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Cybersecurity experts have predicted the current industry-wide skills shortage will continue for the next five years or longer according to PwC’s paper on “How business-led upskilling can reboot Australia.” The paper also indicated 31% of Australian CEOs identified technical and cybersecurity skill shortages within their businesses.
“We know the shift to remote and hybrid workforces has exposed businesses to cyber threats and security vulnerabilities like never before. As IT, Cloud and security experts we need to do a better job arming ourselves and our businesses with skills & resources that can address these modern threats and future challenges,” says Darren Bennett, Modern Work & Security Technical Specialist, Dicker Data.
With many businesses in the Microsoft partner ecosystem keen to address these gaps, Microsoft Australia and Dicker Data have come together to build a bespoke program that takes Certification training to the next level and helps IT resellers best position their businesses for Cloud.
The Ascend virtual program infuses OnDemand learning with individualised 1:1 workshops that offer partners access to Microsoft resources and best practices. Ascend takes on a different Microsoft sales play or focus each quarter and then systematically works with various departments of a partners business including Leadership, Sales, Technical and Marketing, to enable a coordinated Microsoft cloud practice.
“This wholistic approach is in line with our commitment to work with partners to build their tech advantage, maximise profitability and facilitate growth. We offer partners access to resources and training to enable them to leverage Microsoft cloud solutions for the modern requirements of their customers, explains Sarah Loiterton, General Manager Microsoft Cloud, Dicker Data.
Paul Watson, Founder and Managing Director, Espire IT, a Dicker Data partner, has worked in the IT industry for 17 years. He said, “Dicker Data’s Ascend program provided the team with the necessary skills to improve customer experience, demonstrate industry knowledge, and add more value by essentially upselling and better advising our customers. Our team is more confident, and we will be working with Dicker Data in the future with our trainers and engineers.”
The Ascend Program is the culmination of Dicker Data’s Center of Excellence in Practice Building. “Our focus is helping a partner create a productised, Go- To- Market-ready offer, that they can confidently market, sell and implement profitably… the added bonus is they are also able to complete exams and achieve their certifications,” says Marrdy Ly, Microsoft Partner Success Manager, Dicker Data.
Matt Seeds, Director of Inspired IT, a Dicker Data partner, said, “I could not recommend the Ascend program more, and as it progresses; it is only going to get better.”
The 2022 Ascend programs are launching on 14th February 2022 and will cover:
Microsoft 365 Security: With advanced cyberthreats targeting SMB more than ever, there is a constantly evolving business requirement for strong technical and security expertise for Microsoft resellers. Leverage our M365 Security program to build additional internal capability to meet the growing needs of your customers and at the same time set yourself up with scalable security offers that you can take to market with ease.
Ideal for:
- Microsoft CSP partners who are primarily selling Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Basic and/ or maybe selling Microsoft 365 Business Premium adhoc
- Partners who are looking to better cement themselves as cyber security leaders
- Partners who are hoping to add more efficiency & profitability around their demand generation and sales processes
Azure Profitability: Elevate your cloud offering with this program dedicated to making selling Azure to non-technical buyers, easy! Diving deep into strategies that increase your sales efficiency, we’ll then work with you to build technical capability, the foundation of your Azure practice and help you take a solution to market.
Ideal for:
- Microsoft CSP partners who are primarily selling Microsoft 365 and maybe selling Microsoft Azure workloads adhoc
- Partners who are looking to better cement themselves as Cloud & digitalisation leaders
- Partners who are hoping to add more efficiency & profitability around their demand generation and sales processes
Business Central: Discover how to diversify your business and offer additional functionality to your customers with the Business Central program. As one of the fastest growing Microsoft Cloud solutions in the region, get ready to upskill your team and learn how to unlock untapped opportunities within your customer base.
Ideal for:
- Microsoft CSP partners who are primarily selling Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure workloads and/or Power Platform adhoc
- Partners who believe there may be greater opportunity in their customer base for Business Applications or who have been asked about Business Central
- Partners who are looking to better cement themselves as Cloud & digitalisation leaders
Dicker Data’s Ascend Partner Enablement Program is ideal for MSPs keen to grow revenue, improve sales efficiency, productise solutions, upskill and gain greater visibility with Microsoft.
For more information on how to be a part of Dicker Data’s Ascend Partner Enablement Program, register here.
