Five days of strategy, networking, and deep technical training await Microsoft’s Software Asset Management (SAM) partners at the Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston, Texas, on July 7-11, 2013. With ten SAM-specific presentations — and ongoing one-on-one partner mentoring sessions — the program is a vigorous learning opportunity and a chance for SAM partners to connect with the newest industry information and trends.
“For me, WPC is the perfect place to network with my peers and people from Microsoft who you usually only get to talk to over the phone,” says Oliver Berchtold, global SAM director for SoftwareOne, a Microsoft Gold Certified SAM partner. “I always look forward to getting new information and exchanging feedback with others from different countries on our performance globally.”
Mari Petersen, the U.S. vice president of another Microsoft Gold Certified SAM partner, Specialist Software Services, sees the event as a path to growth. “After attending last year’s WPC, we were able to strengthen our relationship with Microsoft, open up a number of new opportunities and significantly accelerate our growth. This year, we’ll be looking to do much the same, but on a larger scale, as we — and the SAM market — continue to grow and mature.”
Sessions offered to attending partners cover a variety of top-of-mind topics, including information on the latest SAM tools, the MAP Toolkit; understanding and implementing SWID tags and ISO standards; and normalizing entitlement data. A full list of SAM-related breakout and interactive sessions can be found on the WPC calendar; search “SAM.”
“The momentum in the SAM space is outstanding,” says Heather Young, global director of SAM programs for Microsoft, who will be co-presenting the session on SWID tags and ISO standards at this year’s conference. “The tools and rules of our industry are evolving as SAM is growing in scope and
international adoption. We’re thrilled to offer support, resources and technical training to our partners at this event, which really represents the cutting edge of innovation and influence in our industry.”
More than 16,000 Microsoft partners from 160 countries are expected to attend WPC this year.
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