Name: Microsoft × Seismic: How to harness AI driven revenue for client facing teams
Uploaded: 2026-02-27T01:46:05.910Z
Duration: 30 min 12 s
Description: Microsoft × Seismic: How to harness AI driven revenue for client facing teams

Transcript for "Microsoft × Seismic: How to harness AI driven revenue for client facing teams": Hello everyone and welcome to today's session. I'm Jean Christophe Mignon, Senior Director of Financial Services at Seismic. Today, we're exploring the topic of Seismic and Microsoft and how they are better together and what that really means for organization like yours. Now, if you're already using Microsoft, you'll be glad to hear that Seismic is available through the Azure marketplace. That means you can purchase Seismic directly through your Microsoft Azure consumption benefit or MAC in short. But obviously we're not here today to discuss how it's easier to purchase Seismic. We're here to discuss true partnership of both companies from joint product development to deep integrations with tools like Copilot for M365, Copilot for sales, etcetera. Our platforms are designed to work hand in hand, putting the right content, insights and automations directly where your teams are already working. To tell you a little bit more about this partnership, how it started, where we fit in within the Microsoft ecosystems, plus which opportunities that creates for your teams, I'm going to hand it over to somebody who leads this work every day. Please welcome Keith McConaughey, Seismic's RVP of Partnerships and Ecosystems. Keith, over to you. My name is Keith McConaughey and I'm the regional vice president of global partnerships here at Seismic, responsible for our strategic alliances. Today, we're gonna spotlight Seismic's strategic partnership with Microsoft. Often, focus of a technology alliance like the one we have with Microsoft can center around platforms and product integrations. This is certainly an extremely important part of the value proposition that our joint customers can realize, but it's also just the tip of the spear. In this session, I'm gonna walk through a more holistic view of the partnership and how it combines both joint product innovation with a truly aligned go to market strategy, as well as how this alliance can significantly benefit our customers. Before we dive in, I wanna add just a little bit of background on the Microsoft partnership ecosystem itself. Microsoft has has had a robust partner program for many years. In recent years, it has rebranded this program as the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. With a clear emphasis on collaboration in the area of AI and Cloud. There are a number of different types of, partner types within the Microsoft ecosystem. For example, Seismic is considered an ISV partner or independent software vendor. ISVs either build solutions on Azure or integrate with various, Microsoft platforms. At Seismic, we actually do both and we'll discuss that a little later in this session. Other partnership examples include SIs who design and implement Microsoft based solutions for customers, as well as what is referred to as startups or digital natives, which are small, high growth potential cloud companies that innovate on Microsoft technologies. I won't drill into all the other types, but the primary point that I'm trying to get across is that the Microsoft partnership ecosystem is massive. The partnership count is measured in the hundreds of thousands around the globe, and standing out in this ecosystem is not an easy task. At Seismic, we believe we're doing just that. We take immense pride in the partnership we've built and the direction we're going together. As mentioned, we're gonna take a look at the Seismic Microsoft partnership in a more holistic manner. We're gonna touch upon four separate partnership elements and how they can bring value to our joint customers. This includes the partnership itself and our unique position within the ecosystem, the close co development relationship we have, especially around Copilot, our seamless product integration, and finally, our joint go to market motion. We'll actually double click a bit on the go to market piece as I feel like sometimes this gets lost in the mix and in reality has some of the most tangible benefits that joint customers can realize from this powerful collaboration. So the first element of the partnership I wanna focus on is Seismic's unique position within the vast Microsoft partnership ecosystem. Microsoft has thousands of partners, and standing out among that type of crowd is an extremely difficult thing to achieve. At Seismic, due to the business we've built, the results our customers achieve, and our approach to the Microsoft technology stack, we're fortunate enough to do just that. We've had a partnership for over ten years with Microsoft, but this relationship has really begun to ramp up in the last few years. Seismic has achieved what's called top tier partner status, and we are globally managed. And this puts us in an exclusive group of strategic partners that work closely with Microsoft on joint go to market initiatives, co selling, and product innovation. This status reflects deep alignment with Microsoft's priorities, their global reach, their technical excellence, and proven impact in driving mutual customer success at scale. Being a copilot launch partner has put us on the cutting edge