Understanding Microsoft Partnership Programs

You may have seen companies advertising the ‘Microsoft Partner’ logo on their website or mentioning it on their visiting cards. It shows that they are a part of the Microsoft Partnership Program. But, what exactly does it mean to a consumer or to an agency which is a part of the program? We try to unfold the details of the program below.

A Microsoft Partner is an organization that provides products or services offered by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Partner Network.

Tiers of the Microsoft Partnership Program

The Microsoft Partnership Program has 3 tiers:

1. Action Pack
2. Silver Partner
3. Gold Partner

Benefits of being a Microsoft Partner

With the Action Pack, companies get access to training programs and developer tools. It allows organizations to help their employees acquire useful skills that can help them attain eligibility for a Microsoft partnership program.

If an organization has a partner profile and its employees have established technical credentials, then the company can claim rewards in the form of discounts on Microsoft products and also participate in training programs by Microsoft at discounted rates. Additionally, Microsoft provides a dedicated 24 x 7 support to all its Gold and Silver Partners.

There are several Microsoft Partners Dubai with experience in implementing Microsoft Windows, Dynamics 365, SharePoint and various other Microsoft solutions.

Requirements to Become a Microsoft Partner

There are 3 requirements for becoming a Microsoft Partner. They involve an annual investment in the form of a membership fee, completing a partner profile, and technical credentials.

The Annual Membership fee for each of the 3 tiers is as below:

Action Pack: Annual Membership Fee of $475 plus taxes

Silver Partner: Annual Membership Fee of $1850 plus taxes

Gold Partner: Annual Membership Fee of $5260 plus taxes

Organisations which are a Silver Partner and have fulfilled eligibility criteria for an upgrade to the Gold Partner Level, only need to pay the difference, which is $3410 plus applicable taxes.

Partner Profile involves completing the company’s profile registration via the Microsoft Partner Membership Center. Technical Credentials can be in the form of technical exams or assessments. A further requirement for Gold and Silver Programs includes customer references. Three customer references are required for Silver Partner Level and five for Gold Partner level from any customers served in the past 1 year. These customers should have been served products and/or technologies associated with the competency chosen by the organisation seeking Gold/Silver Partnership.

Areas of Competency

There are 13 different areas in which partners can demonstrate core competency. Once an organization has achieved one of these competencies and is a silver or gold level partner, it is then eligible for incentives on Microsoft products and services.