MPN binned in Microsoft partner programme shake up
From October, flagship programme will be renamed ‘Microsoft Cloud Partner Program’ as vendor giant introduces new partner scoring system
Microsoft has scrapped the Microsoft Partner Network as it rebrands its partner programme to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program amid a flurry of changes in how it categorises and rewards partners.
As of October 2022 all 400,000 partners in Microsoft's ecosystem will use the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program instead of the Microsoft Partner Network.
Microsoft's Silver and Gold-level certification badges will also be scrapped as part of the change.
It marks an end of to the Microsoft Partner Network which was first launched more than 15 years ago and has become synonymous with the vendor's channel.
Microsoft says that changing the name of its partner programme is a better reflection of "the enormous and ongoing transition of business operations to the cloud" and how it claims to support partners in the future.
The tech giant says that the new partner programme is centred on partners' level of proficiency in six solution areas aligned with the Microsoft Cloud: data and AI (Azure); infrastructure (Azure); digital and app innovation (Azure); business applications; modern work; and security.
Microsoft has also changed the way that it categorises partners and measures their success. Under the new programme, partners can join two qualifying levels: "solutions partner" and "specialisations and expert programs".
To become a solutions partner, partners will need to meet specific requirements in line with a new partner capability score (PCS) which Microsoft is introducing, which measures partners' performance on a scale of 0-100 across the six solutions areas.
Microsoft claims the PCS is a "holistic framework" which evaluates partners based on a set criteria: their certifications, added customers, successful deployments and overall growth.
Partners will need to earn a PCS of at least 70 out of 100 points across the measurement areas in order to qualify as a solutions partner.
Partners can track their PCS and their progress towards solutions partner status through a new dashboard in the Partner Centre. Customers will not have access to PCS scores, Microsoft added.
Meanwhile specialisations and expert programmes will be available for partners to demonstrate their "deep technical expertise and experience" in specific technical scenarios under each solution area.
As of today, all partners can access their dashboard in Partner Centre to chart their progress towards solutions partner status.
Speaking to members of the press today ahead of the announcement, corporate VP of channel sales at Microsoft, Rodney Clark, said that new programme reflects changing dynamics in the market.
"It is very much our customers directing us based on their emerging needs, and we've all witnessed this over the last couple of years," he said. "While our customers are directing us, they're still very much in need of that partner touch and that partner who has the capability to deliver on the promise of innovation.
"And this creates a bond today between Microsoft and our partners that is even stronger than we've had in the past. And it's our ecosystem in Microsoft and this shared outcome which ensures that we deliver on this promise of customer value."
Clark added that the partners growing fastest with Microsoft are those that are investing in specialisations, engaging with marketplaces and seeking opportunities through co-selling and partner to partner engagement.
Those that are investing in specialisations are typically doubling their growth each year, while those also investing in marketplaces, partner-to-partner and co-sell oppportunities are typically growing at a rate of 140 per cent.
"They were using their own marketplace, leveraging another partners' marketplace or using Microsoft's marketplace. They were the most active in partner to partner engagement and looking to the left and right of them and partnering with those organisations and entities with complementary capabilities to help them win the customer."
"Then the third thing was, they were the most active in our co-sell programme and engagement."
Dates for the diary
Microsoft claims that 30 September is the last date to renew legacy competencies and partners will continue to receive legacy benefits until their next renewal date.
Legacy competencies and their associated customer-facing badges will no longer be valid after 30 September, or until a partners' next renewal date.
Solutions partner designations will be available to attain as of 3 October, after which partners will receive new customer-facing badges.
Partners that have renewed a competency by 30 September 2022 but do not meet requirements for the solutions partner designation will have the option to continue to pay the fee to retain their legacy benefits.
Microsoft says that there will be no immediate changes for partners and their business with Microsoft and their programme status - including renewal dates and benefits - will not be impacted.
The vendor added that partners will continue to receive internal use rights (IURs) for licences including on-premise licences, cloud service subscriptions and Azure credits. However, IURs will now be referred to as "Product Benefits".
It also assured that no incentive eligibility will change for Microsoft's current investments and incentives programme year which runs from October 2022 until September 2023.