Q&A: The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Is Here
This week, Microsoft officially flipped the switch on its new partner program. As of Oct. 3, the old Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) is gone, and in its place is the new Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP).
Of the programmatic changes heralded by the MCPP, these are the three biggest ones:
- The silver and gold badges that were a hallmark of the MPN are being retired.
- The MPN competencies, of which there were nearly 20, are being consolidated into just six “Solutions Partner” designations
- Partners earn Solutions Partner designations based on a score system (dubbed by Microsoft as the “partner capability score,” or PCS, system). Partners get points for, among other things, adding new customers and certifications. Partners that have a PCS of 70 or higher are eligible to become a Solution Partner.
The table below shows how a partner’s old MPN competencies will translate in the new Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (point No. 2 above):
Source: Microsoft
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“Those of you who have already met the requirements for a designation will receive it immediately if you have legacy benefits, or once you have paid the fee if you’re attaining benefits for the first time,” wrote Nicole Dezen, Microsoft’s top partner executive, in a blog post Monday commemorating the launch of the MCPP. She also shared information regarding legacy benefits:
Partners will continue to receive legacy benefits until their next anniversary date. On a partner’s first anniversary date after today (October 3, 2022), those who attain a Solutions Partner designation can choose to move to the updated Solutions Partner benefits or retain their legacy benefits, and pay the corresponding fee. Partners who do not meet the requirements for a Solutions Partner designation, but who renewed a competency by September 30, 2022, will have the option to continue to pay the fee to retain their legacy benefits at the time of their next anniversary date.
In an interview this week, Julie Sanford, Microsoft’s recently appointed Vice President of Partner Go-to-Market, Programs & Experiences, gave a few more details about the switch from the MPN to the MCPP. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity.
RCP: What kinds of feedback from customers and partners have you received that have influenced the structure of the MCPP?
Sanford:
What we heard from our customers when we started this process, was they that basically had three questions for us. [They] want to understand partners that have a proven track record of delivering success within the respective solution area, because those solution areas are aligned to how [they’re] helping solve customer outcomes. So No. 1 was proven track record. Second was existing performance for how partners deliver, and then the third was does the partner have the right skilling profile that [they] can bet [their] business on. And so delivering clarity to customers — not only on the technology solution area, but on those three pivots of how they knew they were picking trusted partners to depend on — was really important.