when it comes to injecting generative AI and agentic capabilities into our solution. This is something we will discuss a little further later on. The Azure marketplace is another major theme that we'll discuss a bit later, but it but it is an an area of extreme alignment with Microsoft in the fact that our solutions are transactable via the marketplace and customers can use their Azure commitment investments to purchase. Okay. So why does our unique position within the Microsoft ecosystem matter to customers? Well, it comes down to access to key resources and alignment with critical technology investments. Customers can can find comfort in knowing that they're dealing with a trusted advisor who has access to resources, insights, and engineering teams at Microsoft. And Microsoft platforms, I mean these are strategic pillars within a customer's tech stack. So no matter if it's Azure from a cloud computing standpoint or Teams and M three sixty five from a collaboration and productivity standpoint, or Dynamics from a CRM standpoint, and of course who could forget Copilot from an AI strategy standpoint. These are foundational big ticket investments that companies are making. So ensuring the alignment with these anchor technologies is critical. And this goes far beyond just technical integration. That partnership status that Seismic has with Microsoft helps us ensure we stay on the cutting edge and are in alignment with the Microsoft roadmap. It is a major competitive advantage for us as we are the only sales enablement solution provider that has this level of status or position within the Microsoft partnership, ecosystem. As a byproduct of our status and and position within the partner ecosystem is the level of joint product development collaboration that Seismic and Microsoft have in place. Our core Seismic enablement cloud platform is powered by Microsoft Azure, and many of our AI capabilities are powered by Azure OpenAI. Our solutions are tightly integrated with the main surface areas where sellers, enablers, and marketers spend their time. So think Outlook, Teams, Dynamics, etcetera. These engineering efforts and ongoing enhancements are at the core are a core part of seismic strategy and has been for years. So we feel like we have this bit locked down really well. Where we're now spending our time from a joint development standpoint with Microsoft is in the area of AI and Copilot extensibility. Our teams have weekly and biweekly cadences surrounding the ongoing continued development of our Copilot extensibility. This includes infusing more agentic tasks into our flows, implementing multi turn chat capabilities, and adding new surface areas where our sellers work. This level of collaboration allows us to stay on the cutting edge when it comes to extending the value of the Microsoft ecosystem into Seismic and vice versa. Because we get early access to key technologies that help us plan our roadmap more effectively, our joint customers realize the benefits through the speed at which we're able to innovate and the alignment around the synergies of the use cases. And this level of engagement with Microsoft product and engineering teams is precious to Seismic and honestly rather rare within the ecosystem. So this enhanced level of co development has yielded an amazing set of high value, capabilities within the Seismic solution. All of this partnership status and joint development access are only beneficial if it cultivates positive outcomes for our joint customers. This fact is at the heart of why Seismic why the Seismic Microsoft Better Together story has such value for customers. The Seismic Enablement Cloud built on Azure is the recognized industry leader in relevant revenue enablement platforms used by sellers, marketers, and enablers across a variety of industries. Well, where do these sellers, marketers, and enablers spend the majority of their time? Well, they spend it in Outlook. They spend it in Teams. They spend it in PowerPoint, in Word, in Dynamics, etcetera. So it's critical for Seismic to make its capabilities easily available for the applications where our users work. That is why we've developed over 10 integrations with the between the Seismic Enablement Cloud Platform, and elements of the Microsoft product ecosystem. And these are obvious synergies and obvious efficiency gains for our customers. And in the age of Copilot and agents, we fully grasp that the efficiency gains I just mentioned can be amplified when you infuse AI into these workflows. That is where Seismic Aura comes into the picture. Aura is Seismic's AI engine with capabilities powered by Azure AI. Aura Copilot is the interface that taps into this AI capability to provide an effective role based assistant to be used within the seismic enablement cloud platform. Just like how we understand that the seismic enablement cloud needs to be enabled in the surface areas that customers are working in, we recognize that customers are making a large investment in AI, including building out both general and role based strategies around Microsoft Copilot. That is where our Copilot extensibility enters the picture. For a customer leveraging Aura Copilot, they have the ability to interface directly with Copilot for m three sixty five or Copilot for sales. This allows Aura Copilot to be a bit of a AI ambassador that can that can be called with agentic tasks directly within the