 Is your VAR this well connected?
Micomms' Martin Ison examines the benefits of Microsoft Gold Partner accreditation
If you typed 'Microsoft Gold Partner' into your friendly internet search engine, you will come up with a wealth of information and articles about different software companies and how they have just been awarded this coveted accreditation.
At first sight, it may seem that there are few Value Added Resellers (VARs) that don't boast this accreditation. But then, a software provider would hardly post its press release about Microsoft Gold Partnership if they had just failed to make the grade. I guess I was looking for something below the surface; something juicy to report - after all, nothing's that perfect is it?
To get to the bottom of the real advantages and disadvantages of anything that seems too good to be true, you have to think laterally. So I typed in 'Microsoft Gold Partner-disadvantages'... then 'Microsoft Gold Partner-the downside'... then '-not all roses'... then '-not what it's cracked up to be'... then '-my personal nightmare'... '-how my business lost £000s'... '-ended in divorce'... and finally, '-end of the world as we know it'. But sadly, I found no juxtaposition of a single negative phrase relating to the Microsoft Partnership Program (or Programme, if you're this side of the Atlantic). Not an e-zine article... no anarchistic website... not even the merest blog. Mind you, there were a few uncomplimentary industry comments about the Microsoft Corporation as a whole (but, hey, that's the price of success) - but nothing negative on its Partnership Programme.
Vulnerable areas
If you are considering working with a new business solutions software provider, it's as well to investigate their credentials - after all, you could end up investing a vast some of money in their products and services. Perhaps more importantly, you may spend a long time working with them as a trusted partner; and you wouldn't entrust potentially vulnerable areas of your business to just anyone, would you?
In spite of its detractors - and its monolithic size - Microsoft is a surprisingly agile organisation. It derives its success by developing useful solutions for its core market: the Small to Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), while at the same time not claiming to have all-seeing knowledge of each one's business specialisations. This, it leaves to its vast network of VARs. These companies act as the gateway to Microsoft's comprehensive product offering; many are clever and adept enough to use Microsoft products as building blocks in software development to create applications suitable for their customers. And there lies the point: if your products are being used as building blocks by someone else, surely you'd want to make sure that there's some competency going on there - your reputation might rely on it.
If (like Microsoft) your access to the market relies on thousands of re-sellers which, not only re-sell your product, but can also re-configure them like building blocks to make the ideal solution for the end user, you should be very careful how they go about it. Can you ensure that they will all configure and sell your products the way you meant them to be? And don't forget there are a lot of these resellers around. A picture of a sheep-dog attempting to herd squirrels comes to mind here...
An approved accreditation scheme seems to be a reasonable way of achieving this co-ordination. But as we all know membership of an accredited association can, at times, be as credibility-building as including your National Cycling Proficiency Test as a CV qualification. What is required, here, is an accreditation that is as robust in the credibility stakes as it is of value to customers.
Commitment to partners and customers
Launched just about two years ago in December 2003, the Microsoft Partner Program was set up to represent Microsoft's commitment to its business partners, and through them, to its customer base.
There are three levels of Partnership in the programme: the lowest being the Registered Membership level; the intermediate level is the Certified Partner, which represents a high degree of competency and expertise in Microsoft technologies. The highest level of Gold Certified Partner enjoys a very close relationship with Microsoft, allowing full access to a comprehensive range of the software giant's support resources.
But not everyone can become a Gold Partner overnight - and unlike some membership schemes, you can't just buy your way up the ladder: it has to be earned; tough examinations have to be passed and stringent criteria must be met.
As mentioned earlier, an internet search on the subject will yield a seemingly large number of Microsoft Gold Partners eager to shout about their achievement. But a closer look will reveal that many of these are American software companies. It's interesting to note that, out of about two-hundred Microsoft Business Solutions Partners in the UK, only twenty have achieved the Gold accreditation. Globally, this equates to being among the top 2% of Microsoft's partners vying for acknowledgement.
To achieve Gold Partnership status, a software company has to declare its expertise in at least one main Microsoft product-led competency as a specialist area. The declared competencies are designed for customers looking for a particular type of solution; it helps them identify a partner's capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies.
Rigorous examinations
The VAR's individual software professionals also have to personally pass rigorous examinations on a regular basis to become Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs). This is a qualification which is becoming rapidly recognised in the industry - great if you're a software engineer looking for a new job. In his recent study of MCPs, MCSEs and their supervisors, Jack McKillip, Ph.D. of Southern Illinois University, rated MCPs as highly effective workers, with IT supervisors rating MCSEs as more competent on all global dimensions as compared to non-certified systems engineers. This is definitely not a throw-away lightweight certification to have.
However, it's all well and good being part of an elite well-qualified global club - but what use is this unless there is something in it for the customer?
Partnership approach
By all accounts there seems to be quite a lot in it for them. These days, companies searching for solutions to achieve greater efficiency and profitability have rightly become extremely cautious about who handles their information management needs.
Any new systems implementation project can either make a business fly or, if executed wrongly, can set it back by years. This is why these customers are looking for more of a partnership approach of their own with software houses; a relationship akin to a trusted business adviser, such as an accountant or legal team. The days of selling boxed solutions and walking away are long gone.
And if you were going to choose a new business partner, wouldn't you choose one that is well connected? This is precisely what a Microsoft Gold Partner brings to the table.
John Moses, managing director of Syscom PLC, explains: "As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we are able to bring an unprecedented wealth of support to our customers. This special relationship we have with Microsoft means that we are incredibly well connected. Not only do we have proven and accredited expertise in designing and implementing solutions to deliver efficiencies to businesses, we also provide a gateway to valuable up-to-the-minute knowledge made possible through our Gold Partner status."
Close to Microsoft
Syscom's competencies for Gold Partner status in Microsoft Business Solutions and Networking Infrastructure solutions, means that the company not only deals in Microsoft products, but is close to Microsoft. As its core areas of expertise are Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management solutions - both areas which can deeply affect business efficiency - Syscom's own credentials along with its close relationship with the 'goose that lays the golden eggs' should be worth considering.
Allison Watson, Microsoft's vice president of Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing, also believes that Gold Partners, with their certified experience, training and support direct from Microsoft can build a much more positive customer experience: "Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and their technological capabilities. They need to trust in suppliers that can act as expert advisers for their long-term strategic plans. We place tremendous value on our partners, who help us deliver solutions and applications to achieve this with the highest levels of professionalism."
In conclusion then, Microsoft's Gold Partnership is a clear benefit to customers in that it not only raises standards, it also maintains them. Customers can be sure that their technological partner is under continuous scrutiny by Microsoft for quality in all areas of its work. Accreditation is by no means a 'lifetime achievement': the VAR has to invest time and effort into keeping its accreditation as it is monitored on a continuous basis and knowledge of any new developments is regularly tested.
An accreditation this valuable, which is not only awarded but also needs to be constantly maintained by the VAR, should inspire a significant amount of confidence in customers looking for solutions partner. |
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