Microsoft has over 64,000 partners but what are the different levels of them? Silver, and Gold are the two tiers of Microsoft partners that assist companies in choosing the right one for them.
Participating in Microsoft’s Partner of Record programme by obtaining one of the three Microsoft competencies. That is, managed service providers may collaborate closely with their subscribers to help them save money and make the most of their subscriptions.
What Is A Microsoft Certified Partner?
MCPs, or Microsoft Certified Partners, are businesses with an established relationship with Microsoft that distribute and support Microsoft-related goods and services across the globe. Microsoft mandates that MCPs provide support for these goods and services.
If you know anything about Microsoft, you know that insider information is hard to come by. All MCPs are Microsoft experts. However, some have a wider range of knowledge and may provide more specific assistance.
What Are The Levels Of Microsoft Partners?
Microsoft’s various levels of the partnership were established to categorise better partners based on their expertise in certain areas, allowing consumers to choose the right one for their needs more easily. Partners with a Silver competence in all other areas, but a Gold competency in Application Development, show clear expertise in App development.
Silver-Certified Partners
In order to achieve Silver Microsoft partner, businesses must prove that their employees possess the knowledge and skills required by the certification programme. The Microsoft Partner Program has 18 different areas of expertise to choose from. These areas fall under four main headings: apps and infrastructure, business applications, data and AI, and contemporary workplace and security.
In order to get Silver status, you must achieve either yearly licensing requirements or new customer acquisition and revenue goals. Some skill sets, including data analysis and security, require certain employees to attend customised courses or pass qualifying examinations. To achieve Silver status, a business must have at least two Microsoft Certified Professionals employees and pay an annual fee.
Gold-Certified Partners
This is Microsoft’s pinnacle partner certification. To become a Microsoft Gold partner, a company must show that it is highly skilled in a certain field. A minimum of four MCTs (Microsoft Certified Trainers), with at least two passing the sales and marketing exam and one passing the licence overview assessment, are also required of the partner. Gold partners must obtain 120 partner points and exceed performance levels in the different skills.
Earning Microsoft’s Gold Certification as a partner is a significant achievement. In addition, Microsoft conducts frequent, in-depth audits of its Gold partners to ensure that businesses continue providing excellent customer support. Keeping one’s Gold status may be even more difficult than earning it in the first place.
Where Does One Go After Silver And Gold?
Many companies in the information technology industry and software developers are still planning to expand their Microsoft practice. They may still need to be ready to become a Microsoft partner. The Microsoft Action Pack is a subscription to various support and training services that allow such businesses to continue working with Microsoft.
They are provided with a suite of developer tools from Microsoft for free, allowing them to build their desktop and mobile applications and utilise Microsoft’s office suite of programmes at no cost to operate their company.
What Is PAL, POR, and DPOR?
Your company’s Partner Of Record is the person or entity officially recognized as the company’s legal partner for all purposes. Through the Partner Admin Link, Microsoft is privy to the POR’s progress and achievements (PAL). A partner may be designated as either a Digital POR (in charge of services like Azure, Office 365, Intune, EMS, Power BI, and Microsoft 365 ERP software for construction) or a Claiming POR (in charge of billing and collections) (managing Microsoft 365).
Adding a POR to your membership may help you achieve your goals by maximising your use while decreasing your subscription expenses. Your company’s Partner of Record (POR) is the person or people designated to act on its behalf in all matters. Through the Partner Admin Link, Microsoft is privy to the POR’s progress and achievements (PAL).
Partner Admin Link (PAL)
Microsoft recognizes partners that assist customers in getting the most out of their Azure subscriptions by issuing them a Partner Admin Link (PAL). Partner Admin Links may be an invaluable resource in projects where numerous partners are contributing to an Azure workload.
Through PAL, companies may share their Microsoft credentials with their partners to provide their customers with cloud optimization and Azure support. Data access controls established by the client will remain unchanged due to this relationship. It uses the Partner Admin Link to guarantee high standards from its partners.
Partners of Record (POR)
To get the most out of their Microsoft subscriptions, many businesses rely on the assistance of a Microsoft Partner of Record (POR). When a POR is assigned, they can keep an eye on us and provide cost-cutting recommendations. POR may be either chronic or intermittent.
What Purpose Does The Partner Network Serve?
To help technology firms grow their businesses around Microsoft technologies. Microsoft has created a network of partners known as the Microsoft Partner Network (previously known as the Microsoft Partner Program).
For the sake of their customers, Microsoft strongly suggests that companies seek out their Partners in the Partner Network. The Partner Network delivers Microsoft’s products and services, installation and support. With a more personal experience than such a massive organisation ever could for millions of consumers. The Network combines the reach of a multinational corporation with the accessibility and individual attention of a local outfit.
The many kinds of Partners are here to help you narrow down your options quickly. You may learn more about a partner’s expertise and tailored offerings by perusing their collection of certificates.
