2022-04-18
Message from Matt Ontell
Heading into Q4 is always an exciting time. Our counterparts in the field are working to close out our largest fiscal quarter. It has been an exciting time across the product portfolio with announcements related to Windows 11 and many new updates across the security and Viva suites.
We've seen positive initial traction towards earning FRP Knowledge Badges and have received great feedback about how they are being used to improve customer delivery, incorporate FastTrack best practices, and gain credibility in customer conversations and bids.
We were very excited by the great feedback we’ve received after the FRP-only Viva incentive announcement a few weeks ago. This important new area of Employee Experience is showing signs of rapid growth and we are excited by the innovative solutions we see many of you bringing to market. Please take advantage of this limited-time incentive to help customers in this important arena. We greatly appreciate your feedback and learnings as we all learn together in this rapidly growing space.
I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the continued amazing work by our Ukrainian partners, and many other partners in the region and around the world, in supporting the people and customers impacted by war. Thank you to so many who have shown heroism in yet another tragic situation.
Thanks to our amazing community for all you do. It continues to inspire our team to serve you and our mutual customers better.
Matt Ontell, FRP Program Lead
Program news
FRP Data & Tools update
As shared in the September community call, we are moving from FTOP to a new interface in Partner Center. These are the areas of focus:
FRP Centered UX (FCU)
We continue to make progress on the FRP Centered UX (FCU) in Partner Center. This will be the interface that FRPs use when entering engagement details going forward (Notes, Contacts, Entitlement Status, etc.). We are targeting an early FY23 (July 2022) release for all FRPs.
We’ve based the FCU on the OSU-M365 interface to provide a familiar experience. While very similar, there are a few things that will be different.
Forecasting
In FY23 we will revise the forecast for the FRP program. FRP forecasting allows internal stakeholders to know what to expect in terms of usage growth over time. This provides our partner community with a timeline for what they can expect in terms of incentive payments, resource allocation, and areas to drive efficiencies. Each of these requires that the forecasting dates be accurate. We’ve done an analysis of forecast dates and see that we’re struggling to achieve accurate forecast dates. We will launch the FCU without a requirement to enter Forecast information while this topic is being reviewed.
For additional information from Michael Barta, Senior PM, please refer to Yammer post.
Events and training
FY22 Q4 Migration Office Hours
Open office hour: Partners can ask questions related to FastTrack Migrations roadmap. A three-to-six-month window into our plans will be presented and then Q&A.
May 4, 2022, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM PT [Europe/Americas], Register here
May 4, 2022, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM PT [Asia], Register here
Available on-demand
Click on the links below to view content on-demand.
FRP-specific events
To review the video, select the link below.
New webinar - Microsoft Cloud Partner Program: Modern Work Solution designation deep dive
Microsoft recently announced the name and program change of its partner program from “Microsoft Partner Network” to the “Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.” #learn more about the Solutions partner for Modern Work designation during our webinar and Q&A session on Thursday, April 28, 2022.
Register today!
April 2022 Security Digest
Register for the Microsoft Security Summit digital event, May 12, 2022.
From the Microsoft Tech Community Blogs
- Microsoft 365 Defender (M365D)
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE)
- Microsoft Defender for Identity (MDI)
From the Microsoft Security Blog
Please note that some of these services are not yet covered in the FastTrack Benefit Services.
Windows powers the future of hybrid work
On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella anchored a keynote address from Windows Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, focused on the Windows vision from the client to the cloud. The demo-driven digital event charted the future with Windows and Microsoft cloud services, demonstrating how to alleviate myriad challenges organizations now face with managing hybrid work, enhanced security, and remote operations. The keynote was followed by three in-depth break-out sessions that focused on end-user productivity and collaboration, simplicity in IT management, and security concerns for the future of hybrid work. This advisory summarizes the product news that was shared at the event.
Windows 11
Best productivity experiences:
- Collect apps in app folders in Windows Start.
- Access and organize your content with tabs and favorites in File Explorer.
- Grow satisfaction and increase adoption of Microsoft 365 capabilities with IT controlled in product messages to employees.
- Print from office for web from any device and set per user print permissions with Universal Print.
- Personalize Widgets with your Azure AD account.
Elevating protection:
- Use Windows Hello to unlock encrypted files, so local files are protected.
- Enhanced Phishing protection with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, detecting and protecting people of unintended consequences when entering their passwords on phishing site.
Simplicity for IT:
- Windows Autopatch, a Microsoft managed Intelligent update that keeps Windows, Microsoft Edge and Office deployments updated. Will be included with Windows Enterprise E3, starting July 1st.
- More intelligent and successful deployments with Windows Update for Business deployment service. Aso read how Microsoft upgraded 190K devices in just 5 weeks with this service, and improved insights from a global installed base using analytics.
- IT configures and protects enterprise user profiles and access to corporate resources using data protection policies on unmanaged devices, with application management for Microsoft Edge.
Windows 365
Last year, we introduced Windows 365, the world’s first Cloud PC, to give people a simple way to Securely stream your Windows experience – including your personalized apps, content and settings – from the Microsoft cloud to any device with your Windows 365 Cloud PC.
