Azure Partner Admin Link Preview

[brian_levenson]

Introducing the Partner Admin Link Preview

To further empower the partners doing important work on behalf of other companies, Microsoft is proud to announce the preview availability of the Azure Partner Admin Link. Microsoft Partners are now able to associate a Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) ID with the credentials used to manage resources within a customer's environment. By linking the partner and customer at the account level - rather than subscription or tenant - reporting and insights can be enhanced for greater precision based on actions taken on the resource instance.

Public documentation: https://aka.ms/partneradminlink

[DeanGross]

What about O365 Admins? can we expect something similar?

[brian_levenson]

Hi Dean, this is an Azure specific program right now. My understanding is that the primary mechanism for managed services within Office 365 is CSP, which allows act-on-behalf permissions. I'd love your feedback on where there are improvement opportunities, though!

[mohammed_basha]

Dear Brain,

Thank you. It was a great webinar. 

We have a situation at client place, where a client wants to tag two partners as DPoR, one being us. From webinar, I got to know we can do it through PAL.

According to my understanding, PAL will get us consumption recognition towards competency requirements etc, but not usage incentives. Only the DPOR gets the incentive dollars. Correct me if I am wrong.

Look forward to your response.

Regards,

Basha,

BDM,

TheDataTeam.

[brian_levenson]

Hi Basha,

If TheDataTeam has access to the client's environment, you can associate your MPN ID with the credentials to receive recognition for your work and influence on Azure consumption.

Best,
Brian

[mohammed_basha]

Dear Brain,

Thank you for your response. I understood the process.

Regards, Basha,

TheDataTeam

[mohammed_basha]

Dear Brain,

We recently added our MPN ID through Partner Admin Link(PAL) to one of our clients. Following are my queries:

1)For consumption tracking through PAL, do we have to refer My Insights on MPN portal?

2)How do I confirm whether MPN ID is linked to the account? Because we didn't receive any mail or notification saying our MPN ID was attached to the account through PAL.

3)How many days does it take to reflect on My Insights?

4)Do we have to submit POE for PAL as we do for DPOR?

Look forward to your response.

Regards,

Basha.

[Averkinderen]

Hi Brian,

Can you confirm that we can receive consumption recognition towards attaining our silver or gold competency requirements by using PAL?

This document is saying otherwise: 

https://www.microsoftpartnercommunity.com/t5/Microsoft-Partner-Network/Azure-Partner-Admin-Link-Preview/m-p/4625/thread-id/66?attachment-id=283

Kind regards,

Alex

[JanoschUlmer]

The recognition reg. cloud platform competency requirements is not available yet, willl be during next fiscal year (after July 2019).

However, when this will be the case, the revenue for the last 12 months will count, so adding PAL now will definitely help to fuilfill the requirements in the future.

[JASA1976]

Is there any update on when we should see something on this. When is the first time in the partner portal that we should see the revenue being tracked?

[JASA1976]

Now that we are in to August should we be able to see something in the dashboard?

How are we supposed to be able to see what we are tracking on PALS?

[mohammed_basha]

Hi @brian_levenson,

I had following queries:

1)How do I confirm whether my MPN ID is linked to the account? Because once tagged we dont receive any mail or notification saying our MPN ID was attached to the account through PAL. Also we should receive an email notification if MPN ID through PAL is removed from the account (This can even be taken as a feedback to Microsoft)

2)Once PAL is done, how many days does it take for consumption to reflect on Partner Center Portal?

3)Can PAL be done by any of our team member with user account, who has access to client org or the team member should have an admin role?

4)For EA(Enterprise Agreement) where we don’t have any user accounts, would it count if the customer’s admin accounts tag us as a PAL?

5)azurepartneradmin@microsoft.com email ID doesnt work and emails sent to it bounces back

Look forward to your response

Regards,

Basha,

TheDataTeam

[Pete_Lilburn]

Basha  - have you reciev a reply as yet??

Regs Pete

---

@mohammed_basha wrote:

Dear Brain,

We recently added our MPN ID through Partner Admin Link(PAL) to one of our clients. Following are my queries:

1)For consumption tracking through PAL, do we have to refer My Insights on MPN portal?

2)How do I confirm whether MPN ID is linked to the account? Because we didn't receive any mail or notification saying our MPN ID was attached to the account through PAL.

3)How many days does it take to reflect on My Insights?

4)Do we have to submit POE for PAL as we do for DPOR?

Look forward to your response.

Regards,

Basha.

---

[mohammed_basha]

Hi @Pete_Lilburn ,

Thanks for reaching out. I connected with @brian_levenson on Linkedin for PAL, looks like he moved to a new role focussed towards- Commercial Marketplace. But he was really helpful enough to answer all my queries:

1. How do I confirm whether my MPN ID is linked to the account? Because once tagged we don't receive any mail or notification saying our MPN ID was attached to the account through PAL. Also, we should receive an email notification if MPN ID through PAL is removed from the account (This can even be taken as feedback to Microsoft)
   The UX in the Azure Portal validates and confirms when the MPN ID has been accepted. There is also reporting in Partner Center that refreshes monthly.
2. Once PAL is done, how many days does it take for consumption to reflect on Partner Center Portal?
   Up to one month
3. Can PAL be done by any of our team member with user account, who has access to client org or the team member should have an admin role?
   Yes, anyone with access to the customer's Azure tenant. They need an RBAC role with permissions that cover resources generating revenue.
4. For EA(Enterprise Agreement) where we don’t have any user accounts, would it count if the customer’s admin accounts tag us as a PAL?
   No, if you don't have access to the customer's infrastructure, you are not delivering management services and acting on their behalf. That is what PAL is designed to recognize. Having a customer apply PAL to their own account is a violation of the intention and policy.
5. azurepartneradmin@microsoft.com email ID doesn't work and emails sent to it bounces back
   That email address was the eng team for the preview release in 2018 and was decommissioned a long time ago. Sorry!

Hope this helps!!! If you have any more queries let me, we are planning to attend PLC and would get more info on this

Regards,

Basha,

+91 7338345084

TheDataTeam

[Iulia]

Dear Partners,

We have seen recently numerous questions on the Microsoft Partner Community and requests received by our Support teams around Azure PAL and the possibility to use PAL to count towards Cloud Platform competency.

Azure Partner Admin Link Preview

Partner Admin Link (PAL) enables Microsoft to identify and recognize partners who drive Azure customer success. Optimized for managed services where your organization is acting on behalf of the customer, PAL allows you to associate your MPN ID with the credentials that you use to deliver services within the customer's Azure tenant. More information is available here.

However Azure Partner Admin Link (PAL) is not included in attaining competencies.

The requirements listed for attaining the Cloud Platform Competency include the following : Your company should have achieved the Azure revenue through Digital Partner of Record association, selling as Direct providers, indirect resellers. Offer types Trial, Benefits programs, Support and Internal are excluded.

Please bear in mind only DPOR and CSP count towards Cloud Platform competency.

[JASA1976]

Doesn't that go against whats previously been said and that PALS will count towrds the competencies?

Wasn't this confirmed earlier by Brian and Janosch and I believe should shows as influenced revenue in the reporting?

If it doesn't count towards the competency then whats the point?

---

@Iulia wrote:

Dear Partners,

We have seen recently numerous questions on the Microsoft Partner Community and requests received by our Support teams around Azure PAL and the possibility to use PAL to count towards Cloud Platform competency.

Azure Partner Admin Link Preview

Partner Admin Link (PAL) enables Microsoft to identify and recognize partners who drive Azure customer success. Optimized for managed services where your organization is acting on behalf of the customer, PAL allows you to associate your MPN ID with the credentials that you use to deliver services within the customer's Azure tenant. More information is available here.

However Azure Partner Admin Link (PAL) is not included in attaining competencies.

The requirements listed for attaining the Cloud Platform Competency include the following : Your company should have achieved the Azure revenue through Digital Partner of Record association, selling as Direct providers, indirect resellers. Offer types Trial, Benefits programs, Support and Internal are excluded.

Please bear in mind only DPOR and CSP count towards Cloud Platform competency.

---

[JanoschUlmer]

@Iulia : Can you comment on plans that PAL will count for cloud competency in the future? And can you add information what PAL can actually be used for? 

[JASA1976]

Any update as its 2 weeks?

[Mihai]

Hi @JASA1976 

Thank you very much for your patience! 

I have read the entire communication and I understand your issue. I saw that you have been provided by Iulia with a series of information.

Until new announcements about PAL, I strongly recommend you to use only the official sources with info provided by Microsoft Partner website. This is the most comprehensive view you can have right know on PAL. Iulia's info and link will guide you accordingly to exactly what particularities you need. 

Thank you!

Mihai

[timd]

Hello - Is there any ability to set/modify PAL via an API? I only see reference to UX, CLI, and PS but no REST API.

This should be an expected method for MSPs and large Partners to onboard PAL at scale through automation without the need for modules.

Thanks.

[Mihai]

Hi @timd,

Thank you very much for getting in touch with us on Microsoft Partner Community!

I will do an investigation on this and will try to reach someone with this kind of knowledge. 

Keep in touch and have a nice day!

Mihai

[ggalloway]

In case you don’t get an answer... If you want to figure out the REST API behind PowerShell you can just run Fiddler to monitor what REST API is called behind the scenes.

[Iulia]

Hi @JASA1976 

PAL association only counts towards attaining the Azure Expert MSP program. It is not taken into account in case partners want to enroll in any competency.

Azure Expert Managed Services Provider (MSP) is a program which provides full support for the Azure MSPs and enables revenue increase for them and their customers. Click here to learn more about this program.

[Iulia]

@JanoschUlmer 

We haven't been informed about any plan to take the PAL association into account for cloud competencies. We don't know if this will be in place in the future.
What we can confirm is that PAL only counts towards attaining the Azure Expert MSP program.

[JASA1976]

@Iulia Do you happen to know whether it will count towards the advanced specializations? 

In the Partner dashboard there's no link to any information and it doesn't specifically mention DPOR, PALS, etc