Solutions Partner for Modern Work
Appropriate roles: Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partner admin
A Solutions Partner for Modern work has demonstrated a broad capability to help customers boost their productivity and make the shift to hybrid work using Microsoft 365.
To earn this designation, your partner capability score must meet the qualification requirements for this area. You need a minimum of 70 points out of a possible 100 to attain a solutions partner designation.
This score is measured in three categories - partner performance, skilling, and customer success - and is informed by data that is already recorded in Partner Center.
You must attain at least one point in each of the following individual metrics in addition to your total points being higher than the qualifying threshold mentioned previously.
- Performance category
- Skilling - Intermediate certifications
- Skilling - Advanced certifications
- Customer success - Usage growth
- Customer success - Deployments
You can track your progress towards attaining the Solutions Partner for Modern work designation in Partner Center.
Two attainment paths: Enterprise and small and medium business
Microsoft offers two distinct paths for achieving the Solutions Partner for Modern Work designation: the Enterprise path and the Small and Medium Business (SMB) path, each with its own set of criteria. This dual-path approach lets partners select the path that aligns with their customer focus, whether it be SMB or Enterprise customers.
Microsoft evaluates partners on both paths and selects the highest score from either path at the solution area level, rather than at the individual metric level, to determine qualification. This helps to ensure that partners can leverage the path that best suits their business strategy.
Performance category
The Performance category is a measure of your organization's ability to increase the customer base using Microsoft products for Modern work and productivity.
There's one metric in the Performance category:
Net customer adds Enterprise path criteria and SMB path criteria are different. The details are explained in the following sections.
Performance: Net customer adds metric
Net customer adds for modern work is the number of qualifying workloads added to your customer base during the trailing 12-month period.
Scoring:
Enterprise track: Each net new customer added contributes to four points, for up to a maximum of 20 points, from five customers
SMB track: Each net new customer added contributes to two points, for up to a maximum of 20 points, from 10 customers
Calculation:
Net customer adds = [Total qualifying current customer tenants] - [Total qualifying customers tenants 12 months ago]
Eligible customer tenants:
Enterprise track: Each customer tenant having at least one workload with paid licenses greater than 300 is counted to be an eligible tenant
SMB Track: Each customer tenant having at least one workload with paid licenses between 11 to 300 is counted to be an eligible tenant
Note
Same tenant can participate in both Enterprise and SMB track
Eligible workloads:
For both tracks: Intune, Exchange, Microsoft365Apps, SharePoint, Teams, Teams Meetings, Teams Phone, Teams Phone calling, TeamsApps, VivaEngage, Viva Insights, Viva Topics, Viva Learning, Viva Connections
Eligible association types:
Enterprise track: Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) and Digital Partner of Record (DPOR) are valid partner association types
SMB track: Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) and CSP (CSP Tier 1, CSP Tier 2) are valid partner association types
Skilling category
The skilling category measures your organization's skills and capabilities by using the number of persons who have an eligible certification.
- Each person with an eligible certification earns your organization points towards the skilling designation, but they can't earn more points by completing more certifications.
- There are two attainment paths: Small and medium business and Enterprise
- There are two certification metrics:
- Advanced, for which one certification is eligible: Enterprise Administrator Expert
- Intermediate
- To fulfill the requirement to have more than zero points in every metric, your organization must have at least one qualifying person with an intermediate certification, and the same person or a different person with an advanced certification.
Certified persons required to earn the maximum of 25 points in the Skilling category:
| Path | Intermediate certifications (10 points max) | Advanced certifications (15 points max) |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | Four certified persons | Two certified persons |
| Small & Medium Business | Two certified persons | One certified person |
Eligible Microsoft 365 certifications
- Intermediate metric
- Microsoft 365 Fundamentals
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate
- Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate
- Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate (previously known as Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate)
- Advanced metric
Important considerations
- Each certified individual is counted once for this metric, even if the certified individual completes multiple certifications.
- Intermediate certifications can be earned by the same individual, or different individuals, than the Advanced certifications.
