While Tensoft has been a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner since 2004, it’s never been as difficult to meet the requirements as it was this year.  That’s because of deliberate changes that Microsoft has made to their Partner Network Program.

IDC analyst Darren Bibby does a great job explaining what’s happened in his blog post, “Microsoft Partner Network - Can We Bring Back Meaning To ‘Gold’ Please?”   In brief, Bibby says that, in recent years, about 50% of all Microsoft Partners were able to attain Gold Partner status.  His point, of course is that:  “50% is not such an elite level.”  By contrast, Microsoft’s Partner Network website states that, currently, “only 1 percent of Microsoft partners worldwide that have attained this outstanding degree of proficiency.”  Now that’s a little more elite!

The other programmatic change that Bibby mentions is that the new Gold and Silver (which is now the top 5%) levels are associated with specific “competencies,” each focusing on very specific knowledge and expertise.  Combined with the more rigorous requirements for Gold, this ensures that a Microsoft Partner that really excels at what they do within these competencies is easily identifiable to customers, partners, and Microsoft employees.  

Tensoft is especially proud to have attained the Gold level for the ERP Competency this year, demonstrating our excellence in the skills, expertise, and resources needed to successfully deploy financial and supply chain management solutions for our customers.  One percent out of approximately 640,000 partners is not bad – we’re honored to make it, and we congratulate all of the other Microsoft Network Partner members who made it as well.