Jon Roskill, Microsoft: Cloud Driving Industry Inflection Point

July 14, 2010

At the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Jon Roskill, Microsoft’s new channel chief, addressed the Microsoft partner community for the first time, unveiling business strategies and resources to help partners of all types seize new opportunities in the cloud. The company also detailed new products and services to help consumers tap into the cloud through all the screens in their lives — from the largest screen in the living room to the smallest screen in one’s pocket.

In his keynote address, Roskill, who took the helm earlier this month as corporate vice president of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group, spoke to partners about the industry transformation that is under way with the emergence of the cloud, and the opportunity that creates for partners to grow and evolve their businesses.

“The industry is at an inflection point, and Microsoft is leading the charge through what will be one of the biggest industry transformations of our time,” Roskill said. “Partners have always been fundamental to Microsoft’s business, and we are committed to helping our partners adapt and find the right cloud opportunities so we can grow and succeed together.”

Roskill detailed new tools, resources and sales support that Microsoft is delivering to help partners plan and build profitable businesses in the cloud and advance their cloud knowledge, including partner opportunity guides for cloud services, the new Microsoft Cloud Essentials Pack and Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Program designation, and new solution incentives for partners. Roskill also spotlighted the winners of the 2010 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards.

In addition to Roskill’s keynote address, Andy Lees, senior vice president of the Mobile Communications Business, and Brad Brooks, corporate vice president of Windows Consumer Marketing and Product Management, teamed up to show partners how new consumer products and services from Microsoft work across all the screens in consumers’ lives. Showcasing Windows Phone 7, Windows Live, Windows Phone, Xbox and more, they demonstrated how Microsoft platforms combine the power of immersive software with smart services accessed instantly via the cloud to deliver experiences that make lives easier, more entertaining and more fun. During the keynote, Lees announced that Windows Phone 7 will be complemented in the cloud by a new Windows Phone Live site that will also be home to the new Find My Phone feature that allows people to find and manage a missing phone with map, ring, lock and erase capabilities — all for free.