US VARs Ramping Up New Hires on Dynamics AX 2012 Faster with Microsoft's Fast TrAX Program

Dynamics AX 2012 was a big release for both Microsoft and the AX partner channel. Consultants were eager to learn about the latest and greatest features and architecture from the moment Microsoft threw open the doors to 1,000 AX professionals at the January 2011 AX Technical Conference in Redmond.

For the US Dynamics partner team, the increasing demand for AX 2012 in the marketplace has put pressure on Dynamics AX resellers grow their AX consulting teams.  But without growth in the pool of qualified AX professionals, staffing shortages could soon become a serious risk to the product's success.

While Dynamics resellers do their own hiring and training, most do not have the time or resources to offer the type of comprehensive product training that new AX consultants really need to put them on track to become certified professionals.  So last August, Microsoft's US partner team launched the "Fast TrAX" readiness program for new AX consultants.  160 AX consultants have already "experienced Fargo" through the program, racking up over 650 training weeks.

"Ever since AX 2012 was on the horizon, we knew there were aspirations around the product and its presence in the US," explains Sara Gjerdevig, senior partner development manager for Microsoft's US partner team and a leader of Fast TrAX. "We had been formulating a plan since [early 2011] and started vetting that with partners in late May 2011."

The Fast TrAX program launched in August of 2011 as a four week program at Microsoft's Fargo campus.  The goal was to build a solid foundation for development and functional consulting resources who were starting a new career with AX. For application consultants, the program is firmly focused on AX modules and functionality, and includes lectures from Microsoft R&D ...