Appropriate roles
Global admin, Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partner admin
A provider of modern workplace solutions has demonstrated diverse skills to help customers improve their productivity and move towards hybrid work through the use of Microsoft 365. Your partner capability score must meet the specified requirements to qualify for this title. To achieve a solutions partner designation, you must score at least 70 points out of 100. This evaluation is based on three categories: partner performance, skilling, and customer success, and draws from data already present in the Partner Center. You need to score at least one point in each of the individual metrics mentioned in addition to surpassing the overall qualifying threshold.
Performance category
Skilling – Intermediate certifications
Skilling – Advanced certifications
Customer success – Usage growth
Customer success – Deployments
Your progress in achieving the Solutions Partner for Modern Work designation in the Partner Center can be monitored.
Two attainment paths: Enterprise and Small & Medium Business
Earning the Solutions Partner for Modern Work designation can be accomplished through two distinct routes: Enterprise and Small and Medium Business (SMB). Both routes have their own specific requirements. Microsoft acknowledges that some partners focus on SMB customers while others target Enterprise customers. To offer flexibility and the advantage of the most suitable path for your organization, we assess your performance on both paths and select the highest scores to determine qualification for the designation.
Performance category
The performance category measures how well your company can grow its customer base using Microsoft products for modern work and productivity.
There is a single metric in the Performance category: the net customer adds metric.
The criteria for net customer adds are different for Enterprise and SMB paths. More information is provided in the following sections.
Net customer adds metric
Net customer adds for modern work are the qualifying workloads added to your customer base over the last 12 months.
Scoring
The enterprise track awards 4 points for each new customer, with a maximum of 20 points from 5 customers.
The SMB track awards 2 points for each new customer, with a maximum of 20 points from 10 customers.
Calculation
Net customer adds = [Total current qualifying customer tenants] – [Total qualifying tenants from 12 months ago]Eligible customer tenants
Enterprise track
A customer tenant with a minimum of 1 workload and more than 300 paid seats is considered eligible.
SMB Track
A customer tenant with a minimum of 1 workload and between 11 to 300 paid seats is considered eligible.
Note
The same tenant can qualify for both the Enterprise and SMB tracks.
Eligible workloads
Remember this information:
For both pathways: Intune, Exchange, Microsoft 365 Apps, SharePoint, Teams, Teams meetings, Teams Phone, Teams Phone calls, Teams Apps, Viva Engage, Viva Insights, Viva Topics, Viva Learning, Viva Connections
Eligible association types:
Valid partner association types for the Enterprise track include Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) and Digital Partner of Record (DPOR).
For the SMB track, Valid partner association types include Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) and CSP (CSP Tier 1, CSP Tier 2).
Skilling category
The skill assessment evaluates your organization's skills and capabilities based on the number of individuals holding an eligible certification.
Each individual with an eligible certification contributes points to your organization's skill assessment, but they cannot earn additional points by obtaining more certifications.
Two paths to achieving skill proficiency exist: Small & medium businesses and Enterprises.
There are two types of certification metrics:
Advanced, which requires one eligible certification: Enterprise Administrator Expert
Intermediate
In order to fulfill the condition of having a score greater than zero in every metric, your company needs to have at least one individual possessing an intermediate certification, and either the same individual or another person possessing an advanced certification.
Path | Intermediate certifications (10 points max) | Advanced certifications (15 points max) |
Enterprise | Four certified persons | Two certified persons |
Small & Medium Business | Two certified persons | One certified person |
Eligible Microsoft 365 certifications
Intermediate metric
Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Application Developer Associate
Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate
Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate
Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate (previously known as Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate)
Advanced metric
Important considerations
Each certified person is only included once in this measurement, even if they obtain several certifications.
Different people, or the same person, may earn Intermediate certifications instead of Advanced certifications.
It's important to note that certain certifications may have requirements specified on the certification website (click on the individual certification links). These requirements must be met in order to complete the certification.
Customer success category
The ability to facilitate the growth of Microsoft products or the expansion of Microsoft's services and workloads used by customers is measured in the customer success category.
Two metrics are included in the customer success category:
1. Metric for increased usage
2. Metric for deployments
Customer success: Usage growth metric
This metric for customer success evaluates your capacity to increase the use and uptake of our eligible products. You will receive points for this metric depending on the growth observed in the usage across all your qualifying customer tenants and workloads.
Calculation
Usage growth = [Number of eligible active users in the last month] - [Number of eligible active users in the same month last year]Eligible Active users
This represents the total number of users currently engaged across all qualified client organizations from all eligible operations for particular partner associations.
Eligible customer tenants
The Enterprise track counts each customer tenant with a minimum of 1 workload and paid seats exceeding 300 as an eligible Tenant for the Enterprise track. The SMB track counts each customer tenant with a minimum of 1 workload and paid seats ranging from 11 to 300 as an eligible Tenant for the SMB track.
Eligible workloads
Both tracks: Intune, Exchange, Microsoft 365 Apps, SharePoint, Teams, Teams Meetings, Teams Phone, Teams Phone calls, Teams apps, Viva Engage, Viva Insights, Viva Topics, Viva Learning, Viva Connections
Eligible associations
For the Enterprise Track, valid types of associations are the Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) and the Direct Partner of Record (DPOR).
For the SMB Track, valid types of association are Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) and CSP (Tier 1 & Tier 2).
Please note that you are only eligible to earn points for usage growth from the time you claim or associate with a customer. Usage growth that existed prior to your association does not qualify for credit.
