Parallels supports the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program with Office 365 programme

Parallels, the platform provider for cloud service delivery, is supporting the new Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program with Parallels SmartStart for Office 365. The Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program, announced at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference, expands the opportunity for Microsoft’s channel to resell Microsoft Office 365.

SmartStart gets Microsoft-approved partners up and running in less than 80 days. SmartStart is a low-cost, fixed-price implementation of Parallels Automation that includes user training and certification, reference service plans and a customised storefront. Parallels Automation is the only proven platform for service providers to sell and deliver differentiated portfolios of hosted and syndicated services with every Office 365 subscription.

Using the Parallels Automation platform, partners have already delivered more than 1.5 million Office 365 and Exchange business class seats. The Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program opens up a huge new opportunity for the Microsoft channel, and Parallels says partners which deploy Parallels Automation will be immediately ready to offer new Microsoft cloud services as they become available.

“SmartStart is an exciting new programme that lowers the barrier to entry for service providers to take advantage of cloud services offered by Microsoft,” said Birger Steen, CEO, Parallels.

Parallels powers the cloud for more than 60,000 hosters, MSPs, telcos and VARs. The partnership with Microsoft delivers the following market-leading solutions exclusively packaged for the Parallels Automation platform.

Windows Azure Pack

Parallels brings the power of Microsoft’s Azure platform into a service provider’s data centre. Parallels Automation is the first platform in the market with Windows Azure Pack for Cloud OS partners.

Microsoft Office 365

Globally, seventeen of the Microsoft Office 365 syndication partners use Parallels Automation. Parallels Automation removes the complexity of syndication, allowing these service providers to focus on aggressive market expansion resulting in 8X seat growth.

Microsoft Lync Hosting Pack

An increasing number of businesses are taking advantage of the benefits delivered by instant, collaborative and unified communication. Parallels partners use the bundling capabilities native to Parallels Automation to offer Lync together with Microsoft Exchange, resulting in attach rates as high as 80%.

Microsoft Exchange 2013

Hosted Exchange, powered by Parallels Automation, continues strong growth, reaching 830,000 hosted email subscribers through more than 75 hosting providers around the globe.

“We looked at the cost of implementing a solution and at speed to market,” said Bastien Casset, Program Manager, Dell Office 365, Dell. “Although we compared several solutions, Parallels was the fastest and most cost effective option for us. It also came highly recommended by Microsoft.”