Working with Microsoft Partners help save you time, money, services, products, continuous customer support, expertise and access to smarter tools and programs.
What does a Microsoft Partner do, and why are they better than going straight to Microsoft?
Finding the right Microsoft Partner
When looking to find the right Microsoft Partner for your business, you can view Microsoft competencies and customer reviews to help you decide. Microsoft created the competencies to help you identify the partners that can support a specific business need. For example, a customer looking for a cloud solution can search for a partner with the Cloud Platform competency.
Ultimately, Microsoft Partmers are valued because their competencies aren’t easy to acchieve. Obtaining a Microsoft Gold competency takes time, expertise, and proven skill. The two grades of Microsoft competencies work as follows:
Microsoft Partner Levels
To achieve a competency, Microsoft expects partners to prove they have the skills and the success rate required to provide a positive customer experience. Partners can become Silver or Gold Partners in a variety of focus areas, like integration, development, and security. This means the customers are quickly able to idenitfy partners with an explicit expertise.
Microsoft Gold Competency
The Microsoft Gold Competency represents the highest level of expertise and proven skills in a specific service area. Microsoft gold partners are recognised for their innovative business solutions and are among the top 1 percent of Microsoft Partners worldwide. We recently attained the Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform competency.
Microsoft Certified Partners
Businesses like ours can also attain a standard Microsoft Partner level. Unlike the Silver and Gold level competencies, businesses just need to join the Microsoft Partner Network to achieve basic partner status.
How working with a Microsoft Partner benefit you:
Here are five ways working with a Microsoft Partner benefits your business.
1. Always at the cutting edge
Microsoft technologies are constantly evolving, so it’s vital for our team to stay at the cutting edge. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we have to annually renew our certifications. This means our customers can benefit from the latest offerings and advancements.
2. Skilled Microsoft techs ready to help
To achieve a Microsoft gold competency, we had to meet rigorous standards set by Microsoft. Gold partners need at least 15 individuals to pass these Microsoft exams. After that, five of the 15 individuals need to pass additional training as well.
This in-house team of ratified Microsoft experts means we can work on multiple complex projects at the same time. Our clients never feel that they’re not getting the dedication and quality they expect.
3. Instant access to Microsoft support
After 25 years of experience with Microsoft technologies, we rarely need to request Microsoft support. But as a Microsoft Gold Partner, we have direct access to support from Microsoft if our customers ever need it.
4. Quick demos and proofs of concept
As a Microsoft Partner, we reduce expenses for both us and the customer by obtaining free licences for demos and development. We can create proofs of concept for our clients without the extra expense for us, or the customer.
5. Retaining expertise with training
Microsoft technologies are constantly evolving, so it’s vital for our team to stay at the cutting edge. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we have to annually renew our certifications. This means our customers can benefit from the latest offerings and advancements.
So, how do you choose?
So now you understand some of the key benefits of working with a Microsoft Partner, how do you choose the right one?
The Partner types were created to help customers with the decision making process. By looking at the different partner certifications, you can get an understanding of the partners skillset and specialist solutions.
Microsoft Certified Partners
Businesses like ours can also attain a standard Microsoft Partner level. Unlike the Silver and Gold level competencies, businesses just need to join the Microsoft Partner Network to achieve basic partner status.
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Gold standard Microsoft Partners
As a gold partner, we’ve got the skills and the experience to create a bespoke solution to help you with your business goals. Learn more about the Microsoft Partner types today.
