Microsoft overhauls partner program

Microsoft has moved to prove its responsiveness with a number of changes to its partner program.

The software vendor has added four new areas –- custom developer solutions, mobility, licensing solutions and hardware OEM -- to its list of nine competencies.

Microsoft's competencies seek to define a partner's specialisation and position its skills to customers.

The vendor has also created an online Partner Membership Centre to aid partners in managing program benefits and the points necessary to become a certified or gold partner.

Additional reseller marketing support tools and resources have also been created.

The changes, in particular around its competencies, illustrated the company’s responsiveness to its partner community, Microsoft partner group director, Kerstin Baxter, said.

“We have made adjustments and refinements,” she said. “One of those is to make sure we encompass all the solution categories partners want to take to market.”

Through including an OEM category the company could now address the needs of whitebox and ISV partners, while a licensing area would aid partners in software asset management and fulfilment, Baxter said.

“Mobility was formerly a standalone program and is now integrated into the program,” she said. “With custom developers we can now recognise the work they put in on the .Net platform.”

In response to end-user demand the company had also launched a new online tool to help end-users search for partners via competency area, Baxter said.

“The message we are sending to customers is that they should really look to work with partners who have a competency in a solution area,” she said.

The changes follow an overhaul of the partner program 18 months ago, which saw Microsoft first introduce the competencies and a points-based certified and gold accreditation system.

“I think we did a pretty good job considering the program was pretty much version one,” Baxter said.

“Some of that success can be seen in the fact that over 10,000 partner organisations which have enrolled and are active in our partner program.”

According to Baxter, the competency system had particularly been a success with a 10 percent increase in the number of partners completing competencies in the last three months.

However only 438 competencies had been completed by the vendor’s local partner-base -- and many of these being completed by the same organisation -- since their introduction, she said.

“We’ve grandfathered partners in over the past year and haven't forced the new requirements on them,” she said. “Competencies aren't an absolute requirement but we do expect the majority to have at least one.”

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