Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Overview Updated: July 18, 2023

Contents Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Program overview
• Welcome to the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program
• Foundation for growth and profitability
• Focusing on customer needs and your growth
• Solutions Partner designations
• Holistic measurement through the partner capability score
• How to attain a Solutions Partner designation
• Requirements for each Solutions Partner designation
• Grow your partner capability score with partner associations
• Benefits for Solutions Partner designations
• Differentiate with specializations

Key dates

Next steps

Additional resources
Welcome to the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

The world and how we work is rapidly In this walking deck, we’ve outlined the
changing. The opportunities for Microsoft Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program—focused
partners—whether you build and sell services, on simplifying our programs, delivering greater
software solutions, or devices—are significant. customer value, investing in your growth in
The capabilities required by our customers are new ways, and recognizing how you deliver
evolving, and our partner programs are customer value.
changing to meet that demand.
The Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program is your foundation
for growth and profitability
Our program is a portfolio of tools, resources, and offerings to help you meet evolving customer
opportunities, innovate for any cloud scenario on an extensible platform, join a community of partners
committed to serving customers, and deliver successful solutions to industries and markets worldwide.

Innovate on the most

Tap into the largest Do business with a partner
comprehensive, end-to-end
technology ecosystem you can trust
cloud platform
Focusing on customer needs and your growth
We’re providing clear pathways for partners to grow their business, deliver customer success, and invest in
their partnership with Microsoft.

Simplified partner Validating partner capabilities to Investing in partners’

programs deliver successful outcomes profitability

New Solutions Partner designations New partner capability score Program benefits continue to
demonstrate your organization’s holistically measures your support you as you grow your
breadth of capabilities on the organization’s technical capabilities business. We are making investments
Microsoft Cloud. The six solution and experience across performance, to help encourage business
area designations in market are skilling, and customer success. development, increase customer
aligned to where we see customer reach, and expand technical skilling
demand and where partners have the and enablement.
greatest opportunity to scale to meet
customer needs.
Solutions Partner designations
The Solutions Partner designation is the first opportunity for you to set yourself apart from the competition
by demonstrating your organization’s breadth of capabilities in solution areas with high customer demand
and opportunities to scale.

Easily identifiable Choose one or more Opportunity

Customers want to work with Partners can choose to earn one There are significant opportunities for
partners who have the right skills and Solutions Partner designation, or partners in this new world of work—
capabilities to meet their needs. more, if applicable to your whether you build and sell services,
A Solutions Partner designation organization. software, or devices.
identifies partners with specific Once you attain a Solutions Partner We’re continuing to invest in new
capabilities and experiences in high designation, subsequent designations to differentiate solutions
customer demand solution areas. designations can be attained, after based on partners’ technical maturity
requirements are met, with no and customer success.
additional fee.
Distinguish yourself with Solutions Partner designations

Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner *Solutions Partner
for Business for Data & AI for Digital & App for Infrastructure for for for Microsoft
Applications (Azure) Innovation (Azure) (Azure) Modern Work Security Cloud

Designations aligned to the Microsoft solution areas recognize your broad technical capabilities and
demonstrated success delivering technology solutions.

Benefits aligned to your Solutions Partner designation include product benefits, go-to-market services, co-sell
eligibility, skilling and sales enablement resources, and customer-facing badges to help you market your
expertise.

Specializations further validate deep technical expertise after you attain a Solutions Partner designation and
set you apart from the competition.

*Partners who attain all six Solutions Partner designations receive a Microsoft Cloud badge, recognizing your capabilities across the Microsoft Cloud.
Holistic measurement through the partner capability score
The Solutions Partner designation has a holistic measurement framework, the partner capability score, which
measures your organization’s technical capabilities, allowing you to showcase solutions you have delivered to
help customers succeed and grow.

70

Maintain flexibility Validate capability Track your progress Showcase your expertise

New telemetry-based Demonstrate your The partner capability New customer-facing

partner capability score organization’s capability in score dashboard in badges help you stand out
model provides you with 1) performance, Partner Center shows how and market your
flexibility to demonstrate 2) skilling, and you’re tracking towards capabilities once you’ve
your knowledge, skills, 3) customer success. new designations and attained a designation.
and experience. where you can take action
Partners need at least 70
to increase your score.
points out of a possible
100 points to attain a
Solutions Partner
designation.
How to attain a Solutions Partner designation
The partner capability score provides flexibility to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and experience across
subcategories of performance, skilling, and customer success.

