Microsoft is reinventing its Partner Network programs for partner growth and customer success

The Microsoft Partner Network is comprised of more than 400,000 global organizations and these partners are essential to how Microsoft delivers innovative products and services to customers around the world. This deep relationship between Microsoft and our partners spans more than 30 years, and in that time frame our partners have provided unique solutions across numerous industries, helping countless customers succeed in an ever-changing world. They especially have played a pivotal role in helping businesses adapt amidst the pandemic. As things continue to change and evolve, Microsoft is committed to investing in and delivering what partners need to innovate, grow their businesses and deliver on the promise of digital transformation for customers across organizations and industries.

To continue enabling partners — and by extension their customers — for success, Microsoft is focused on three major commitment areas:

• Strengthening our digital capability. Microsoft is providing well-defined guidelines and resources for partners across our digital experiences to navigate building solutions more effortlessly, going-to-market, and selling with Microsoft. By aligning partner experiences across the commercial marketplace, Partner Center, and the Microsoft Partner Network, Microsoft is making it easier for everyone to engage and collaborate.
• Deepening partner technical capabilities. Equipping partners to better meet customer needs by investing in and accelerating our joint capability. Microsoft is supporting partners on their readiness journeys by helping them gain advanced specializations and deep technical training across solution areas including business applications, Azure and security, compliance and identity. We’ve specifically committed to a 250% year-over-year (YOY) increase in spending in this area.
• Streamlining engagement between Microsoft and our partners. Microsoft is sharing more opportunities and enhancing the commercial marketplace as well as Partner Center, making it easier for partners to engage with us and drive profitability. In July 2021, for example, we lowered our marketplace transaction fee from 20% to 3% . Through these reductions, partners can invest even more deeply in their own growth plans.

The next step

Today, as a part of our investment in the cloud as a strategic lever for innovation and growth, and as a reflection of our continued commitment to partners, Microsoft is announcing that effective October 2022, Microsoft is changing the name of our partner program from “Microsoft Partner Network” to the “Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.”

This announcement is about more than a name; this change better reflects the enormous and ongoing transition of business operations to the cloud, and how Microsoft intends to support partners in the future. It aligns our partners’ go-to-market motions with the way customers buy today.

The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program is for all partners in our ecosystem, whether they build and sell services, software solutions or devices, and is focused on proficiency in six solution areas aligned with the Microsoft Cloud:

• Data & AI (Azure)
• Infrastructure (Azure)
• Digital & App Innovation (Azure)
• Business Applications
• Modern Work
• Security

Microsoft is also evolving the way we categorize partner capability and measure success. To help customers better understand a partner’s capabilities, Microsoft is offering two qualifying levels:

• The solutions partner level is a designation that is based on meeting specific requirements across what we call the partner capability score for each solution area.
• Specializations and expert programs will give solutions partners a way to differentiate their organizations and demonstrate deep technical expertise and experience in specific technical scenarios under each solution area.

These two designations clearly and immediately validate a partner’s capability to meet specific and evolving customer requirements and give customers an easier way to identify partners with technical capabilities, knowledge and a history of delivering innovative solutions in specific areas. They also provide a road map for helping build partner capability and guiding the way we invest in partners.

Investment in partner growth and success requires a robust, objective measurement of progress against a partner’s chosen solution areas. As noted above, to quantify that progress, we’ve developed the partner capability score, a holistic framework for measuring partner performance, skilling and customer success. The partner capability score evaluates a partner based on their certifications, added customers, successful deployments and overall growth.

To attain a solutions partner designation, partners will need to earn a partner capability score of at least 70 points (out of an available 100 points) across the four measurement areas. Starting today, all partners can access their dashboard in the Partner Center to see their progress toward a solutions partner designation.

Important Dates – Upcoming Changes

September 30, 2022: The last date to renew a legacy competency.

October 3, 2022, to the partner’s next anniversary date:

• On October 3, Solutions Partner designations will be available to attain.
• Partners who meet the requirements, will attain a Solutions Partner designation and receive the new customer-facing badging.
• Legacy competencies and associated badging will no longer be valid, but partners that have a competency by September 30, 2022, will continue to receive legacy benefits until their next anniversary date. After that time, we’ll provide options for them to continue to purchase legacy benefits.

On the partner’s first anniversary date after October 3, 2022:

• Partners who attain a Solutions Partner designation can choose to move to the updated Solutions Partner benefits or retain their legacy benefits, and pay the corresponding fee.
• Partners who don’t meet the requirements for a Solutions Partner designation but who renewed a competency by September 30, 2022, will have the option to continue to pay the fee to retain their legacy benefits.

Author Details

• Author Details

Maria Davis

Manager, Customer Experience

Author Details

Based in Colorado, Maria Davis is best known for her contributions to media marketing, translation and writing. She is currently working as a CX Manager for Routeget Technologies. She entered the writing world to explore her passion for contrastive linguistics, adaptation and lexicography. Ava also enjoys skiing, social media management and vegan parties.

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Maria Davis

Manager, Customer Experience

Based in Colorado, Maria Davis is best known for her contributions to media marketing, translation and writing. She is currently working as a CX Manager for Routeget Technologies. She entered the writing world to explore her passion for contrastive linguistics, adaptation and lexicography. Ava also enjoys skiing, social media management and vegan parties.

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