On today's episode of The Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Partners Podcast, Adam Burke and Mike Hartman are joined by Don Penland of Knox Capital to explore the private equity perspective on managed service providers (MSPs) and the Microsoft partner ecosystem. Don shares insights from two decades in IT consulting and managed services, explaining how operator-first investing, recurring revenue models, and strong go-to-market alignment with Microsoft drive valuation and long-term success. He discusses the evolving role of AI, from internal optimization to client-facing productization and how MSPs can adopt and monetize it effectively. Don also offers candid advice on preparing for private equity investment, building niche vertical expertise, and embracing programs like the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program to fuel sustainable growth.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why an operator-first mindset gives Knox Capital a different approach to investing
• How aligning with Microsoft’s partner ecosystem accelerates business growth
• The growing role of AI in operations, sales, and customer offerings

Some questions we ask:

• What attracted you to focus on the Microsoft partner ecosystem as an investor?
• How are current market shifts impacting managed service providers?
• What advice do you have for MSPs starting their AI journey?

Resources:

View Don Penland on LinkedIn

View Adam Burke on LinkedIn

View Mike Hartman on LinkedIn

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

En este episodio en español, Fede Pacheco e Isaac Arellano conversan con Lina Barrios, líder del negocio de Azure en Intcomex, uno de los distribuidores de tecnología más importantes de América Latina. Lina comparte cómo Intcomex ha transformado su modelo de negocio con iniciativas innovadoras basadas en inteligencia artificial, comunidades técnicas y un enfoque profundo en el desarrollo de sus socios. Desde el Club de los 14 hasta Techmasters y Mujeres Inspirando Cambios, este episodio está lleno de ideas prácticas y estrategias escalables para partners que buscan crecer en la nube híbrida.

En este episodio aprenderás:

• Cómo Intcomex utiliza IA para personalizar campañas, analizar datos y generar demanda.
• Qué es el Club de los 14 y cómo ayuda a escalar el negocio de los socios.
• La importancia de construir comunidades como Club Copilot y Mujeres Inspirando Cambios.

Algunas preguntas que hacemos:

• ¿Qué hace diferente a Intcomex en el desarrollo de partners en la nube híbrida?
• ¿Qué rol juega la diversidad en la estrategia de Intcomex?
• ¿Cómo están ayudando a los socios a prepararse para el futuro con IA?

Resources:

• Suscríbete a nuestro nuevo boletín en LinkedIn para recibir las últimas noticias, ideas clave y resúmenes de episodios.
• Conecta con nuestro equipo de DCO

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of The Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Partners Podcast, Adam Burke and Mike Hartman are joined by Fredrik Slaatten and Henrik Samdal from Intility, a Norway-based IT platform provider serving over 650 companies and 50,000 users worldwide. They discuss Intility’s unique industrialized approach to delivering end-to-end IT services, the evolution of hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, and how their partnership with Microsoft drives innovation and modernization for customers. The conversation also explores how Intility is embedding AI across its operations and customer solutions, fostering a culture of continuous innovation while ensuring security, governance, and long-term value

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Ways Intility helps customers adopt hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge strategies
• How AI is being embedded across support, software development, and internal processes
• Why Intility views itself as a technology company rather than just an IT services provider

Some questions we ask:

• What makes Intility different in such a crowded IT market?
• How do you approach hybrid cloud and multi-cloud strategies?
• What does AI leadership look like for Intility in the next five years?

Resources:

View Henrik Samdal on LinkedIn

View Fredrik Slaatten on LinkedIn

View Adam Burke on LinkedIn

View Mike Hartman on LinkedIn

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of The Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Partners Podcast, Fede Pacheco, Adam Burke and Mike Hartman introduce the Three Horizons framework for Microsoft partners, a strategy designed to help providers evolve from strengthening their core hybrid offerings, to elevating services with AI, and ultimately driving transformational growth through proprietary solutions. They share insights, partner success stories, and practical steps for aligning with Microsoft’s roadmap, embracing Copilot, and building a culture of innovation that leads to long-term business impact.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How the Three Horizons framework guides partners from hybrid cloud to AI transformation
• What partners like Rackspace and Crayon achieved with hybrid cloud adoption
• Why creating proprietary IP in Horizon 3 drives market leadership

Some questions we ask:

• Can you share an example of a partner successfully implementing Horizon One?
• How can AI improve customer engagement for an MSP client?
• What role does Azure Arc play in reducing costs and enabling hybrid capabilities?

Resources:

View Mike Hartman on LinkedIn

View Adam Burke on LinkedIn

View Fede Pacheco on LinkedIn

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the season finale of the Hybrid Cloud Partners podcast, Fede Pacheco and Adam Burke sit down with Carolyn Norton, the Practice Director of Cloud Services at Velosio. Carolyn shares insights on how Velosio is reimagining the future of work by leveraging AI and Azure to enhance their cloud services, improve customer engagement, and drive innovation. Carolyn highlights the role of AI in transforming business operations, from sales to finance to HR, and shares practical examples of how AI is being used to create efficiencies and improve decision-making. Carolyn also talks about Velosio's Clear Path Consultation, which helps clients navigate their cloud journey by providing tailored assessments and recommendations.

