Microsoft accused of forcing SMB partners into cloud

Partners vexed by Office 365 exam requirements of new Small Business Competency

Microsoft’s decision to force resellers to bone up on Office 365 to earn its new Small Business Competency has been questioned by some partners.

The software giant used a blog post last week to announce the requirements for the new accreditation. Both Gold and Silver-level partners must have, among other things, passed an exam in either administering or deploying Office 365 to make the grade.

The fee for joining is $1,850 (£1,144) at Silver level and $3,800 at Gold level.

Andy Trish, managing director of Microsoft partner NCI Technologies, argued that the move could force SMB resellers to go down the cloud route when their customers are not ready. Just one of NCI’s customers is in the cloud, Trish said.

“Given that the majority of SMBs are still on-premise, why create a requirement to pass Office 365 exams to get the competency?,” Trish asked in a blog post. “Oh yes, Microsoft is leading with the cloud. If Microsoft were leading with washing machines, would you be jumping in to sell your customers those too? And why call it the Small Business competency and not the Office 365 competency?”

First announced in March as the successor to the SBSC designation, the Small Business Competency is the first time SMB partners have been brought into the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN). Microsoft partners are required to dedicate four staff to pass each MPN Competency at a Gold level, and two at Silver. But for the new Small Business Competency, this has been halved to two and one respectively.

Trish questioned the wisdom of this move, arguing it may flood the MPN.

“By watering down the amount of people who need to be qualified for just one competency, you will immediately see a larger demand for that competency by nature,” he said.

Janet Gibbons, director of partner strategy and programmes at Microsoft UK, defended Microsoft's corner.

"Many SMB resellers are already selling Microsoft Office 365. Since January, we have witnessed some 200 new partners selling their first Office 365 deals - and these numbers are increasing every month. Most are selling to SMBs and the new competency will help them differentiate themselves in the marketplace," she said.

"We are witnessing a shift with small businesses moving to the cloud and the intention is to ensure that our partners can offer choice to their customers – whether purchasing on premise or in the cloud via Office365."