how to become a microsoft solution partner august 2025

Overview of the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP)

The Microsoft Cloud Partner Program (MCPP) is Microsoft’s global partner ecosystem program, redesigned especially in 2022 but even more so now in 2025 to align with how customers buy and how Microsoft markets its cloud solutions. It replaced the old Silver/Gold competency model with new Solutions Partner designations across six key solution areas.

The goal of becoming a microsoft solution partner in 2025 is to make it easier for customers to identify partners like you with the right best fit technical capabilities, experience, and success in the areas they need. Partners in MCPP (like maybe you) can receive benefits like training resources, go-to-market support, incentives, and even some internal use licenses that grow as the partnership deepens.

Why become a Solutions Partner? Achieving a Solutions Partner designation signals to your customers that your organization has verified skills, certifications, and really a proven track record in delivering Microsoft solutions. It demonstrates a real commitment to training and customer success, helping you to stand out from your competitors. It pretty much shows that you have things like broad technical capabilities, dedication to skilling, and a proven ability to deliver successful solutions in a given area. This credibility can lead to more customer trust and opportunities.

Solution Partner Designations and Their Significance

The six Solutions Partner designations align with high-demand Microsoft Cloud solution areas, replacing the legacy Silver/Gold competencies.

Microsoft offers six core Solutions Partner designations, each corresponding to a major solution area in the Microsoft Cloud:

• Solutions Partner for Data & AI (Azure) – Demonstrates capability in helping customers manage data across systems and build analytics & AI solutions on Azure.
• Solutions Partner for Business Applications – Signals expertise in delivering solutions with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform (CRM, ERP, low-code apps).
• Solutions Partner for Digital & App Innovation (Azure) – Indicates ability to help customers build, run, and manage modern applications across cloud, on-premises, or edge environments with Azure’s developer tools.
• Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure) – Focuses on migrating and managing key infrastructure workloads in Azure, showing proficiency in cloud infrastructure and datacenter modernization.
• Solutions Partner for Modern Work – Highlights expertise in boosting productivity and enabling hybrid work with Microsoft 365. Partners in Modern Work help customers adopt Office 365, Teams, Windows 11, and related technologies to improve collaboration.
• Solutions Partner for Security – Shows a broad capability as a solution partner for security to safeguard organizations with Microsoft’s security, compliance, and identity solutions. It means providing quality holistic, industry-leading security across identities, devices, data, apps, and infrastructure.

Each designation comes with a badge and recognition in Microsoft’s partner directory, so customers searching for solution experts can find qualified partners easily. Notably, these designations have replaced the legacy Microsoft Partner Network competencies (Silver/Gold); as of Jan 2025 the old competencies and Action Pack are retired in favor of the new model. Achieving a Solutions Partner designation is now the primary way to demonstrate your organization’s Microsoft expertise at the Solutions Partner level (with further Specializations available to prove deeper technical expertise in sub-areas).

Partner Capability Score and Points System Overview

To earn any Solutions Partner designation, your organization must accumulate a sufficient Partner Capability Score in that solution area. Microsoft uses a holistic scoring framework that measures performance, skilling, and customer success – “it’s not just what you know, but how you apply that knowledge for customers”. Here’s how the points system works:

