Microsoft Partner Network or MPN, formerly known as the Microsoft Partner Program or MSPP, is Microsoft Inc.'s partner network which is designed to make resources available to a wide variety of technology companies so they can build a business around Microsoft technologies. The program consists of 100,000's of partners,

vendor In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms ...

s and

service provider A service provider (SP) is an organization that provides services, such as consulting, legal, real estate, communications, storage, and processing services, to other organizations. Although a service provider can be a sub-unit of the organization t ...

s that build or sell solutions based on Microsoft products. It is difficult to ascertain the exact count, Microsoft blogs and channel magazines in 2017 and 2021 listed 100,000 partners in the US and 30k in the UK, but the worldwide number is probably in the millions. These partners include

systems integrator A systems integrator (or system integrator) is a person or company that specializes in bringing together component subsystems into a whole and ensuring that those subsystems function together, a practice known as system integration. They also sol ...

original equipment manufacturer An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

independent software vendor An independent software vendor (ISV), also known as a software publisher, is an organization specializing in making and selling software, as opposed to computer hardware, designed for mass or niche markets. This is in contrast to in-house software, ...

value-added reseller A value-added reseller (VAR) is a company that adds features or services to an existing product, then resells it (usually to end-users) as an integrated product or complete "turn-key" solution. This practice occurs commonly in the electronics or IT ...

telecommunications companies A telephone company, also known as a telco, telephone service provider, or telecommunications operator, is a kind of communications service provider (CSP), more precisely a telecommunications service provider (TSP), that provides telecommunicat ...

Internet hosting service An Internet hosting service is a service that runs servers connected to the Internet, allowing organizations and individuals to serve content or host services connected to the Internet. A common kind of hosting is web hosting. Most hosting provi ...

s, marketing agencies, and

reseller A reseller is a company or individual (merchant) that purchases goods or services with the intention of selling them rather than consuming or using them. This is usually done for profit (but can be done at a loss). One example can be found in the ...

s. As of 2009, this

business ecosystem Starting in the early 1990s, James F. Moore originated the strategic planning concept of a business ecosystem, now widely adopted in the high tech industry. The basic definition comes from Jim Moore's book, ''The Death of Competition: Leadership and ...

generated $8.70 in revenue for partner companies for every $1 that Microsoft makes.

History

* Microsoft Certified Solution Provider program was launched in 1992. * March 2000 - Ian Rogoff was named vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group. * Microsoft Certified Partner program was launched in 2000. * In 2001, Microsoft decided to invest $500 million in partner-related activities. * November 2001 - Rosa Garcia replaces Ian Rogoff as head of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group. * 2002 – Allison L. Watson replaced Rosa Garcia as the head of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group. * In 2003, Microsoft invested heavily in the partner program. Microsoft signed up 5,000 new ISVs to the Microsoft's ISV Empower Program. Microsoft upped its number of technical specialists on staff to assist partners, from 700 to 2,400 in one year. Microsoft revamped its employee compensation incentive plans, tying 60 percent of bonuses in most cases to partner and customer satisfaction. Microsoft also centralized its channel programs into the Microsoft Partner Program. This included consolidating OEMs, ISVs, VARs, integrators and consultants under one program. * 2004 – Microsoft invested $1.7 billion in the partner program. * July 2010 – John Roskill replaced Allison Watson as the head of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group. At that time, Microsoft investment in partners had grown to $5.2 billion. This includes $3.8 billion in channel incentives, $1 billion in partner marketing, $100 million in business investment fund, and $200 million in direct partner benefits through the Microsoft Partner Network. * Late 2010 – The Microsoft Partner Network officially launched and superseded the old Microsoft Partner Program. * 2013 – In response to slow sales of the new Windows 8 line, Microsoft slashed Solutions Incentive Program payments. * Coming August 2019 - On-prem product support will no longer be available for Action Pack and competencies."Technical Support for Microsoft Partners"
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Current structure

Companies can apply to be a

Microsoft Certified Partner A Microsoft Certified Partner (MCP) is a firm that provides Microsoft-related products or services, or support for such. It is part of the Microsoft Partner Network. They are confirmed by Microsoft to be official, and that they work effectively, a ...

. Partner resources include the

Microsoft Pinpoint Microsoft Pinpoint was a searchable online directory of software applications and professional services based on Microsoft technologies. All software applications and services listed on the Pinpoint website were provided by independent informatio ...

online directory, and the annual

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Microsoft Inspire (formerly the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, and previously abbreviated WPC) is a conference held annually by Microsoft Corporation for its partner community. At Inspire, partners are taught about Microsoft's roadmap fo ...

. Other individual

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

programs such as the

Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Professional was a certification program from Microsoft. Overview Microsoft Certifications are earned by passing exams aligned to a specific certification. The process of earning certification has changed multiple times sinc ...

are ways for individuals to become professionally certified in Microsoft products.

References

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External links

*
Microsoft Partner Network
*
Microsoft Pinpoint
Microsoft