- Some of these certifications might have prerequisites listed on the certification website (select on the individual certification links). Those prerequisites need to be addressed in order for a person to complete certification.
Customer success category
The customer success category measures your ability to enable growth in the use of Microsoft products or in the expansion of Microsoft's services and workloads utilized by the customers.
There are two metrics in the Customer success category:
Customer success: Usage growth metric
This customer success metric measures your ability to grow the use and consumption of our qualifying products. You earn points for this metric based on the growth exhibited in the Usage growth across all your eligible customer tenants and workloads. Calculation:
Usage growth = [Eligible Active users last month] - [Eligible Active users same month last year]
Eligible Active users:
This is the number of active users across all eligible customer tenants from all eligible workloads for specific partner association types
Eligible customer tenants:
Enterprise track: Each customer tenant having at least one workload with paid licenses greater than 300 is counted to be an eligible Tenant for Enterprise track.
SMB track: Each customer tenant having at least one workload with paid licenses between 11 to 300 is counted to be an eligible Tenant for SMB track.
Eligible workloads:
Both tracks: Intune, Exchange, Microsoft365Apps, SharePoint, Teams, Teams Meetings, Teams Phone, Teams Phone calling, TeamsApps, VivaEngage, Viva Insights, Viva Topics, Viva Learning, Viva Connections
Eligible associations:
Enterprise Track: Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) & Direct Partner of Record (DPOR) are valid association types
SMB Track: Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) &CSP (Tier 1 & Tier 2) are valid association types
Note
You can only receive points for usage growth from the time you claim or associate with a customer. You don't receive credit for Usage growth that existed prior to your association.
Thresholds to earn maximum points - Enterprise track:
In the Enterprise eligibility path, you get points for usage growth based on the association type. Two options have been created: CPOR and DPOR. Each option has different thresholds. You get different points for each option based on your performance against those thresholds. Qualifying points for usage growth is the higher of the points obtained from the two options, CPOR and DPOR.
| Option | Threshold for maximum points |
|---|---|
| CPOR | 1,000 Usage growth |
| DPOR | 4,000 Usage growth |
Scoring example:
Partial scoring is applied for any Usage growth, up to a maximum of 30 points, obtained from 1,000 Usage growth (for CPOR) OR 4,000 Usage growth (for DPOR), whichever is higher.
For example, if you have 2,000 Usage growth from DPOR associations over the past 12 months and 1,500 Usage growth from CPOR associations, then scoring for the usage growth metric is:
DPOR based growth = 2,000 Usage growth DPOR based points = (actual growth / threshold growth level) * max points = 2,000/4,000 * 30 = 15
CPOR based growth = 1,500 Usage growth CPOR based points = (actual growth / threshold growth level) * max points = 1,500/1,000 * 30 = 45
Usage growth net score = 30 ~ higher of 15 and 45 from above, for up to a maximum of 30
Thresholds to earn maximum points - SMB track:
In the SMB eligibility path, you earn points for usage growth based on the association type. Two options have been created: CPOR and CSP. Each option has different thresholds. You get different points for each option based on your performance against those thresholds. Qualifying points for usage growth is the higher of the points obtained from the two options, CPOR and CSP.
| Option | Threshold for max points |
|---|---|
| CPOR | 500 monthly active users (MAU) |
| CSP | 2,000 MAU |
Scoring example:
Partial scoring is applied for any Usage growth, up to a maximum of 30 points, obtained from 500 Usage growth (CPOR) or 2,000 Usage growth (CSP), whichever is highest. For example, if you have 1,000 Usage growth from CSP associations over the past 12 months and 1,000 Usage growth from CPOR associations, scoring is decided for usage growth metric as follows:
CSP based growth = 1,000 Usage growth CSP based points = (actual growth / threshold growth level) * max points = 1,000/2,000 * 30 = 15
CPOR based growth = 1,500 Usage growth CPOR based points = (actual growth / threshold growth level) * max points = 1,000/500 * 30 = 60
Usage growth score = 30 ~ higher of 15 and 60 from above, for up to a maximum of 30
Note
Targets differ for different association types for both SMB and Enterprise. You can earn points only for one association type per metric. If you have more than one association type, we award points based on the one that earns the most points.
Customer success: Deployments metric
This metric in the customer success category measures your ability to grow the deployments of our Microsoft 365 services. You earn points for this metric based on the growth in deployments of eligible workloads with a minimum monthly usage level.
Calculation:
Deployments = (Eligible deployments last month) - (Eligible deployments same month last year)
The preceding calculation excludes deployments that were claimed or associated within the last 12 months and were already greater than 40% at the time of claim or association.
Eligible Deployments:
This is the number of unique eligible customer tenants having 40% of paid licenses as Active licenses (MAU - Monthly active usage) from all eligible workloads for specific partner association types
Eligible customer tenants:
Enterprise track: Each customer tenant having at least 1 workload with paid licenses greater than 300 is counted to be an eligible Tenant for Enterprise track.
SMB track: Each customer tenant having at least one workload with paid licenses between 11 to 300 is counted to be an eligible Tenant for SMB track.
Eligible workloads:
Both tracks: Intune, Exchange, Microsoft365Apps, SharePoint, Teams, Teams Meetings, Teams Phone, Teams Phone calling, TeamsApps, VivaEngage, Viva Insights, Viva Topics, Viva Learning, Viva Connections
Eligible associations:
Enterprise Track: Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) & Direct Partner of Record (DPOR) are valid association types
SMB Track: Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) &CSP (Tier 1 & Tier 2) are valid association types
Threshold for maximum points - Enterprise track:
In the Enterprise eligibility path, you get points for deployments based on the association type. Two options have been created: CPOR and DPOR. Each option has different thresholds. Based on your performance against those thresholds, you get different points for each option. Qualifying points for deployments is the higher of the points obtained from the two options, CPOR and DPOR.
| Option | Threshold for maximum points |
|---|---|
| CPOR | Five net new deployments |
| DPOR | 10 net new deployments |
Scoring example:
- Each new qualifying CPOR deployment gets five points OR each new qualifying DPOR deployment gets 2.5 points, whichever aggregates to higher points, for up to a maximum of 25 points.
For example, if you have four net new deployments from DPOR associations over the past 12 months and 3 from CPOR associations, the scoring is decided for deployments metric as follows:
DPOR based deployments = 4 DPOR based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) * max points = 4/10 * 25 = 10 points
CPOR based deployments = 3 CPOR based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) * max points = 3/5 * 25 = 15 points
**Deployments net score = 15** ~ higher of 15 and 10 from above, for up to a maximum of 25
Threshold for maximum points - SMB track:
In the SMB eligibility path, you get points for deployments based on the association type. Two options have been created: CPOR and CSP. Each option has different thresholds. You get different points for each option based on your performance against those thresholds. Qualifying points for deployments is the higher of the points obtained from the two options, CPOR and CSP.
| Option | Threshold for max points |
|---|---|
| CPOR | Five net new deployments |
| CSP | 10 net new deployments |
Scoring example:
- Each new qualifying CPOR deployment gets five points OR each new qualifying CSP deployment gets 2.5 points, whichever aggregates to higher points, for up to a maximum of 25 points.
For example, if you have four net-new deployments from CSP associations over the past 12 months and 3 from CPOR associations, the scoring is decided for deployments metric as follows:
CSP based deployments = 4 CSP based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) * max points = 4/10 * 25 = 10 points
CPOR based deployments = 4 CPOR based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) * max points = 4/5 * 25 = 20 points
**Deployments net score = 20** ~ higher of 20 and 10 from above, for up to a maximum of 25
Note
Targets differ for different association types for both SMB and Enterprise, and you can only earn points for one association type per metric.
If you have more than one association type, we award points based on the one that earns the most points.
Data freshness:
Performance and Customer Success subcategories are typically refreshed by the 20th of every month. However, there might be other minor data refreshes throughout the month. Skilling subcategories are typically refreshed within 10 days after certification is completed.