Microsoft Partner Network Launches

The transition from the Microsoft Partner Program (MSPP) to the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) is more than a name change. The MPN will raise the bar for partners who want to achieve top partner status and put revenue goals in place for a far broader swathe of partners than in the past, as well as require more expertise in licensing, sales, and marketing. The changes are likely to align partner activities more directly with Microsoft’s revenue-generation goals and put fewer but larger partners at the top, making it easier for customers to identify the most skilled and experienced partners.

Comparing the MPN and the MSPP

Microsoft claims about 650,000 partner companies work with its software in some way, making it challenging for the company to target partners with the resources they need and the attention that their contribution to Microsoft’s success deserves. As the formal partner program has grown from about 35,000 partners in 2000 to today’s 400,000, its strategy has evolved to reflect the company’s growing portfolio of products and its longstanding goal to have partners focus on solution areas rather than specific products. The MPN represents a significant evolution of Microsoft’s partner strategy and will reshape the company’s partner channel by changing the incentives and requirements that were built into its predecessor, the MSPP.