Thresholds to earn maximum points - Enterprise track
In the Enterprise eligibility track, points are awarded for usage growth depending on the type of association. There are two options available: CPOR and DPOR, each with its own specific thresholds. Points are awarded based on performance against these thresholds for each option. The total points awarded for usage growth are determined by taking the higher value between the points obtained from the CPOR and DPOR options.
Option | Threshold for maximum points |
CPOR | 1,000 Usage growth |
DPOR | 4,000 Usage growth |
Scoring example
A partial score is assigned based on Usage growth, up to 30 points, achieved from 1,000 Usage growth (for CPOR) OR 4,000 Usage growth (for DPOR), whichever is greater.
If, for example, you have experienced 2,000 Usage growth from DPOR associations in the past 12 months and 1,500 Usage growth from CPOR associations, then the scoring for the usage growth metric would be as follows:
DPOR-based growth = 2,000 Usage growth DPOR-based points = (actual growth / threshold growth level) max points = 2,000/4,000 30 = 15CPOR-based growth = 1,500 Usage growth CPOR-based points = (actual growth / threshold growth level) max points = 1,500/1,000 30 = 45Usage growth net score = 30 ~ higher than 15 and 45 from above, for up to a maximum of 30Thresholds to earn maximum points - SMB track
Points for usage growth in the SMB eligibility path depend on the association type. There are two options: CPOR and CSP, each with its own thresholds. Your performance against these thresholds determines the points you earn for each option. The qualifying points for usage growth are based on the higher points obtained from the two options, CPOR and CSP.
Option | Threshold for max points |
CPOR | 500 MAU |
CSP | 2000 MAU |
Note
Different association types for both SMB and Enterprise have varying targets. Points can only be earned for one association type per metric. If there are multiple association types,The one who earns the highest number of points will receive points based on their performance.
Customer success: Deployment metric
The deployment measurement in the customer success sector evaluates how effectively you can increase the utilization of our Microsoft 365 services. Points for this measurement are awarded based on expanding the utilization of qualifying workloads with a minimum monthly usage threshold.
Calculation
Number of Deployments = (Qualifying deployments in the last month) – (Qualifying deployments in the same month last year)The calculation above does not include deployments that have been applied for or linked in the past 12 months and were already over 40% at the time of application or association.
Eligible Deployments
The count represents the unique qualified customer tenants, with 40% of paid seats being utilized as active seats on a monthly basis (MAU - Monthly Active Usage) across all qualified workloads for particular partner association categories.
Eligible customer tenants
Enterprise Track
Any customer tenant with a minimum of 1 workload and more than 300 paid seats is considered an eligible tenant for the Enterprise track.
SMB Track
Any customer tenant with a minimum of 1 workload and between 11 to 300 paid seats is considered an eligible tenant for the SMB track.
Eligible workloads
Intune, Exchange, Microsoft 365 Apps, SharePoint, Teams, Teams meetings, Teams Phone, Teams calling, Teams applications, Viva Engage, Viva Insights, Viva Topics, Viva Learning, Viva Connections.
Eligible associations
Enterprise Track
Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) & Direct Partner of Record (DPOR) are valid association types
SMB Track
Claiming Partner of Record (CPOR) &CSP (Tier 1 & Tier2) are valid association types
Threshold for maximum points - Enterprise track
In the Enterprise eligibility path, points are earned for deployments based on the association type. Two options, CPOR and DPOR, have been established, each with its own set of thresholds. You are awarded different points for each option based on your performance against these thresholds. The higher points obtained from the two options, CPOR and DPOR, determine the qualifying points for deployments.
Option | Threshold for max points |
CPOR | 5 net new deployments |
DPOR | 10 net new deployments |
Scoring example
For each new eligible CPOR deployment, 5 points are awarded, OR for each new eligible DPOR deployment, 2.5 points are awarded, whichever total is higher, up to a maximum of 25 points.
For instance, if there are four net new deployments from DPOR associations and three from CPOR associations in the last 12 months, the scoring for deployments metric is calculated as follows:
DPOR-based deployments = 4 DPOR-based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) max points = 4/10 25 = 10 pointsCPOR-based deployments = 3 CPOR-based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) max points = 3/5 25 = 15 pointsDeployments net score = 15 ~ the higher of 15 and 10 as mentioned above, up to a maximum of 25Threshold for maximum points - SMB track
In the eligibility process for SMB, points are awarded for deployments depending on the type of association. There are two options available: CPOR and CSP, each with its own specific thresholds. Points are assigned based on performance against these thresholds. The qualifying points for deployments are determined by taking the higher of the points obtained from the two options, CPOR and CSP.
Option | Threshold for max points |
CPOR | 5 net new deployments |
CSP | 10 net new deployments |
Scoring example
Every new qualifying CPOR deployment earns 5 points. Alternatively, every new qualifying CSP deployment earns 2.5 points. Whichever option results in a higher total, up to a maximum of 25 points.
For instance, if you have four new deployments from CSP associations and three from CPOR associations in the last 12 months, the scoring for deployments is calculated as follows:
CSP-based deployments = 4 CSP based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) max points = 4/10 25 = 10 pointsCPOR-based deployments = 4 CPOR-based points = (actual deployments / threshold deployments level) max points = 4/5 25 = 20 pointsDeployments net score = 20 ~ the higher of 20 and 10 from above, up to a maximum of 25Note
The targets differ depending on the type of association, whether for SMB or Enterprise, and you can only accrue points for one association type per metric. If you have multiple association types, we will allocate points based on the one that earns the highest number of points.
Solution Partner Designations Modern Work Product Benefits
Data freshness
Typically, the Performance and Customer Success subcategories are updated by the 20th of every month. However, there may be occasional minor data updates throughout the month. Skilling subcategories are usually updated within 10 days after certification is completed.
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