• Total Points and Threshold: Each solution area has a maximum of 100 points. You need at least 70 points to qualify as a Solutions Partner in that area. Importantly, you must earn some points in each category (no zeroes) – performance, skilling (both sub-components), and customer success (both sub-components). This ensures a balanced capability (you can’t, for example, rely only on certifications without any customer success, or vice versa).
• Performance (Net Customer Adds): Measures your ability to grow Microsoft’s customer base in that solution area. In practice, this metric counts net new customers you’ve acquired in the last 12 months for the relevant products/services (with any customer losses subtracted). Each solution area defines what counts as an “eligible customer” (e.g. for Azure-focused designations, a customer contributing a certain Azure consumption qualifies) and a target threshold. You earn points as you approach the customer-add target, up to a maximum (often 15 or 30 points depending on designation). Example: In Azure solution areas, each net new customer can contribute ~10 points up to a max of 30, with “new” defined as a customer tenant who wasn’t previously using Azure with your partner association.
• Skilling (Certifications): This category gauges your team’s technical expertise through Microsoft certifications. It’s divided into two sub-metrics: Intermediate and Advanced certifications. Microsoft has a specified list of relevant certifications for each designation, typically role-based certs at the associate level (intermediate) and expert level (advanced). Points are awarded based on the number of individuals in your organization holding those certifications. There are thresholds for how many certified people yield the maximum points, and partial points for fewer certifications. For example: in many areas, to get full points you might need, say, 20 people (Enterprise track) with intermediate certs, but fewer if you’re in the SMB track (since smaller partners are expected to have fewer certified staff). Each certified person usually contributes a set number of points (e.g. 1 point each for Business Apps intermediate certs in an Enterprise, or 4 points each in SMB) up to the cap. Advanced certs (expert-level, like Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Expert) typically have a separate points cap (often smaller than intermediate’s). Note: The required certification list is updated periodically as exams retire or new ones are introduced, so partners must keep up with the latest requirements and ensure staff renew or attain new certifications as needed.
• Customer Success (Usage Growth and Deployments): This category reflects your success in driving adoption and usage of Microsoft solutions in your customer base. It usually has two metrics:
  • Usage Growth: Measures the increase in usage or consumption of Microsoft services by your customers over the past year. In Azure-related designations, this could be year-over-year growth in Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) for your customers; in Modern Work or Business Apps, it could be seat growth or active usage of Microsoft 365 or Dynamics services. You earn points for percentage growth – e.g. each 1% growth might give 1 point, up to 20 points for 20%+ growth. (A minimum baseline of usage is required to count; for instance, Azure usage growth only counts if you had at least $1,000 ACR to start with.)
  • Deployments: Measures the breadth of product/service usage by counting the deployment of specific solution workloads or advanced features. For Azure areas, this metric counts how many distinct Azure services (at the “Service Level 2” category) your customers are using (with at least some consumption), excluding basic ones like VMs. Each eligible service/workload in use contributes points (e.g. 2 points per unique service, up to 10 points total). In Business Applications or Modern Work, “deployments” might correspond to the number of active deployments of different Dynamics 365 modules or Power Platform solutions, or the number of customers deployed with certain workloads. Essentially, it rewards partners for implementing a diversity of solutions (e.g. multiple workloads) for customers.

Scoring Flexibility: The partner capability score framework is designed to be flexible – you don’t necessarily need 100% in every category; you can mix and match strengths as long as you hit 70+ overall and have >0 in each metric. For example, a partner might compensate a lower new-customer count with more significant usage growth and extra certified staff, or vice versa. Microsoft also created different scoring tracks (Enterprise vs. SMB) for several designations to account for partner size and customer profile differences. If most of your customers are small/midmarket and your Azure revenue is below $1M, you’ll be classified in the SMB track, which has lower numeric thresholds for things like customer adds and certified people (but points scale differently). Larger partners go into the Enterprise track with higher thresholds. (In Modern Work and Security, Microsoft actually evaluates both tracks and gives you the higher score automatically.) The key is that regardless of track, the 70-point bar and the requirement to perform well in all categories remain the same.

Solution Partner Designation: Data & AI (Azure)

What it is: The Data & AI designation showcases your organization’s broad capability to help customers manage data across multiple systems and build analytics and AI solutions on Azure. In practice, this means you have proven skills in databases, analytics platforms, AI/machine learning, and related Azure services. Attaining the Solutions Partner for Data & AI (Azure) badge tells customers that your team is well-trained (with Azure Data/AI certifications) and has a track record of successful data and AI projects on the Azure platform.

Requirements: To become a Solutions Partner in Data & AI, you must earn ≥70 points in the Data & AI partner capability score, with points coming from the following:

