Dynamics Channel Restructured with Greater Vertical Focus

Dynamics partners will get special treatment in the new Microsoft Partner Network. Special Industry Partners will be required to have not only suitable competencies but also extensive experience in a particular industry. The trade-off will be special attention from Microsoft, including market and business development funds, advanced training, and technical support. The company hopes that more specialized partners will be more effective with both midsize and enterprise customers and will grow faster. Other significant changes, which begin to take effect in July 2010, include more comprehensive revenue requirements and a lead referral program that will benefit partners who influence Dynamics sales.

The Dynamics Channel

The Dynamics channel has always been atypical for Microsoft, largely because most Dynamics products were acquired from companies that already had highly developed channels and partner communities in place. In fact, one of the main reasons Microsoft acquired both Great Plains Software in 2001 and Navision a year later, in spite of considerable overlap in their products, was that Great Plains had a well-developed channel in North America, while Navision had a strong European presence. Expanding these specialized channels globally has taken time.