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, we announced key changes to the Microsoft Partner Network programs. Effective October 2022, we are changing the name of our partner program from “Microsoft Partner Network” to the “Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.” The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program is for all partners in our ecosystem, whether they build and sell services, software solutions, or devices.
We’re simplifying our partner programs with solutions partner designations, anchored on the Microsoft Cloud in six solution areas aligned to how Microsoft goes to market.
- Data & AI (Azure)
- Infrastructure (Azure)
- Digital & App Innovation (Azure)
- Business Applications
- Modern Work
- Security
By attaining these designations, you can demonstrate your organization’s capabilities in delivering customer success in the solution areas. That’s valuable for you, because it’s where we see customer demand, and where the opportunity is for partners to scale to meet customer needs.
Announcement Highlights:
- Effective October 2022, Microsoft Partner Network will be renamed to Microsoft Cloud Partner Program.
- We anchor partner growth on our six solutions areas aligned to the Microsoft Cloud, plus a Microsoft Cloud designation.
- We move away from Silver and Gold to two qualifying levels: solutions partner and specialist/expert.
- To attain the new solutions partner designation, partners will need to demonstrate their organization’s capability in 1) performance 2) skilling, and 3) customer success (as measured by partner capability score).
- Partners can access a dashboard in Partner Center that shows how they are tracking towards each of the new solutions partner designations and where they can take action to improve their performance scores.
- As partners attain the new designations starting October 2022, they’ll have the choice to move to updated benefits or retain their legacy benefits.
We are implementing these changes to help you succeed. Our ongoing investments in partners are designed to help expand your capabilities to create value in the market, to connect with customers, and to win new business. Together, we will grow our ability to provide innovative, customer-centric, trusted solutions. Thank you for your partnership.
Find out more about the Microsoft Partner Network programs on the below useful links:
