Onsite with Dell at Microsoft World Partner Conference 2014

This is my first Microsoft World Partner Conference as well as first time in Washington D.C.  It's been amazing! I went for a run one morning passing by some of the major must-see attractions and already can’t wait to come back with the family to spend more time sight-seeing.

D.C. is an awesome conference location and Microsoft knows how to put on a partner event!  Just ask any of the 16,000 folks attending this year. I think every one of them was packed into the Verizon Center for the keynote with me Monday morning. Things kicked off with a rousing guitar duo and then the focus moved into how Microsoft is providing partners the tools they need for the “Mobile-first, cloud-first world.”

We at Dell are building on that theme with our sessions, on-site experts and booth demonstrations. For example, in the expo hall we’re teaching partners how to sell more by extending virtual desktops to more users with Dell Cloud Client Computing.  You can also check out the Wyse AIO; our brand new all-in-one thin client. The ‘Wyse guys’ are demoing a quad-core/quad-display thin client connecting to Windows 8 VMs through vWorkspace.

Over on the other side of the massive Dell booth you’ll find couple of our Enterprise Systems Group engineers showing how to build a hybrid cloud on the VRTX.  Around the corner from them is a demonstration of Dell’s Telemedicine solution showing how doctors can diagnose a patient remotely. Dell Software also has experts on hand discussing a number of solutions partners will find useful in growing their customer business, such as: Active Directory and Exchange migrations, Windows Server 2003 migrations, Dell's Auditing and Active Directory management software and Dell Software solutions for migrating customers to the office 365 Cloud.

Traffic in the WPC Expo has been great!  Partners have been taking advantage of all these demos, the hands-on device bar and joining in on the Dell Venue Pro Tablet giveaways, as shown in a picture Misty captured:

On Monday, I attended Mary Catherine Wilson’s session: Dell PartnerDirect, Microsoft, & You: A Winning Team.  You might have heard that we’re bringing back our entrepreneurial roots at Dell. According to Mary Catherine, that applies wholeheartedly to the channel as well. In the session, she explained how we're expanding our partner base and taking the necessary steps to help partners expand their customer bases.  Mary also pointed out in the talk that “The partners that grow the most are those that are engaging with us.”

There’s a number of other sessions to learn more about Dell, the PartnerDirect program and more if you are at the conference this week:

  • Dell and 4ward cloud in-a-box appliance: deploy a hybrid cloud in 2 hours Tuesday 1-2PM Room 144A
  • Mobility and Devices Track Keynote: Winning with Mobility – Microsoft Solutions for the Future of Business – Tuesday 10:30 a.m. Ballroom B  
  • Want to build a Windows 8.1 practice? Let us help you reduce cost and risk – Tuesday, 2:30 p.m.  Room 142
  • Women in Technology Luncheon with Cheryl Cook – Wednesday 11:30 a.m.  Grand Ballroom A-C
  • The benefits of adding Microsoft Lync voice to your portfolio – Wednesday 2:30 p.m. Room 140A
  • Microsoft Partner Network Training: Enabling Success through Partner Skills and Capability Development – Wednesday, 2:00 p.m. Room 151AB

If you are here, please reach out. I’d love to learn more about your practice and how we can help.  You can also follow us on @DellChannel.  More details on Dell Partner programs can be found at www.Dell.com/partner.

About the Author: Jeff Sullivan