The Value of a Microsoft Competency A Microsoft gold or silver competency can help set your company apart from the competition by demonstrating a specific, proven skill set to your customers. Because Microsoft competencies are aligned with how customers actually buy, customers can easily identify your capabilities and expertise.
Silver competencies offer a clear path to help you showcase your skillset in today’s competitive environment. Earning a silver competency can distinguish your business by placing it among the top 5 percent of Microsoft partners worldwide.
Gold competencies demonstrate your best-in-class expertise within Microsoft’s marketplace. Earning a gold competency is evidence of the deepest, most consistent commitment to a specific, in-demand, business solution area, along with the distinction of being among only 1 percent of Microsoft partners worldwide that have attained this outstanding degree of proficiency. |
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“Having a Microsoft competency is a great foundation for our business. It grants us the ‘mission critical’ vendor status our clients need and helps us remain a strong competitor in the marketplace. When working with Microsoft, we’re always ‘in the know.’ We’re able to pass along knowledge to our engineers and maintain high-touch customer relationships.“ |
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Competency Benefits Overview
Attaining competencies makes you eligible for valuable benefits that are related to the stages of your business life cycle. When you earn your first silver or gold competency, you are entitled to a set of core benefits, along with benefits that are tailored to the specific competency you have earned. And as you invest more in your Microsoft partner relationship by earning additional competencies, you receive additional, higher-value benefits to help you run and grow your business.
Here is a sampling of the benefits you will receive: |
Early access to the latest internal-use software to run your business and test compatibility with your solutions, strengthen staff expertise with business and technical training, and gain competitive advantage.
Business modeling tools and roadmaps to help you plan and evaluate prospective investments.
Marketing campaigns, directories, and a recognizable logo that uses the Microsoft Partner Network brand to help you create interest and demand with customers.
Compelling presentations, demos, financing, and incentive programs to help you increase sales and close them more quickly.
Deep technical support and advisory services to help you serve customers better and accelerate the sales cycle.
Online surveys to provide feedback that can help you retain customers and improve satisfaction.
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Competency Requirements Overview The following table summarizes the general requirements that apply to most competencies. However, requirements vary by competency, so be sure to review individual competencies for specific details. (Navigate to each competency section by expanding the
Competencies menu along the left side of this page.) Note: Some competency requirements will be updated in October 2011. Review the changes, so you can ensure you will be in compliance by your next renewal date. |
Requirement |
Join the Partner Network |
Purchase a Subscription |
Earn a Silver Competency |
Attain a Gold Competency | |
| | | Employ or contract with at least two Microsoft Certified Professionals(MCPs).1
or
Submit a product or application that can pass a qualifying silver competency application test. | Employ or contract with four unique MCPs with credentials that do not count toward any other gold competency.2
or
Submit a product or application that can pass a qualifying gold competency application test.3 | |
Business Training and Assessments
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Employ or contract with one person who passes a Microsoft online assessment within the past two years. | | | |
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Provide three unique customer references per competency. | | |
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Complete a short profile. | Complete a short profile that includes your company’s official URL.
and
Pay the annual subscription fee.
| Complete a full profile.
and
Pay the annual silver competency fee.7 | Complete a full profile.
and
Pay the annual gold competency fee.7 | |
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1
Partners can attain multiple silver competencies. If your employees or contractors pass the eligible competency exams for multiple silver competencies, your organization can count those exams toward multiple silver competencies.
2
Partners can attain multiple gold competencies. When your employees or contractors pass the applicable gold competency exams, your organization can count those exams toward only one gold competency. 3 Qualifying application tests refers to products that pass Microsoft hardware and software tests, and applies to the Independent Software Vendor ISV competency or other competencies through the ISV track. Qualifying application tests vary by product. 4 Partners must agree to meet a minimum Microsoft-related revenue commitment that is determined based on the partner’s geography and the competency the partner organization is working to attain. Both transacted revenue and influenced revenue count toward this commitment. Microsoft will begin to measure relevant partner revenue in October 2012, and partners must meet their revenue commitments the first time they renew their memberships after October 2013.
5
Requirements vary by competency.
6
Partners may use customer references from silver competencies toward gold competencies. 7Fees vary by geography. Partners must pay the silver competency fee or gold competency fee one time, per year—no matter how many competencies they have attained. If a partner attains a gold competency after first attaining a silver competency, then the partner pays only the difference between the two membership fees, unless the partner is within the 90-day renewal period, in which case the full membership fee is due. |
Tracking Competency Status After you have met one of the competency requirements, you can start to track your status at the Partner Membership Center: |
From the Requirements and Assets drop-down menu in the top navigation, click
Competency Summary to display the Manage Competencies page within the Competency Summary tab. To view the status for your organization, go to the Select Location area, click the down arrow, and select
Organization from the top of the list. Then click
Select.
For a view of the status of any location, follow the previously listed steps and select the desired location.
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The screen displays your progress toward meeting each available competency for the organization or the location you have selected. To view details for a specific competency, click the arrow to the left of the competency. The view will expand to show each of the requirements and which requirements still must be met. You can click the name of the requirement within the list to go to screens where you can: |
Note: If a link is disabled, you do not have administrative rights for the location. |
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