• Performance (Azure customer additions): Earn points by onboarding new customers to Azure data/AI services. This is measured by net customer adds over the last 12 months in Azure. Each net-new Azure customer (meeting a minimum usage threshold) contributes toward your score (up to a maximum of 30 points). For Data & AI, an “eligible” customer typically means a customer tenant consuming Azure services in the Data/AI solution area with at least a minimal Azure spend (e.g. >$1,000 in Azure consumption for enterprise track). Lost customers (if any) are subtracted from the count, so retaining clients matters too.
• Skilling (Certifications in Azure Data/AI): Your team needs to have a certain number of individuals certified in relevant Azure roles. Important: For Data & AI (Azure), Microsoft currently only counts intermediate-level certifications – there is no separate advanced cert requirement for this designation. The intermediate certification requirements for Data & AI are structured in stages:
  • Prerequisites: At least 2 people certified as Azure Administrator Associates, and at least 2 people as Azure Solutions Architect Experts (these ensure your team has foundational Azure skills). These steps are mandatory, though they don’t themselves award points.
  • Additional certs for points: After the above are met, you earn points for each person who has any one of several Data & AI-focused certifications. This includes certifications like Azure Database Administrator Associate, Data Engineer Associate, Data Scientist Associate, AI Engineer Associate, Data Analyst Associate, Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty, or the Customer Data Platform Specialty (for Dynamics 365 Customer Insights). Each person with one of these certs contributes 4 points to the score, up to a maximum of 40 points total in this category. (For example, 10 certified individuals × 4 points each = 40 points max.) It’s worth planning to have multiple team members certified across these roles to reach the cap – e.g. an Azure partner might train several data engineers and AI engineers on the team to maximize points. Note that the same individual can fulfill multiple cert categories (one person might be both an Azure Admin and Data Engineer), but each person only counts once for the points in the final tally.
• Customer Success (Azure usage & deployments): Data & AI partners must show that their customers are actively using Azure data/AI services and expanding that usage. This splits into:
  • Usage Growth: Year-over-year growth in Azure consumption (ACR) for your customers’ data and AI workloads. You earn up to 20 points for increasing customers’ Azure usage by at least 20% year-over-year (1 point per 1% growth). This encourages partners not just to add new customers, but also to drive more Azure utilization (e.g. migrating more databases, increasing data stored or processed, adding AI services) within existing customers. The growth is measured across all your Azure customers in this solution area, and requires a minimum baseline of ACR (e.g. ≥$1,000 total ACR) to count.
  • Deployments: Points for deploying a variety of Azure services for your clients. In Data & AI, this typically means the number of distinct Azure services (service categories) in use across your customer base – for example, having customers using Azure SQL Database, and Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Machine Learning, etc. Each unique service/workload active in the last 12 months gives you 2 points, up to 10 points max (meaning at least 5 different eligible services). Certain basic services (like plain VMs) might be excluded to encourage advanced workloads. Essentially, this rewards you for breadth: if you’ve deployed multiple types of Azure data/AI solutions, you score higher than if you only specialize in one product.

If your organization is U.S.-based and serving primarily U.S. customers, the above thresholds (e.g. Azure consumption in USD) apply directly. Note that Azure partners are automatically classified as Enterprise or SMB track for scoring based on scale: if you have < $1M in Azure consumption and mostly SMB customers, you’re in the SMB track (which might require fewer certified people, etc.), whereas ≥$1M places you in Enterprise track. In either case, to attain the Data & AI designation you’ll ultimately need to hit the 70-point mark with a balanced score across performance, skilling, and customer success.

Solution Partner Designation: Business Applications

What it is: The Business Applications designation demonstrates your capability in delivering solutions built on Microsoft’s business applications ecosystem – primarily Dynamics 365 (CRM/ERP apps) and Power Platform (Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, etc.). A Solutions Partner for Business Applications is recognized for strong expertise in implementing and customizing Dynamics 365 solutions (like Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, etc.) and Power Platform innovations for customers. This designation assures clients that you have certified professionals in Dynamics/Power Platform and a history of successful deployments that drive business outcomes.

Requirements: Achieving the Business Applications designation also requires ≥70 points in the partner capability score for that area, with its own mix of metrics:

