October monthly news

Windows 11, the latest operating system from Microsoft, is here. And it’s available both on all new PCs, as well as a free upgrade on eligible Windows 10 devices.

Microsoft says this is the smartest, most efficient and most powerful Windows ever. We’re still testing that claim out. But what we do know for now is that with its clean and contemporary looks, Windows 11 has plenty of kerb appeal.

From a CSP perspective, Windows 11 is going to be an important tool for selling in Modern Workplace. As it’s built around remote working, multitasking and using cloud-based apps.

Take a look at the Windows 11 page, as well as this article for CSPs, and let us know if you have any questions.

Microsoft Ignite will be lighting up bonfire night a few days early this year, from 2-4 November.
Book your place today, and you’ll have access to a showcase of the latest Microsoft tools, training sessions, and Microsoft experts.
This year, Ignite has four themes, all related to transformation:

• Enabling hybrid
• Next-gen apps
• The future of business
• End-to-end security

Register at myignite.microsoft.com.

Microsoft’s Teams Phone incentive is up and running, and available until June 2022.

For every new customer you sign up for Teams Phone, you’ll earn an additional $500 bonus, up to a maximum of $10,000.

The eligible SKUs are:

• Microsoft 365 Business Voice (with or without Calling Plan)
• Microsoft 365 Business Voice Adoption Promo (with or without Calling Plan).

All the details you need are here.

Teams Phone now comes with Operator Connect – which hooks Teams up to traditional PSTN services via major traditional phone operators like BT.

Teams calling plans are available in five new markets – Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia.

There’s also Apple CarPlay support for taking calls on the road, and you can now transfer calls between devices without leaving the call.

Other new bells and whistles include spam call blocking and call transcription.

Here’s the link with all the full deets.

Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience (NCE) has been pushed back until January 2022. The original launch date was October 14. But following technical issues and some pretty robust customer feedback (not least from our partners), Microsoft have gone back to the drawing board until at least the new year.

As ever, If you have any questions about the NCE, please get in touch, or take a look at our handy FAQ guide.

And don’t think this means we’re not still sending Microsoft your feedback. It might have been delayed, but keep your thoughts on the NCE coming in. We’ll make sure Microsoft get them.