In this episode you'll learn:

• The role of AI in enhancing customer engagement and driving innovation at Velosio.
• Insights into Velosio's Clear Path Consultation and how it helps clients with their cloud journey.
• What secure AI and driving have in common

Some questions we ask:

• How is AI evolving the workspace and how is Velosio helping?
• What benefits are your customers seeing from moving to the cloud?
• What role does the DCO team play in Velosio’s journey to Azure?

Resources:

• Subscribe to our new LinkedIn Newsletter to get the latest news, insights, and episode recaps
• Connect with the Datacenter Optimization team
• Is Your Company Ready for AI? By Robbie Morrison, Velosio CEO
• Fede’s 5 Takes on Microsoft’s Work Trend Index | Full Report
• Velosio’s ClearPath consultation

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Partners Podcast, Fede Pacheco and Adam Burke are joined by Rodrigo Elioterio, Cleber Bueno, and Vinicius Costa from SoftwareOne to explore how hybrid cloud is transforming legacy hosting models in Brazil and across the Americas. The conversation dives into how Azure Arc is helping partners modernize SPLA licensing, reduce operational overhead, and unlock AI readiness—without requiring full workload migration.

The SoftwareOne team shares real-world insights from onboarding nine partners to Azure Arc, discusses the challenges of SPLA compliance, and outlines how CSP licensing is enabling a smoother, more cost-effective path to hybrid cloud. They also highlight how Copilot is transforming their day-to-day operations and empowering teams to deliver more value, faster.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why hybrid cloud adoption is essential for legacy SPLA hosting providers.
• How SoftwareOne supports over 7.6 million active cloud users globally.
• What comes after licensing transformation—unlocking the full potential of Azure Arc.

Some questions we ask:

• How does Azure Arc simplify licensing and operations for MSPs and ISVs?
• What are the biggest challenges partners face when transitioning from SPLA?
• What advice would you give to organizations hesitant to modernize their licensing models?

Resources:

• Subscribe to our new LinkedIn Newsletter to get the latest news, insights, and episode recaps
• Connect with the Datacenter Optimization team
• Read the full SoftwareOne case study

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's episode of The Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Partners Podcast, Fede Pacheco and Adam Burke continue their tour to London to speak with leaders from Telefónica Tech about their transformation from a traditional telco to a tech-forward cloud and AI partner. Guests Alex Smith and Martyn Bullerwell, along with Partner Development Manager Tijana Ellis, share insights on hybrid cloud strategy, customer modernization journeys, the real-world adoption of AI and Copilot tools, and how Telefónica Tech is delivering secure, scalable, and innovative solutions to customers across industries—including the NHS.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why workload-based cloud migration strategies are replacing large-scale lift-and-shift projects
• Security and governance principles Telefónica Tech embeds into every cloud and AI engagement
• How Telefónica Tech helps customers overcome AI adoption challenges

Some questions we ask:

• What inspired Telefónica Tech’s transformation from a telco to a tech company?
• How does Telefónica Tech build strong, trusted relationships with its customers?
• What are the emerging trends in hybrid and multi-cloud environments that Telefónica Tech is focusing on?

Resources:

• Subscribe to our new LinkedIn Newsletter to get the latest news, insights, and episode recaps
• Connect with the Datacenter Optimization team

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 20th episode of The Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Partners Podcast, Fede Pacheco and Adam Burke chat with Berend-Jan Van Maanen, CEO of Intwo, a Netherlands-based Microsoft partner with a presence in 11 countries. Berend-Jan shares how Intwo evolved from managing on-premise data centers on SPLA to becoming a fully cloud-native provider with 1,000+ customers through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) motion. He discusses the growing demand for AI solutions, the importance of agility and peace of mind for clients, and why holistic security is critical for enabling innovation. The conversation wraps with a look at Intwo’s future following a management buyout and renewed focus on scale, specialization, and global growth.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Intwo saw the cloud as an opportunity, not a threat
• What makes the CSP model simpler and more flexible than SPLA
• Intwo’s believe in holistic cloud security as “the only way”

Some questions we ask:

• How has your investment in Azure and CSP impacted your business?
• How did Intwo’s profitability evolve through their journey?
• How does Intwo balance global reach and local speed?

Resources:

• Subscribe to our new LinkedIn Newsletter to get the latest news, insights, and episode recaps
• Connect with the Datacenter Optimization team
• Learn more about Intwo

Related Microsoft Podcasts:

• No Slides Attached Podcast
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast
• The BlueHat Podcast

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.