A minimum of 70
points must be earned,
with points in each
category. Performance Skilling Customer success
This category is This category verifies This category is
There are 100 measured by net and demonstrates your measured by usage
points possible in total customer adds. dedication to skilling growth and the number
across categories. and training by of solution deployments.
intermediate and
advanced certifications.

Admins can sign-in to Partner Center to see how your organization is progressing towards a Solutions Partner designation..
 Requirements for each Solutions Partner designation
Each designation has a specific number of possible points that can be earned per category. You have the
flexibility to choose which categories to focus on within a solution area to match your business needs.
Each Solutions Partner
designation requires
70+ points Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner Solutions Partner
with at least one point for Business for Data & AI for Digital & App for Infrastructure for Modern Work for Security
in each subcategory
Applications (Azure) Innovation (Azure) (Azure)

-------------------------------------------------------------- Subcategory ----------------------------------------------------------

--------------- Category -------------

Performance Net customer

15pts
Net customer
30pts
Net customer
30pts
Net customer
30pts
Net customer
20pts
Net customer
20pts
adds adds adds adds adds adds

Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate

20pts 20pts 20pts 10pts
Certs Certs Certs Certs
Intermediate Intermediate
Skilling Certs
40pts
Certs
40pts

Advanced Advanced Advanced Advanced

15pts 20pts 20pts 15pts
Certs Certs Certs Certs

Customer Usage Growth 30pts Usage Growth 20pts Usage Growth 20pts Usage Growth 20pts Usage Growth 30pts Usage Growth 20pts
Success

represents maximum number Deployments 20pts Deployments 10pts Deployments 10pts Deployments 10pts Deployments 25pts Deployments 20pts
# of points in that subcategory
Grow your partner capability score with partner associations
Make sure your organization is receiving the points you’ve earned by having the right associations in place.

Associations are the sole mechanism by which customer success, performance, and skilling subcategory
points are acknowledged and calculated towards achieving Solutions Partner designations

There are two paths to earning points:

 Partner associations recognize partners for performance and customer success subcategories including
net customer adds, usage growth, and deployment
 Certified professional associations provide visibility into the certifications individuals in your company
have earned

Ensure your partner associations are connected as you prep to attain Solutions Partner designations

Explore the Partner Associations Playbook for more information on which associations are right for you
and additional steps to maximize your partner capability score.
Benefits for Solutions Partner designations
Benefits for Solutions Partners are effective, helpful, and relevant to your organization. We’re investing more to help
you with business development, increasing customer reach, and expanding technical skilling and enablement.

Encouraging business Increasing Expanding technical skilling

development customer reach and enablement
• Product benefits (formerly internal • Co-selling with Microsoft to • Personalized assistance,
use licenses) have been designed to expand your customer footprint comprehensive courses, and
align to the Solutions Partner • Go-To-Market services, assets, and world-class Microsoft experts
designations, including: personalized consultation to help to build your knowledge
o Azure bulk credits for your you along your marketing journey • Technical presales and deployment
organization • Microsoft solutions provider services to help you deliver
o Access to development placement to increase exposure solutions faster
environments • Customer-facing badges to • Product (on-prem and
o New cloud services showcase your capabilities cloud), platform, and technical
subscriptions that are most support to help you troubleshoot
relevant in market specific issues

For details about benefits specific to each Solutions Partner designation, review our benefits guide
Differentiate further with specializations
Once you attain a Solutions Partner designation, you can further differentiate your deep technical expertise
and experience with specializations.

Greater customer Prioritization Incremental product Showcase your expertise

confidence benefits

Earning a specialization Benefits to earning a Gain access to incremental Earn a customer-facing

validates your deep specialization include product benefits to further badge to display on your
technical expertise, prioritization ranking in the accelerate your business, business profile in the
differentiates you from commercial marketplace including greater access to Microsoft AppSource
your competitors in areas and evaluation for active Azure credits, additional partner gallery to promote
with high customer cooperative selling product licenses, and your expertise.
demand, and helps opportunities with cloud service subscriptions
customers identify your Microsoft field sellers. that are most relevant in
ability to meet their market today.
specific needs.

