, “Local developers, startups and ISVs are leveraging the local Microsoft cloud for better productivity and enhanced customer experiences. Each organisation and individual connected via a smart device today consumes data on the cloud in some form or the other. Microsoft Azure offers a unique opportunity for businesses and end-users alike and we aim to bridge the gap between ISVs and those who need them.”

It’s not just you, even your customers benefit when you become a Microsoft Partner

What’s better than being able to reach your customers on their terms. With the Microsoft platform, you can effortlessly drive:

• Experimentation: Try more ideas with less risk through developing and testing in the cloud and top-notch tools to drive team collaboration and efficiency.
• Innovation: Innovate and create new cross-device experiences on a new range of devices.
• Integration: Bring the skills and investments you have to the platform and help your customers fit your solutions right into their existing infrastructure.
• Expansion: Connect and reach more customers on any device with available, scalable products and applications.

Learn more about the membership benefits here.

Ride the Cloud momentum with Microsoft Azure

Now that you know the benefits of cashing in on the Cloud growth story and how you stand to benefit from the Microsoft Partner network, here’s the next most important factor you should know about – Microsoft Azure.

Microsoft Azure is a growing collection of integrated Cloud services. Azure provides services for analytics, computing, database, mobile, commerce, and web and thereby helps companies to grow faster, achieve more, and save money. This is a big opportunity for ISVs because with Azure you will be able to:

• Drive your IT consulting by harnessing the power and flexibility of Microsoft’s public, private, and hybrid cloud services.
• Deploy and manage your business in the Microsoft Cloud. You can use what you sell and access training to become a recognized expert.
• Win new customers and retain existing ones by using customisable marketing materials and services to promote your solutions. And, you will also get priority listings in online marketplaces – a chance to win customers more easily.
• Earn eligibility for sales incentives, promotions, and special offers for our productivity and infrastructure products and services.
• Grow and develop your practice with design, project, planning, and architecture guides and even exclusive access to Microsoft engineers quickly.

Sign up and take the first step toward success. Want to know more? Tell us a little about your business and we'll get in touch with you to tell you more about how Microsoft CloudSparks. 

In the next article in the series, we tell you more about how the Microsoft platform will help organisations drive experimentation, innovation, and expansion and also what organisations that use the platform have to say.