Microsoft’s partners span the widest possible range in the IT industry, from global industry powerhouses with more than 100,000 employees to individuals who work part-time to manage small networks or build PCs for friends or local companies. This report looks at all parts of the Microsoft partner spectrum in an effort to provide a comprehensive view of Microsoft partners, because the company does consider every type of partner strategic in some sense. After all, Microsoft itself was once a company with less than a dozen employees, and if small companies, which number about 70 million worldwide, have any software at all, it is probably Microsoft software.

Keeping thousands of partners actively involved requires significant forethought and organization. Partners don’t want to waste their time competing with dozens of other Microsoft partners. Ideally, Microsoft will involve them in sales opportunities that leverage their strengths or sales priorities, spreading the wealth while maximizing their chance to succeed in any given sales engagement.

Keeping thousands of partners actively involved requires significant forethought and organization. Partners don’t want to waste their time competing with dozens of other Microsoft partners. Ideally, Microsoft will involve them in sales opportunities that leverage their strengths or sales priorities, spreading the wealth while maximizing their chance to succeed in any given sales engagement.

To ensure that partners get the most appropriate services, Microsoft distinguishes them by several factors, including the following:

• Market leadership, which measures a partner’s importance or influence in the market
• Geography, which dictates time zones, currencies, languages, legal systems, and numerous other factors
• Reach, which for some partners spans the globe, for others includes any customer within a 20-minute drive
• Technical skills, such as a specialty in security, or the ability to tackle very large enterprise engagements with a team of skilled and experienced specialists
• Type of business,