Microsoft Drops Gold and Certified Levels and Embraces “Competencies”

Partners, get ready—there are big changes coming in programs from channel players Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle. IDC’s program director for the software business solutions group explains what it means to you.

By Colleen Frye

Darren Bibby is program director, Software Channels Research, with IDC’s Software Business Solutions Group. Before joining IDC, he managed channel programs for Microsoft Canada, including the Microsoft Partner Program. He spoke recently with writer Colleen Frye about changes in Microsoft’s and other comprehensive vendors’ partner programs that are moving toward specialization, and what opportunities that may create for the channel.

ChannelPro-SMB: What should partners expect from Microsoft this year?
Bibby: This is a very big year for Microsoft and its partner base. They promised that by October 2010, which was well over a year’s time for partners to prepare, they’d be getting rid of the gold and certified levels in the program. The new levels will only be based on “Microsoft Competencies,” or areas of expertise for partners. And you can get a Competency or an Advanced Competency designation; there will be 20 to 30 competencies in total. This is a very big change for partners, to really show Microsoft and their customers their true specializations. And this is a big revamp in the program for Microsoft. Now they’ll have 30 mini programs under one consistent umbrella.

ChannelPro-SMB: What is the upside/downside for Microsoft partners with this change?
Bibby: There’s going to be a clearer recognition of their abilities. The fact that partners will be recognized based solely on competency makes it easy for customers to know what partners are good at, and Microsoft salespeople will know what a partner is good at; they’re often looking for the best partners to bring on road shows and the like. So having a competency as key way to be recognized should be useful.

The downside is almost the same thing—it’s going to be difficult for some partners to explain their relationship with Microsoft if they have many competencies. From what I’ve heard from partners, they think it’s a good idea to specialize, but the downside is they’re worried about how awkward it might be to explain in the future. But Microsoft gave 15 months’ notice for partners to figure it out.