Learn more about earning specializations to further differentiate your capabilities to customers.
How specializations map to Solutions Partner designations

Business Data & AI Digital & App Infrastructure

Modern Work Security
Applications (Azure) Innovation (Azure) (Azure)
Business Intelligence AI and Machine Learning on AI and Machine Learning on Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Adoption and Change Cloud Security
Microsoft Azure Microsoft Azure with Microsoft Azure Stack Management
Finance Identity and Access
HCI
Intelligent Automation Analytics on Microsoft Azure Build and Modernize AI Calling for Solutions for Management
Build and Modernize AI Apps with Microsoft Azure Infra and Database Microsoft Teams Information Protection and
Microsoft Low Code Migration to Microsoft
Apps with Microsoft Azure DevOps with GitHub on Custom Solutions for Governance
Application Development Azure
Microsoft Azure Microsoft Teams
Business Intelligence Threat Protection
Sales Microsoft Azure VMware
Intelligent Automation Meetings and Meeting
Service Data Warehouse Migration Solution
Rooms for Microsoft Teams
to Microsoft Azure Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure
Small and Midsize Business Microsoft Azure Virtual
Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure with Microsoft Azure Stack Modernize Endpoints
Management Desktop
with Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Teamwork Deployment
Supply Chain HCI Kubernetes on Microsoft Networking Services in
Azure Microsoft Azure
Infra and Database
SAP on Microsoft Azure
Migration to Microsoft Microsoft Low Code
Azure Application Development
Kubernetes on Microsoft Migrate Enterprise
Azure Applications to Microsoft
Migrate Enterprise Azure
Applications to Microsoft
Azure
 Legacy competencies and associated badging are no longer in
General availability (GA) market. Partners are no longer considered or referred to as
October 3, 2022 gold or silver partners. Partners can choose to retain the legacy
benefits historically associated to their past competencies.

Key dates for At your anniversary date or new enrollment

Solutions Partner
designations Looking to attain or maintain the Solutions Partner
designation(s)?
Not eligible?
For partners who have not met the requirements for a
After meeting all requirements for one or more Solutions Partner Solutions Partner designation and had a legacy competency
How and when Microsoft designations: on September 30, 2022, you’ll have the option to continue to
pay a fee (aligned to your legacy competency fee) and retain
partners can attain Solutions • Enroll or renew in Partner Center
your legacy benefits.
Partner designations • Activate your Solutions Partner benefits (or select and activate
If you choose not to purchase your legacy benefits, you also
legacy benefits package, if eligible)
have the option to purchase a Microsoft Action Pack.
• Earn a specialization to access incremental product benefits

Between anniversary dates

Eligible for a Solutions Partner designation? Need more time?

If your organization meets the criteria for Solutions Partner If your organization doesn’t yet meet the criteria for
designation, earning 70 points or more: Solutions Partner designation:
• Between anniversary dates, partners will receive the • No change to your benefits until your anniversary date.
designation and badge. • At any time, meet the requirements and earn a Solutions
Partner designation.
• No change to existing benefits until your anniversary date.
• Attain a second to sixth Solutions Partner designation
between anniversary dates and get the incremental
benefits for your new designations right away

At your next anniversary date

Same as the last anniversary date

Next steps

Admins can sign-in to Partner Center to see how your

organization is progressing towards a Solutions Partner
designation and see the associated benefits.

Go to Training Gallery & Microsoft docs to learn about the

requirements needed to attain a Solutions Partner designation.

For more information visit the Microsoft partner website and

Microsoft partner blog.
Additional resources
Training asset gallery Partner capability score dashboard Microsoft partner blog

Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for

Business Applications Data & AI (Azure) Digital & App Innovation (Azure)

Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for Digital & App
Business Applications overview page Data & AI overview page Innovation overview page

Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for

Infrastructure (Azure) Modern Work Security

Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for Solutions Partner for

Infrastructure overview page Modern Work overview page Security overview page
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