However, In India MPS, generally the tracks for different specializations are not differentiated so it becomes monotonous sometimes. Also Mumbai partners were not given accommodation in the past, as a result of which, we missed out on some good sessions and networking. I am hopeful that we would be allowed to stay at the hotel this year around.

My expectations from this years’ MPS is to meet the new MS India teams across regions as the structure within MS India has changed considerably this year. It is also a great time to meet up with old friends from across India and sharing ideas.

Amaranth Shetty, Managing Director, LDS Infotech: I want Microsoft to lay out partner strategies— what they would do, their expectations from partners, partners’ expectations from them. For example, the company shared its cloud strategy last year. But post MPS, there was no follow-up.  Infact, this year, the agenda itself is not clear. I want the Microsoft team to speak about opportunities in the cloud, and provide more clarity on the Microsoft cloud vs Google and the open source technologies.

Ashish Shah, MD, Vista Tech Solutions:  Although, this is the first year where we would be participating in MPS, we are yet to receive a written communiqué. The confirmation has only been oral. I was hoping that being a large conglomerate, Microsoft would have prepared for the event much in advance and its logistics would be in place by now. Everything is shrouded in secrecy and even the local managers are clueless about the agenda and other details.

All the same, I am looking forward to information on partner strategies that the company executives would outlay, especially for the specialization (MPN) partners. We need to understand what is in the pipeline. I am hoping that the results would be good based on what they are promising, but we are yet to see the deliverables.

Jiten Mehta, Director, Magnanimous Systems: I hope that the event is informative and partner-centric. “It should look like our event.” A positive change is that Microsoft would allow the Mumbai partners to reside at the venue, something that has never happened before. And a suggestion—the event should be less crowded.