Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept; it’s an immediate force reshaping how vendors, partners, and customers operate. Microsoft, a central player in this shift, is embedding AI throughout its business, with a sharp focus on helping partners adapt and thrive. On the latest episode of Changing Channels, Nina Harding, corporate vice president of Americas Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft, detailed the company’s strategy for advancing AI across its vast partner ecosystem.
At the core of Microsoft’s approach are four priorities: improving the employee experience, reinventing customer engagement, transforming business processes, and accelerating innovation. Tools like Microsoft Copilot are producing tangible results, including faster sales cycles, increased revenue per head, and greater customer satisfaction. Yet Harding stressed that successful AI adoption begins internally. Microsoft urges partners to become “customer zero,” using the technology themselves to fully grasp its transformative value.
The channel ecosystem is also expanding. Microsoft is embracing not only traditional ISVs — now called software development companies (SDCs) — but also AI-native agencies and consultants. These players are building custom agents, vertical solutions, and new engagement models, all supported through Microsoft’s marketplace and partner-to-partner collaboration framework.
Data remains the foundation. Harding likened AI to the visible tip of the iceberg, with data governance, security, and access management as the submerged structure beneath. Microsoft is helping partners establish stronger data hygiene practices and secure information flows, ensuring readiness for AI implementation.
To support rapid upskilling, Microsoft is mixing formal training with organic learning opportunities — ride-alongs, peer forums, and in-the-moment skilling. The company has already enabled over 1.5 million partner professionals in the past year alone.
Harding rejects the notion that AI eliminates jobs. Instead, she views it as a tool that removes friction and frees people to focus on strategic, human-centered work — deeper conversations, smarter planning, and more impactful collaboration.
The channel isn’t just being transformed; it’s being redefined in real time. Microsoft’s message is clear: Partners that embrace AI today will lead the next wave of growth and innovation.
To hear Harding’s full insights on Microsoft’s evolving partner strategy, AI investments, and what’s next for the ecosystem, listen to the latest episode of Changing Channels.