Coming to Terms With Microsoft Office 365

When it comes to cloud computing, one of the more traumatic events in the history of the channel has been the shift to Microsoft Office 365. For many solution providers that resold PCs bundled with Microsoft productivity applications, this shift in business models represents the biggest challenge their company has ever faced. However, many solution providers are using this transition to establish or expand their managed service practices, according to a recent survey of 109 U.S. channel partners conducted by research firm AMI-Partners. In fact, nearly half the respondents identified themselves as managed service providers (MSPs). For the most part, these solution providers are making most of their money providing consulting and data migration services rather than reselling software. Most of them also view Microsoft Office 365 as a means to sell additional cloud services. The most sought-after features when it comes to Microsoft Office migrations are ease of use and auto discovery of the Microsoft Office desktop environment.