• Performance (Customer Adds in Business Apps): Points are awarded for gaining new customers in the Business Applications arena (Dynamics 365 or Power Platform). This is tracked as net new customer organizations you’ve sold or deployed Dynamics/PowerPlatform solutions to in the last year. In Business Apps, the maximum points for customer adds is typically lower than Azure areas (e.g. up to 15 points for net new Business Apps customers). The thresholds here recognize that Business Applications deals might be fewer in number but larger in scale per customer. Nonetheless, to score well, you should focus on landing new Dynamics 365 or Power Platform clients or expanding your solutions to new logos.
• Skilling (Dynamics 365/Power Platform Certifications): You need a team of certified Business Applications professionals. This category is split into Intermediate certs (max ~20 points) and Advanced certs (max ~15 points) for Business Apps. Microsoft’s eligible certifications list covers a wide range of Dynamics 365 and Power Platform roles:
  • Intermediate (Associate-level) certifications include titles such as Dynamics 365 Functional Consultant Associate (various modules like Finance, Supply Chain, Sales, Customer Service, Field Service, Business Central, Marketing) and Power Platform App Maker, Developer, or Functional Consultant Associate, as well as related certs like Power BI Data Analyst and Customer Data Platform (Dynamics 365 Customer Insights) Specialty. Essentially, these are the certifications that prove your consultants can implement core Dynamics 365 applications and Power Platform solutions. Each certified individual (counted once, no matter how many of these they have) contributes to the intermediate cert point total. For an Enterprise-track partner, 20 certified people yield the full 20 points (1 point each). For SMB partners, fewer people are needed (e.g. 5 people for 20 points at 4 points each). So a U.S. partner that’s large will likely need ~20 individuals holding at least one of these certifications to max out this category.
  • Advanced (Expert-level) certifications in Business Apps typically include Dynamics 365 Solution Architect Expert (for Finance and Operations, or for Customer Engagement) and Power Platform Solution Architect Expert. These are more rare, high-level certs demonstrating architecture and design skills. To get full points (15) in this subcategory, an Enterprise partner needs around 7 people with any of these expert certs (each counts ~2.14 points). Smaller partners can max out with ~2 experts (in SMB track). It’s often advisable for a Business Apps partner to develop a few solution architects on their team who achieve these certifications – not only for points but for the depth of skill they bring.
• Customer Success (Deployments & Usage of Business Apps): Microsoft wants to see that you are driving successful go-lives and active usage of Dynamics 365/Power Platform in customers’ organizations. In Business Apps, the metrics typically are:
  • Usage Growth: Measured by growth in usage of Dynamics 365 seats or Power Platform usage. For example, this could be the increase in monthly active users or the number of Dynamics licenses deployed across all your customers year-over-year. Full points might require a certain percentage growth or a number of new active users. In the scoring model provided, usage growth can contribute up to 30 points – indicating it’s a significant factor for Business Apps. Partners should focus on driving user adoption (e.g. more Dynamics 365 seats sold, more Power Apps users enabled) to show tangible customer success.
  • Deployments: Represents the count of successful Dynamics/PowerPlatform projects or workload deployments you’ve completed. This could be quantified as the number of tenants where you’ve deployed at least one Dynamics 365 module or a certain number of Power Apps solutions, etc., over the last year. In the scoring breakdown, deployments can contribute up to 20 points for Business Apps. Essentially, you get credit for each customer go-live or each distinct workload you implement. Ensuring that projects not only start but reach a deployed, active state (with users) is key to scoring here. For instance, implementing Dynamics 365 CRM for 5 different customers in the year, or a mix of CRM and ERP modules across clients, would earn points towards this metric.

Just like Azure partners, Business Apps partners are also categorized by Microsoft into Enterprise or SMB tracks automatically. If most of your Business Apps customers are enterprise-level, you’ll be measured against enterprise thresholds (requiring more certifications and larger net adds), whereas a partner serving many SMB clients can qualify on smaller numbers (but weighted differently). Regardless of track, you must reach 70 points total. A strategy for an established U.S. organization aiming for the Business Applications designation might include investing in training several Dynamics 365 consultants to get certified (covering multiple modules and at least a couple of architect experts), and aggressively pursuing new Dynamics/Power Platform projects to boost customer adds and user adoption metrics.

Other Solution Partner Designations (Briefly)

In addition to Data & AI and Business Applications, there are four other Solutions Partner designations. While our focus is on the two above, here’s a quick overview of the others and what it takes to earn them:

