Opkalla Announces Hiring of Microsoft Practice Director, Earns Two New Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations

These signal a deep, sustained investment in the company’s Microsoft practice.

January 22, 2026 - Charlotte, NC – Opkalla has announced its hiring of the company’s first-ever Microsoft Practice Director, John Fread.

Fread, who brings to Opkalla more than 30 years of industry experience and a background in leadership, will lead the company’s fast-growing Microsoft team and enhance its operations as a Microsoft Cloud Solutions Provider (CSP). He will also play an instrumental role in managing Opkalla’s Microsoft Premium Support Plus offering, a next-level support plan available to all organizations regardless of their Microsoft contract type.

In addition to this hire, Opkalla has earned new designations as a Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure) and Data & AI (Azure). These demonstrate strong capabilities in helping customers manage key infrastructure workloads and data, as well as connecting with customer’s needs through solutions like Azure AI Foundry and Fabric. This marks Opkalla’s second and third major Microsoft designations in the last year, following its earning of the Solutions Partner for Security designation in September 2025.  

“At Opkalla, our mission is to simplify the complex and become an extension of our clients’ IT teams. Steve Ermish, Opkalla COO and Managing Partner, said. “Bringing in John Fread, as well as earning these two new Microsoft designations, prove that our teams are equipped to drive measurable business impact and help our clients build what's next.”

The Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure) designation demonstrates technical expertise and customer success in:

• Migrating key infrastructure workloads to Microsoft Azure.

• Modernizing IT environments by moving on-premises servers, virtual machines, and networking to the cloud.

• Delivering secure, scalable, and cost-effective infrastructure solutions.

The Solutions Partner for Data & AI (Azure) designation indicates skill in:

• Managing and analyzing data across multiple systems.

• Building data platforms on Azure for storage, integration, and governance.

• Implementing AI and machine learning solutions to help customers gain insights and make data-driven decisions.

Any IT teams interested in leveraging Opkalla as a Microsoft CSP, specifically those concerned with implementing Microsoft Azure solutions, can get started in three simple steps at https://www.opkalla.com/register-opkalla-microsoft-partner.  

For more information, interested business leaders can send a message using the form at https://opkalla.com/contact.

About Opkalla  

Opkalla helps their clients navigate the confusion in the technology marketplace and choose the solution that is right for their business. They work alongside IT teams to design, procure, implement and support the most complex IT solutions without an agenda or technology bias. Opkalla was founded around the belief that IT professionals deserve better, and is guided by their core values: trust, transparency and speed. For more information, visit https://opkalla.com/ or follow them on LinkedIn.   

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