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What does it take to become a Microsoft Partner that specialises in the Power Platform?
March 2. 2021
This post an introduction to the Microsoft Partner program. What is this, how does it apply to the Power Platform, and what does it take to join this program?
The Microsoft Partner program is designed for companies that provide products and services that feature Microsoft technologies.
By joining the partner program, a company can benefit from resources that include Azure credits, internal software licenses, and access to training and other resources.
Partner companies also have access to other marketing resources such as marketing logos and certification letters, and they can also appear in the Microsoft Partner directory.These benefits can help drive sales.
1 individual who has passed all 4 of these exams:
The apps that the company deploy must have at least 50 monthly active users. The company must also demonstrate growth of at least 35% over a 12 month period.
The deployed apps must incorporate all of the following technologies: Canvas apps, Model-driven apps, Flow, Dataverse, Portals, AI Builder, and ALM.
By joining the partner program, a company can benefit from resources that include Azure credits, internal software licenses, and access to training and other resources.
Partner companies also have access to other marketing resources such as marketing logos and certification letters, and they can also appear in the Microsoft Partner directory.These benefits can help drive sales.
Companies can join the partner program at four levels. In ascending order, these levels are Network, Action Pack, Silver competency, and Gold competency.
It's free to become a network partner. Joining at a higher level requires an annual subscription fee, and the fulfilment of additional requirements. These include having employees who have passed Microsoft certification exams, obtaining customer references, and passing assessments that relate to marketing activities.
How does this apply to the Power Platform?
For companies that work with the Power Platform, the Partner Program offers a "Microsoft Low Code Application Development" specialisation. This enables companies to prove expertise with Power Apps and the Power Platform.
For additional reading, the following PDF document provides the most complete information about this specialisation.
https://assetsprod.microsoft.com/low-code-application-development-advanced-specialization.pdf
https://assetsprod.microsoft.com/low-code-application-development-advanced-specialization.pdf
How does a company aquire the the "Low Code Application Development" specialisation?
A company must fulfil the following three requirements to acquire the "Low Code Application Development" specialisation:
- Attain a Gold competency
- Employ at least six individuals who have passed Microsoft exams
- Deploy a Power Apps solution to at least five customers
Here are some additional details on these requirements:
1. Gold Competency Requirement
The company must achieve a Gold competency in one of the following categories - "Cloud Business Applications", "Cloud Platform", "Small and Mid-Market Cloud Solutions", "Cloud Productivity", or "Application Integration".
We can find full details of Gold competency requirements through the following link.
To give a rough idea, the "Cloud Business Applications" competency is a natural choice for a company that specialises in the Power Platform. This competency focuses on Dynamics 365 solutions. The key steps to achieve this competency is to earn at least $300k of Microsoft Cloud Related income over a 12 month period, and to employ at least15 Microsoft certfied employees.
2. Employee/Certification Requirement
The company must employ at least six individuals with Microsoft certifications. These consist of:
1 individual who has passed all 4 of these exams:
- Exam PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker
- Exam PL-200: Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant
- Exam PL-400: Microsoft Power Platform Developer
- Exam MB-600: Microsoft Dynamics 365 + Power Platform Solution Architect
- Exam PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker
- Exam PL-200: Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant
- Exam PL-400: Microsoft Power Platform Developer
Customer Requirements
The company must deploy Power Apps projects to at least five unique customers. One of these must be a production app that is deployed to a production environment. There must be at least five users for this app.The apps that the company deploy must have at least 50 monthly active users. The company must also demonstrate growth of at least 35% over a 12 month period.
To demonstrate quality, all apps must pass the Power Apps Solution checker.
The deployed apps must incorporate all of the following technologies: Canvas apps, Model-driven apps, Flow, Dataverse, Portals, AI Builder, and ALM.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Partner program provides a great way for companies to work closely with Microsoft, and to acquire resources that can benefit sales. A "Low Code Application Development" specialisation enables companies to evidence expertise with Power Apps and the Power Platform. To aquaire this specialisation, companies must attain a Gold competency, employ staff who have passed Microsoft exams, and must deploy Power Apps solutions to at least five customers.