• Infrastructure (Azure): Demonstrates expertise in cloud infrastructure and migration. A Solutions Partner for Infrastructure helps customers “accelerate migration of key infrastructure workloads to Azure”. Requirements center on Azure infrastructure projects – e.g. migrating servers, VMs, databases to Azure, implementing networks and Azure management. Performance involves adding Azure infrastructure customers, Skilling requires Azure Admin, Azure Solutions Architect, and other infra-related certs (like Azure Stack, Azure Virtual Desktop specialty, etc.), and Customer Success looks at Azure consumption growth and deploying a range of Azure infrastructure services. Essentially, an Infrastructure partner needs a strong Azure core competency and a track record of moving on-premises or datacenter workloads to Azure.
• Digital & App Innovation (Azure): Highlights capabilities in modern application development and cloud-native solutions on Azure. These partners help customers “build, run, and manage applications across clouds, on-prem, and edge with the frameworks of their choice”. To earn this, you’ll need to show success in Azure application development projects. Skilling focuses on certs like Azure Developer Associate, DevOps Engineer, Azure Solutions Architect, etc., possibly along with specialties in application integration. Performance rewards gaining new Azure app development customers/projects, and Customer Success often measures things like Azure App Services or containers usage growth and deploying multiple app-centric Azure services (like Azure Functions, Kubernetes, DevOps pipelines, etc.). This designation is ideal for software development firms and ISVs in the cloud space.
• Modern Work: Emphasizes proficiency in Microsoft 365 and the modern workplace solutions. A Solutions Partner for Modern Work “demonstrate[s] broad capability to boost customers’ productivity and enable the shift to hybrid work using Microsoft 365”. These are partners who deploy and manage Microsoft 365 apps and services (Office 365, Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, Windows 10/11, Enterprise Mobility + Security, etc.). Key requirements include Performance (net new customers adopting Microsoft 365 or Office 365 solutions), Skilling (certifications like Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator Expert, Teams Administrator, Security Administrator, Windows deployment, etc.), and Customer Success (growth in Microsoft 365 active usage, and the number of customer deployments of M365 workloads such as Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, etc.). Modern Work has a large market (from small business Microsoft 365 Business Premium deployments to enterprise M365 E5 rollouts), and Microsoft provides both an SMB track and Enterprise track here. They even evaluate both tracks for you and use whichever gives a higher score. An established U.S. partner aiming for Modern Work should focus on driving seat adoption and ensuring their staff holds M365 certifications.
• Security: Validates capability in deploying Microsoft security technologies to safeguard organizations. A Solutions Partner for Security helps customers “protect their entire organization with integrated security, compliance, and identity solutions”. Achieving this designation requires Performance (adding new customers for security solutions – e.g. selling Microsoft Defender, Entra ID (Azure AD) or Sentinel into new clients), Skilling (certifications such as Microsoft Security Operations Analyst, Identity and Access Administrator, Information Protection Administrator, Azure Security Engineer, etc., and likely a Security Expert cert like SC-100 Cybersecurity Architect), and Customer Success (metrics like growth in usage of Microsoft Defender suites, Sentinel, Entra ID MFA/Conditional Access deployments, and number of customers with those solutions implemented). Essentially, you prove you can implement holistic security across Microsoft 365 and Azure environments. Given the rising importance of cybersecurity, this designation is valuable and often pursued after a partner has Modern Work or Azure competencies, since security spans both.

All these designations also use the 70-point Partner Capability Score model – so whichever area you pursue, plan to cover performance (new customer wins), skilling (certify your team), and customer success (successful deployments and growing usage) in that domain. Many partners eventually attain multiple designations (for example, an Azure partner might earn Infrastructure and Data & AI, or a Microsoft 365 partner might earn Modern Work and Security). Microsoft allows that with no additional fee for multiple designations once you’ve paid for one, as long as you meet each set of requirements.

Steps to Prepare, Attain, and Maintain a Solutions Partner Designation

Becoming a Microsoft Solutions Partner involves both preparation and ongoing commitment. Below is a high-level guide for an established U.S.-based organization to achieve a designation (especially Data & AI or Business Applications), from start to finish:

1. Join the Microsoft Partner Program: If your organization isn’t already in MCPP, start by enrolling. You’ll need to create a Partner Center account and accept the Microsoft Partner Agreement. Registration is a prerequisite to access the tools and tracking for designations. (Many established firms are already Microsoft partners – ensure your account details are up to date and you’ve transitioned to the Cloud Partner Program if coming from the old MPN.)
2. Identify the Relevant Designation(s): Choose which Solutions Partner designation aligns with your business offerings and strategy. For example, a company focusing on AI and data analytics services should target Data & AI (Azure), whereas a Dynamics 365 implementation firm would aim for Business Applications. You can pursue multiple designations over time, but it’s wise to start with one or two core areas that match your expertise and customer base.
3. Review Requirements and Assess Gaps: Visit Microsoft’s documentation or partner portal for the chosen designation’s requirements (Microsoft provides training galleries and pages detailing each designation’s metrics). Take stock of where you stand:
   • How many net new customers have you added in this area recently?
   • Do you have the necessary certified personnel (and if not, which certifications are missing)?
   • Are your customers actively using the Microsoft solutions (and can you show growth in usage or more deployments)?

