256 – AI Trends, Marketplaces & The Future of Partnerships | Insights from Top Industry Leaders

Join Ultimate Partner’s 8th Anniversary Episode.

“This is the era of the fastest technology transformation in history.” – Nicole Dezen, Microsoft

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As we celebrate our 8th anniversary, we’re excited to bring you something truly special. Prepare for an epic video and audio compilation featuring some of the most impactful interviews and insights from the past year. This compilation is a treasure trove of wisdom from the brightest minds in the partner ecosystem.

The future of business is shaped by three unstoppable forces: AI, marketplaces, and the evolution of partnerships. We’re thrilled to feature top industry leaders in this special anniversary episode, including Microsoft’s Nicole Dezen, Cisco’s Rodney Clark, and EY’s Greg Sarafin. They will share groundbreaking insights on how AI drives innovation, how marketplaces are transforming go-to-market strategies, and how customer-centric partnerships are unlocking sustainable growth.

Whether you’re looking to stay ahead of AI trends, optimize your marketplace strategy, or future-proof your partnerships, this episode delivers the insights you need to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Join us as we reflect on the journey and look forward to a future filled with possibilities. Thank you for being part of our community; your support has been invaluable.

Mark Your Calendars Now TRANSCRIPT Anniversary Audio MP3

Vince: [00:00:00] What’s the key to driving exponential growth and innovation in today’s fast paced digital landscape? To commemorate our podcast anniversary, we’re diving into some of the most insightful episodes from the past year, focusing on three transformative themes. AI Trends to Watch in 2025, Harnessing the Power of Marketplaces, and How to Unlock Sustainable Growth.

Vince: Let’s dive in and master the future together. 

Vince (2): We believe this time is like no other. We believe, we refer to these as the tectonic shifts. 

Jay: All the hyperscalers in the world, if you add them all together, managed services will be one and a half times larger. 

Rodney: Because it is the customer buying behavior that has created the need for all of us to rethink our models.

Niti: Until we have data quality, the effectiveness of AI cannot be realized, and effectiveness of the partnerships cannot be realized. 

Mike: Can you figure out first what your purpose is and how Microsoft can support your purpose [00:01:00] and how you can support Microsoft purpose? Now we have a partnership. It’s the ultimate partnership.

Vince: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner. I’m Vince Menzione, and my mission is to help leaders like you achieve your greatest results through successful partnering. Well, we’ve been on a tear this year, as we took this podcast from a spare bedroom to a full production studio. And I’m so grateful for your support and the incredible guests that have made our over 250 episodes possible.

Vince: Three topics continue to dominate our discussions. AI, marketplaces, and effective partnerships. And with over 50 amazing interviews and our live events, we’ve been fortunate to have some of the industry’s top leaders share their insights in our deep dive on AI trends for 2025 will revisit discussions on how AI is reshaping businesses.

Vince: ensuring security and meeting evolving customer needs. Our all star lineup includes [00:02:00] Nicole Deason, chief partner officer and corporate vice president, global partner solutions at Microsoft, as she talks about the immense partner opportunities and innovations brought forth by the recent advancements in