Copilot workflows. Once again, maximizing the efficiency benefit for our customers. So I told you this presentation was not just going to be about product about the product based better together story. That part of the story is certainly powerful, but not the only part of the story. At Seismic, we have leaned in on building a successful joint go to market motion with Microsoft in addition to all that great product integration and innovation. This joint go to market motion has some very tangible and impressive benefits for our joint customers. So let's take a look at some of the highlights. So because Seismic is a top tier partner and our solutions are what's called IP CoCell eligible, there's a mutual incentive in place for our account teams to collaborate when engaging with joint customers. This allows us to deliver highly tailored solutions for our customers through our alignment. This should provide confidence and trust that our joint solution is going to help extend the investment that the customer has already made in the Microsoft ecosystem and ensure proper deployment. The second key element to the joint go to market motion with Microsoft is all about the Azure Marketplace. Both the core Seismic Enablement Cloud Platform and Seismic Aura Copilot are available for purchase through the Azure Marketplace. This provides our customers with a simplified procurement process and unified billing setup which can save significant time and effort for customers. Because our solutions go through a Microsoft vetting process, customers can purchase through the marketplace knowing that the solutions are already pre validated. Now these solutions are also eligible for what Microsoft refers to as the MAC incentive. Being MAC incentive eligible means customers can purchase seismic solutions through the Azure Marketplace using their existing Azure consumption commitment. This is usually the benefit our customers find the most valuable as it allows them to maximize their Azure cloud investment by purchasing Seismic using their existing Azure commitment spent. This can also help Azure customers reduce risk associated with any unconsumed commitment dollars. The last piece here that I'm gonna cover is a bit of a catch all. There are a variety of additional incentives that Microsoft provides to customers purchasing ISV solutions through the marketplace. One of those programs we found to be the most popular is the Azure sponsorship incentive. This allows us to nominate customers for free Azure credits that fit into certain criteria and plan to purchase through the Azure Marketplace. These Azure credits can be used to purchase technology and solutions through the Azure Marketplace. This has been a very effective incentive in helping customers with budget concerns or perhaps making that expansion purchase sooner. The commitment Microsoft has made to partners like Seismic in putting up a unified front to our joint customers and prospects has been extremely effective and helped us deepen our relationships with our own customer base. Okay. Well, it's time for me to wrap up. So to summarize, there is more to the strategic alliance with Microsoft than just great product development and integration capabilities. Seismic has a unique position within the Microsoft ecosystem as part of an exclusive group that includes some of the largest technology companies in the world. Seismic and Microsoft have built a close product development collaboration. As a copilot launch partner, we're at the cutting edge of leveraging AI to effectively develop agents that interface with a customer's Microsoft copilot strategy. Products and integrations are still a very important part of the story, and Seismic solutions are built on Azure and leverage Azure OpenAI. Our seamless integration with key Microsoft products like Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, Dynamics, Copilot, etcetera, allows us to meet our customers where they work. And then finally, and perhaps sometimes the most overlooked element, we've developed a joint go to market motion with Microsoft that puts us in a position to provide a variety of tangible benefits and incentives to customers while providing the best possible experience. As the only provider in the sales enablement space to be able to tout this level of engagement and status within the Microsoft partner ecosystem, it is truly a competitive advantage for Seismic and can provide immense value on multiple levels for our customer. As a final call to action, I highly recommend if you're a Microsoft or Seismic customer and interested in exploring this collaboration further, I highly recommend reaching out to either your Seismic account team or Microsoft account team about organizing a joint discovery call. And you can see for yourself the value this strategic alliance can bring to your organization. Well, that's all for me today. I wanna thank you all again for your time. Thank you so much for that Keith. That was a fantastic overview and it really brought to life how our partnership with Microsoft is delivering real value for our joint customers. To everyone listening, if you would like to learn more about Seismic's integration, or you'd like to have a bespoke demo, you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Otherwise, I'd like to thank you for joining us today and we look forward to speaking with you soon. Have a nice evening. Bye bye.