Biz Apps Partner Podcast: Terry Petrzelka on Aligning with Microsoft, Data Quality, Becoming ‘AI-Ready’
In this episode of the “Biz Apps Partner Podcast,” Terry Petrzelka, Strategic Advisor, Biz Apps Partner Summit, joins John Siefert to discuss the value of aligning with Microsoft, the importance of adapting to technological shifts, such as Microsoft’s move to the cloud and the integration of AI, to support businesses. Terry also explains the need for industry knowledge, effective data management, and building an “AI-ready” business to deliver value to clients.
This episode is brought to you by two events: the Biz Apps Partner Marketing Workshop, taking place on October 13, at Community Summit North America 2024, and the Biz Apps Partner Summit, taking place July 23-24, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.
Key Takeaways
- Career overview: Terry shared that at a point during his career, he faced challenges implementing a business system across 20-30 offices in North America due to the lack of a single partner to support them. Eventually, he decided to drive his own implementation, which led to the global growth of his, spanning 22 different countries. The alignment of the company’s business practices with Great Plains, and later Microsoft, played a significant role in this expansion, demonstrating the value of a partnership with Microsoft.
- Aligning with Microsoft: Microsoft’s acquisition of the Damgaard and Navision products enabled multi-country and multi-location capabilities, which was a significant shift in the technology landscape. This evolution continued with Microsoft’s move to the cloud around 2013, requiring businesses to adapt their channel strategies and train their people on new technologies. Terry emphasizes the importance of aligning with Microsoft’s platform and investing in AI to support businesses, particularly in the SMB space.
- Advance with industry knowledge: Terry expresses the importance of industry knowledge and how his company transitioned from a horizontal to a vertical business by acquiring and globalizing industry solutions. He highlights the significance of AI and tools like Copilot Studio in differentiating themselves and adding value to clients, ultimately becoming indispensable business partners. Terry also references the challenge of managing data effectively, comparing it to a landfill with recyclable and non-recyclable elements, and stresses the need for cost-effective and timely data management.
- Value of good data: Creating good, consistent data during system architecture and design is crucial, highlighting a shift in thought that recognizes the value of good data has become a reality. The ongoing challenge of managing existing data was not initially designed with this mindset.
- Integrating AI: Terry emphasizes the importance of working with both emerging and larger partners to positively respond to clients’ needs and explains that a focus on AI technology and building an “AI-ready” business to deliver effective services to clients is a wise investment. Further, he notes the value of aligning with publisher’s investments, particularly Microsoft’s significant investment in data centers to support AI models. Channel partners should map their business strategies to these investments and focus on building AI capabilities.
Stream the audio version of this episode here:
