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For existing Gold On Premise Partners

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As an existing Gold Partner, you are already enjoying the benefits associated with the Microsoft Partner Gold badge.

Customers value Gold partner status and view it as a Microsoft endorsement of partner capability and credibility.  You also have access to a higher level of benefits, including additional IUR and increased support. As customer momentum is shifting to the cloud at an ever-increasing rate, we invite you to achieve the same high level of expertise and customer value in helping our mutual customers realize the value of the Microsoft Cloud.

Digital Transformation is top of mind for CIOs — By the End of 2017, Two-Thirds of the CEOs of Global 2000 Enterprises Will Have Digital Transformation at the Center of Their Corporate Strategy. (Source IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2016 Predictions (IDC # 259616)).

According to IDC, by 2018, at Least Half of IT Spending Will Be Cloud Based, Reaching 60% of All IT Infrastructure and 60-70% of All Software, Services, and Technology Spending by 2020.  (Source: IDC Doc:  wc20151104)

This is supported by research from AMI.  The cloud market will grow at a robust CAGR of 14% through 2020, compared to overall IT/Telecom spending which will rise at a rate of only 6% over the next four years.  (Source: Channel Partner Profitability Study- AMI June 2016)

In addition, customer focus on how the deploy, manage and maintain their IT investments will change.

Cloud is the catalyst for significant shifts in IT staff talent priorities and datacenter locations. By 2018, 65% of companies' IT assets are expected to be located offsite in colocation, hosting, and cloud datacenters, while one-third of IT "staff" are expected to be employees of third-party service providers. (Source: IDC Doc 259840, 2016)

This heralds massive opportunity for Microsoft and our partners, but we need to transform to take advantage of the opportunity.

 

Why Microsoft Cloud?

In selecting a vendor, we know you will look at which partnerships offer you the fastest route to profitable growth, a platform for lasting customer relationships and tools and resources to help you maintain your position in the market. 80% of the Fortune 500 is already on the Microsoft Cloud*, demonstrating customer confidence in the Microsoft Cloud strategy and opening a huge opportunity for our partners.

And it’s not just large enterprises that are betting on the Microsoft Cloud.  Over 40% of Azure revenue comes from start-ups and ISVs*. (*source: Microsoft by the Numbers)

The breadth of Microsoft Cloud allows you to address more customers with a broader array of solutions, attaching more services to Microsoft Cloud projects than you can achieve with other vendors. Research shows that 83% of all Microsoft partners are satisfied with Microsoft’s cloud portfolio and technologies – that increases to 88% for Gold cloud partners, who are get more support from Microsoft and earn higher margins. (Source: Channel Partner Profitability Study- AMI June 2016)

Indeed, the strong brand recognition for Microsoft, the breadth of our cloud offering and customer demand for our products make Microsoft a strong contender for “vendor of choice” – 82% of partners would select Microsoft as their sole cloud vendor. (Source: Channel Partner Profitability Study- AMI June 2016).

And research shows that Microsoft partners with more than 50% of their business in the cloud are 19% more profitable with Microsoft than with the nearest other cloud vendor. (Source: AMI Channel Partner Profitability Study, 2016)

 

Why Gold Cloud?  

For the elite partners who have cloud focus and who invest to attain Gold Cloud Competency status, there are rich rewards and partner satisfaction increases.

Customers value the Gold Competency brand:  73% of customers associate trustworthiness with the Gold Competency badge and 77% associate it with high quality. (Source: Value of Partner Messaging Summary Report - MDC Nov 2015).

Microsoft partners with more than 50% of their business in cloud earn on average $5.87 of their own services for every $1 of Microsoft service : ( Source: IDC eBook, sponsored by Microsoft,  The Modern Microsoft Partner Series, Part 1:  The Booming Cloud Opportunity, 2016)

Microsoft Gold Competency partners focused on the cloud attract, on average, 5% higher margins than non-gold partners.  They are also more likely to be satisfied with their profitability than less engaged partners or partners working with a competitor.  And 88% of Microsoft Gold partners are satisfied with Microsoft’s cloud portfolio. (Source: Channel Partner Profitability Study- AMI June 2016)

In addition, our Gold Cloud partners enjoy unparalleled programmatic benefits:

  • Customer Connection
  • Priority placement in our Referral Engine
  • Promotion to customers on Microsoft cloud campaign pages
  • Support
  • Unlimited Signature Cloud Support
  • Guaranteed Named Microsoft Contact
  • Concierge service for Gold Cloud partners only
  • Gives partners a named individual who can help them navigate MPN
  • Concierge will offer partners proactive outreach on a on-going basis
  • Tools & Resources
  • More product flexibility – N-1 and ability to spread IUR benefits to designate to different uses (training vs demo vs internal use)

Reduced Fee

  • Cloud competencies continue to enjoy a reduced competency fee compared to on premise competencies.  The price for Gold cloud competency is $3900 – this compares to $4730

Attaining Gold Cloud Competency status demonstrates partner commitment to helping our mutual customers adopt the Microsoft cloud and is rewarded by Microsoft tools and resources to maintain competitive advantage and accelerate cloud growth; higher customer regard and increased margins and profitability.

For more information on the road to gold - see presentation on road-to-gold-to-partner_nov-2016-post