   Microsoft Partner Center offers a Solutions Partner score dashboard where you can see your current points in each category for each solution area. For example, check if you currently have, say, 50 points in Data & AI with 0 in one subcategory – that tells you where to focus. The dashboard also provides guidance on how to improve each metric.

4. Invest in Skilling and Certification: Plan and execute a training program for your team to fill the certification gaps. This is often the most controllable part of the score:
   • Identify which certifications count toward the designation (e.g. Azure Data Engineer, Azure AI Engineer, etc., for Data & AI; or Dynamics 365 Functional Consultant and Power Platform certs for Business Apps). Microsoft Learn and partner training materials can help prepare staff for these exams. Some partners incentivize employees with bonuses or time off to get certified.
   • Ensure you meet any minimum requirements (like having at least 2 Solution Architects certified, which is a prerequisite for Data & AI points). Then aim to certify enough people to reach full points. For instance, if you need 10 people with a Data & AI cert to get 40 points, but you only have 5 now, schedule more team members for exams over the coming months.
   • Link your employees’ certifications to your partner ID in Partner Center. This is critical – individuals must affiliate their Microsoft Learning profile with your organization’s Partner Center account to count towards your score.
5. Drive Performance (Customer Acquisition): Winning new business is key to the performance category:
   • Look at your pipeline and set targets for acquiring new customers in the solution area. This might involve marketing campaigns or working with Microsoft’s field teams to find leads. For example, a Data & AI partner might target new clients for cloud analytics projects; a Business Apps partner might focus on signing new Dynamics 365 customers.
   • Consider Microsoft’s CSP program or co-sell opportunities to land new customers. Also ensure that when you do win a customer, you properly associate the customer to your partner ID (via PAL, DPOR, or CPOR as applicable) so that Microsoft recognizes you as the partner of record.
   • Remember, the metric subtracts any lost customers, so maintain existing relationships too. Prevent churn by delivering quality support, as a drop in customer count will negate some of your gains.
6. Focus on Customer Success and Deployments: Plan projects that not only go live but also grow in usage:
   • For usage growth, work with your existing customers to expand their use of Microsoft solutions. If you deployed an Azure data platform last year, can you encourage the customer to ingest more data or add an AI component this year? If you rolled out 50 Dynamics 365 seats, can you upsell them to 100 seats or additional modules? Customer success is often about ensuring the client realizes full value and adopts more features over time – which naturally increases consumption metrics.
   • For deployments, aim to deploy a broad set of services/workloads. In Azure, perhaps introduce new services (e.g., add Azure Cognitive Services or Azure Synapse Analytics in a data project to count as another deployed workload). In Business Applications, diversify your projects (CRM, ERP, Power Apps, etc.). Each distinct solution deployed for a customer (especially advanced workloads) could count towards your deployments score. Collect customer references and success stories as you complete these projects – they’re not required for the score but are useful for your own marketing.
   • Microsoft sometimes offers partner incentives and programs in the U.S. to drive customer success, like Azure consumption incentives or funding for deployment workshops. Leverage those if available, as they can help you accelerate customer adoption (indirectly boosting your usage growth metrics).
7. Track Your Score Progress: Continuously monitor your Partner Center Solutions Partner score dashboard. The data typically refreshes monthly (performance and usage metrics update around the 20th of each month, and certification status updates within days of exams). Watching the trend helps – you’ll see, for instance, your points climb as new certifications appear or as new customers are added. If one category is lagging, adjust your action plan (e.g., if you’re stuck at 60 points because of low usage growth, put special effort into a customer success program or seek Microsoft’s help to drive adoption).
8. Achieve Qualification (70 Points & Balanced Score): Once you hit 70+ points and have >0 in each subcategory (performance, both skilling submetrics, both customer success submetrics) on any given day, you are considered “qualified” for the Solutions Partner designation. The qualification can happen anytime during your partner program year – you don’t have to wait for year-end. Microsoft will reflect the achievement in Partner Center, and at your next anniversary or renewal window you can officially obtain the designation.