Today, we announced that we will deliver new integrations that bring the power of the Windows 365 Cloud PC and familiarity of the local Windows experience together with the following future features:
- Windows 365 Boot enables a user to log directly into their Cloud PC and designate it as the primary Windows experience on the device.
- Windows 365 Switch gives the end user the ability to easily move between the Cloud PC and the local desktop in the Task Switcher.
- Windows 365 app provides a direct path to Windows 365 from the taskbar.
- Windows 365 Offline will enable work in Windows 365 even when disconnected.
Microsoft’s vision for advanced endpoint management starts with remote help
Today we are announcing Microsoft’s vision for advanced endpoint management and our plan to expand service coverage to include premium capabilities currently provided to our customers by third parties. Microsoft will launch a series of solutions that are designed to increase endpoint security, improve end user experience, and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO). The first of the new solutions is remote help for Windows, now generally available as an add-on to Endpoint Manager. The product catalog was updated on April 1, 2022, and the product experience will be released in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center by April 5.
Customers can learn more about the licenses for remote help through a new centralized experience in the Endpoint Manager admin center. This will connect them with the process to request a trial or to purchase the licenses in the same way that customers add licenses for Microsoft Intune today.
Call to Action:
Watch and share the digital Windows event
- Review the product announcement information above
- Read today’s announcement blogs
- Engage customers regarding their Windows 11 and Windows 365 adoption and management plans
- Invite customers and partners to participate in the Tech Community live event (April 7), where we will answer all your question on Windows.
Resources:
Blog: Windows Announcement
Blog: Modern Work Announcement
Blog: Management Announcement
Blog: Security announcement
Blog: Autopatch Announcement
Check out the latest Modern Work & Security readiness events
Microsoft Teams Rooms Partner Bootcamp
Register for Americas/EMEA time zone events on April 26 and 27 and for APAC events April 19 and 20, and May 3 and 4.
Learn more about the bootcamp and register
April 2022 events
April 19, 2022: IT Pro Series – Adobe Acrobat Sign for Microsoft Teams Made Simple for IT Pros
April 28, 2022: Partner Pitch Perfect Series – Weaving Learning Throughout the Employee Experience with Viva Learning
May 2022 events
May 5, 2022: Microsoft Defender for Business Series – Technical Training: Unboxing Defender for Business – A Deeper Look at Capabilities, with Demo and Q&A
New video resources available for Microsoft security solutions for SMBs
We recently announced the general availability of new security solutions to help secure small and medium businesses (SMBs).
Microsoft Defender for Business, now included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, will help elevate security by bringing together enterprise-grade technologies for SMB customers.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse is a new admin portal that helps you secure and manage devices, data, and users at scale through a unified portal.
New video resources now available
Check out our just-released videos designed to help you and your customers understand the value and opportunities available with Microsoft’s new security products made specifically for SMBs. Be sure to share these videos with customers!
New blog post: Becoming a Solutions Partner for Modern Work
Learn more about becoming a Solutions Partner for Modern Work in the blog post from Giovanni Mezgec, Vice President of Modern Work Marketing at Microsoft.
Giovanni shares the activities that fall under the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program designation, information about the partner capability score and specializations, and important dates to keep in mind.
Read the blog post
Audio Conferencing select dial-out rebranding on May 1
Microsoft Teams Audio Conferencing select dial-out will be rebranded to Microsoft Teams Audio Conferencing with dial-out to USA/CAN on May 1, 2022. There are no changes to the $0 price, features, or business model.
You will find the new naming convention reflected in the May 1 pricelists for Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) and Microsoft Volume Licensing.
Next steps
Use the following resources to familiarize yourself with the recent name change and learn more about this SKU.
Documentation updates
Windows 365: Hybrid Windows for a hybrid world
Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft Cloud. Resources available in this knowledge article.
Terms and Conditions
Download the Terms and Conditions for current program details.
FastTrack Playbook
Frontline Workers resources localized
Help guide customers in planning their Frontline Worker solutions. Tasks 4246, 4247, and 4248 have now been fully localized.
New "GCC-Enabled Partners" view and new "US Gov GCC" flag to be used for US Gov GCC RFA assignment
Tool for partner referrals updated: The "FRP with US Gov Tenant Engagements" dashboard has been updated to identify FRP partners to be endorsed for US Gov GCC and additional tools have been updated for the On-Demand team to use for referrals. When regular US Gov GCC tenant RFAs are received, eligible partners with appropriate endorsement and attestation will be considered for select US Gov GCC tenant assignments.
For questions, please contact Antonio Sponza.
Visit the Playbook Change Log for a complete list of updates.
Service Description
Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps App Governance
We are changing the FastTrack service description to include Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps App Governance (formerly known as Microsoft Cloud App Security).
The app governance add-on feature to Defender for Cloud Apps is a security and policy management capability designed for OAuth-enabled apps that access Microsoft 365 data through Microsoft Graph APIs. App governance delivers full visibility, remediation, and governance into how these apps and their users access, use, and share sensitive data stored in Microsoft 365 through actionable insights and automated policy alerts and actions.
With the Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps App Governance Add-on the following changes have been made:
If you have questions on MDA, please submit a SME request.
Access the FastTrack Service Description.
