Our team spent the last four days (July 8-12) in Toronto, Canada with 16,000 of our closest friends at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC). This conference, which invited representatives from 156 countries, is the annual event at which Microsoft lays out its plans for the next year to its partner community. This partner ecosystem is responsible for 95% of Microsoft’s revenue. ATS has been a Microsoft partner since 1996 and a Gold Certified Partner since 2006. At ATS, we view our long-term partnership with Microsoft as an important part of our service process.

As you may have heard, the main focus of the 2012 WPC was the “Cloud.” More specifically, Office 365, which is expected to overtake SharePoint as Microsoft’s fastest growing product by the end of its next fiscal year, was the focus of many of the sessions and hallway conversations. Other cloud-based products, such as Azure, InTune, and Lync, were also the front-and-center topic of the conference.

The latest releases of Windows (8) and SQL Server (2012) are also central to Microsoft’s strategy. Windows 8, in particular, is viewed by Microsoft as key to its success. They are even calling it the most important release since Windows 95.

The Cloud in general, specific products such as Office 365, and new releases like Windows 8 present the users of Microsoft products many potential benefits. As well, we’ll also encounter new opportunities and challenges as we strive to provide quality services to our target market. With the knowledge and expertise acquired at the conference this year, we’re prepared to work with you to explore the opportunities, tackle the challenges, and continue to offer you the most valuable services and support.

Comment and share your thoughts ontheupcomingproduct launches.