9. Pay the Annual Fee and Attain the Designation: After qualifying, you’ll need to purchase the Solutions Partner benefits package for that designation to start using the title and benefits. The annual fee for a Solutions Partner designation is approximately $4,730 USD (the same as the old Gold competency fee; local currency may vary). You pay this fee once per year to maintain the benefits. (If this is your first Solutions Partner designation, that fee is required; if you later earn additional designations, Microsoft does not charge extra fees for those – one fee covers all attained designations in that year.) Once paid, you will receive the official Solutions Partner badge for use in marketing, and gain access to designation benefits like product licenses, Azure credits, advisory hours, and eligibility for incentives tied to that designation.
10. Maintain and Renew Your Designation: Being a Solutions Partner is an ongoing commitment. The designation must be renewed annually. This doesn’t necessarily mean reapplying from scratch, but rather:
    • Keep your Partner Capability Score at or above 70 continuously or at least hit the threshold again during each year’s eligibility window. Scores are calculated on a rolling 12-month basis, so you’ll need to keep adding new business, training staff, and growing usage every year to maintain the points. For example, if some certifications expire or become retired, you’ll need to have folks take the newer exams; if a big customer left, you may need to compensate by winning another.
    • Plan for turnover and changes: Make sure multiple employees have certifications so that if someone leaves the company, you don’t lose all your points. Similarly, continually train new hires on relevant Microsoft certs.
    • Stay updated on requirements: Microsoft may adjust point allocations or introduce new cert exams and retire old ones (especially in fast-changing areas like Azure). Check partner communications or the official MCPP updates regularly. (FYI, Microsoft introduced an AI Cloud Partner Program enhancement in 2023-2024, adding some AI-specific benefits and likely evolving the program, so keep an eye on announcements.)
    • When your annual renewal time comes (the anniversary of when you first attained the designation), you’ll need to confirm you still meet the criteria (which you will if you maintained 70 points) and pay the renewal fee for the next year. Microsoft typically gives a renewal window to achieve the requirements if you slipped; but as a best practice, try not to drop below the threshold to avoid any lapse.
11. U.S.-Specific Considerations: By and large, the Solutions Partner program is global and standardized, so the requirements are the same worldwide, but there are a few U.S.-specific notes:
    • The monetary thresholds for Azure consumption and the fee are given in USD. For instance, the Enterprise vs. SMB track classification uses a $1M ACR benchmark (past 12 months Azure revenue) as the cutoff, which is naturally in USD for U.S. partners. Also, the annual fee of $4,730 we mentioned is the U.S. price (other countries’ fees are “equivalent” in local currency).
    • U.S. market partners might have access to certain programs or incentives (through Microsoft US subsidiary) to help with skilling or customer adds (such as training vouchers or Azure consumption incentives). It’s wise to connect with a Microsoft PDM (Partner Development Manager) or the U.S. partner community to leverage any such resources.
    • Competition in the U.S. is strong due to the large number of Microsoft partners. Having the Solutions Partner designations can be crucial for U.S. partners to differentiate themselves when customers search the Microsoft partner finder tool. The designation will make your company more visible and credible, which is an advantage in this market.
    • Lastly, ensure compliance with any U.S. regulatory considerations if your solutions are in regulated industries – while not directly tied to the partner program, delivering successful projects (customer success) in sectors like government or healthcare might require certain certifications (FedRAMP, etc.). Microsoft sometimes provides guidance for partners in these areas via communities but that’s outside the scope of the partner score.

By you following the above steps – aligning your business with the right designation, meeting the performance, skilling, and customer success targets, and maintaining those over time – your U.S.-based organization can attain and leverage the Microsoft Solutions Partner designations. Becoming a Solutions Partner in Data & AI or Business Applications (or any solution area) is a mark of excellence: it not only unlocks Microsoft benefits and support, but also signals to customers that you have both the knowledge and the proven success in delivering Microsoft cloud solutions. With proper planning and commitment, the designation can be achieved and will serve as a valuable asset in growing your Microsoft-focused business.