12
GOLD COMPETENCY REVENUE GUIDELINES
GOLD COMPETENCY
REVENUE GUIDELINES
Table of Contents
MICROSOFT GOLD COMPETENCY REVENUE GUIDELINES UPDATE .................................................. 1
We Are All About Partners ............................................................................................................................. 2
What we offer: rich benefits for gold competency partners ................................................................ 2
What we expect: common agreement on revenue goals ...................................................................... 2
How it works ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
Country Groupings .......................................................................................................................................... 4
Minimum Revenue Amounts ........................................................................................................................ 5
Frequently Asked Questions on Gold Competency Revenue Goals ................................................... 6
APPENDIX A – Products Associated to Competencies .......................................................................... 8
1
MICROSOFT GOLD COMPETENCY
REVENUE GUIDELINES UPDATE Revised February, 2013
Key updates to this document include:
1. Removal of the October 2013 revenue measurement start date and the October 2014 revenue
requirement date
2. List of competencies addressed by this document
3. Updated Appendix
RESOURCES:
If you have questions, please contact your local Regional Service Center.
To find gold competency requirements and benefits, consult the partner portal.
2
KEY INFORMATION
All partners with a gold competency will
have assistance from a named Microsoft
contact to help with measuring revenue
attainment.
We Are All About Partners Microsoft is, and always has been, partner led. We will continue to create innovative technology platforms
and services for our mutual customers that allow partners to attach, extend, and monetize solutions
globally. And we will continue to support our partners to help win more customers, increase share, and
deliver stronger revenue performance.
What we offer: rich benefits for gold competency
partners Partners with gold competencies represent organizations and associated individuals that have
demonstrated the highest, most consistent capability and sales leadership within a specific solution area.
Therefore, partners with gold competencies that show deep
expertise and achieve revenue goals are eligible for a wealth of
benefits that surpass the cost of qualification. Those include:
Tailored, competency-specific benefits based on solutions
offered, such as solution incentives
Core benefits, such as a Microsoft named contact who may
support the creation of a business plan and help with sales
efforts, a distinct Microsoft gold competency logo, and
internal-use software licenses for the latest Microsoft desktop, operating system, and server
software. Refer to the Software Licensing Guide for more information.
We pride ourselves on the business value that Microsoft Partner Network core benefits drive directly to
our partners. Our investments in the Microsoft Partner Network reinforce our commitment. In a study
released in June 2012: “The Business Value of the Microsoft Partner Network Core Benefits,” the IDC
estimates an aggregate value of approximately $320,000 that is directly attributable to a partner’s use of
the Microsoft Partner Network benefits suite. (Figures reflect an average for a 50-person partner with two
to five competencies.)
What we expect: common agreement
on revenue goals As a channel-led company, the vast majority of our revenue is driven through partners. It is our
expectation that partners with gold competencies will play a leading role in generating revenue.
Historically, the revenue that you drive has not been recognized as part of the Microsoft Partner Network,
or has only been recognized by local Microsoft offices. In the future, our objective is to better align our
global and local execution and recognize and reward you based, in part, on the revenue and market
impact that you are already driving within your business.
As a step toward this objective, partners must agree on revenue goals, which means making their best
efforts to achieve defined revenue goals when they enroll for gold competency membership. This revenue
3
KEY INFORMATION
Visit the Partner Membership Center to
accept the revenue requirement.
is the amount of transactional or influential Microsoft license revenue that a partner generates over the 12
months following enrollment in a gold competency. This document explains in more detail by
competency how these revenue goals are defined.
At some point in the future, we also plan to begin measuring partner–generated revenue. However, we
are delaying measuring revenue attainment (for competencies other than CRM, ERP, and Learning)
until a yet to be determined date (previously stated as October 2013). We will provide partners with
at least six months notice before we actually start measuring revenue attainment.
How it works Acknowledging and agreeing on revenue goals will take place during the gold competency enrollment
process. Below is an example of how this revenue goals agreement appears in the Partner Membership
Center Competency Summary page. Partners simply need to click the “Agree” link.
4
Country Groupings There are three country revenue groupings (A, B, and C) as shown below.
Table 1
Group A Group B Group C
Australia
Canada
Denmark
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
Korea
Netherlands
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
UK
United States
Argentina & Uruguay
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
China
Chile
Colombia
Czech Republic
Egypt
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Malaysia
Mexico
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Romania
Russia
South Africa
Thailand
Taiwan
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
North, West and Central Africa, not
listed in other country groupings
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Armenia
Central Asia, not listed
in other country groupings
Azerbaijan
Cayman Islands
The Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belize
Bermuda
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Burundi
Brunei
Bulgaria
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Georgia
Guatemala
Honduras
Iceland
Indian Ocean Islands
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia (FYROM)
Malawi
Malta
East Mediterranean
Montenegro
Morocco
Moldova
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Paraguay
Puerto Rico
Peru
Philippines
Qatar
Rwanda
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Somalia
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Uganda
Uruguay
Venezuela
Vietnam
Zambia
Zimbabwe
5
Minimum Revenue Amounts Listed below are the minimum revenue goals for all Microsoft Partner Network competencies. To see the
products associated with each competency, refer to Appendix A.
Minimum Revenue Goals by Competency
Revenue goals are in U.S. constant dollars and are subject to annual changes.
Any changes will be communicated with at least six months’ notice.
Table 2
Competency Group A Group B Group C
Application Development $100,000 $80,000 $50,000
Application Integration $100,000 $80,000 $50,000
Application Lifecycle Management $100,000 $80,000 $50,000
Business Intelligence $180,000 $150,000 $100,000
Collaboration and Content $180,000 $150,000 $100,000
Communications $180,000 $150,000 $100,000
CRM gold competency - VAR 300 seats or
$200,000
150 seats or
$100,000
150 seats or
$100,000
CRM gold competency - ISV $500,000 $250,000 $250,000
CRM silver competency - VAR 150 seats or
$100,000
75 seats or $50,000 75 seats or $50,000
CRM silver competency - ISV $250,000 $125,000 $125,000
Data Platform $130,000 $100,000 $70,000
Devices and Deployment $150,000 $113,000 $75,000
Digital Marketing 0 0 0
Distributor Varies by contract Varies by contract Varies by contract
ERP gold competency - VAR $100,000 $50,000 $50,000
ERP gold competency - ISV $500,000 $250,000 $250,000
ERP silver competency - VAR $50,000 $25,000 $25,000
ERP silver competency - ISV $250,000 $125,000 $125,000
Hosting $100,000 $75,000 $50,000
Identity and Access $100,000 $80,000 $50,000
Learning Gold Learning KPI Gold Learning KPI Gold Learning KPI
Management and Virtualization $180,000 $150,000 $100,000
Messaging $180,000 $150,000 $100,000
Midmarket Solution Provider $100,000 $75,000 $50,000
Mobility 0 0 0
OEM1 150 BOS/15 Server 100 BOS/10 Server 50 BOS/5 Server
Project and Portfolio Management $130,000 $100,000 $70,000
Server Platform $180,000 $150,000 $100,000
Small Business 200 seats or
$50,000
150 seats or
$30,000
150 seats or
$30,000
Software Asset Management 0 0 0
Volume Licensing $100,000 $75,000 $50,000
1 BOS stands for Bootable Operating System. This is an operating system that can be booted from removable media (CD, USB drive).
6
Frequently Asked Questions on Gold Competency
Revenue Goals Q: What are the gold competency revenue amounts and how did you develop them?
A: Revenue amounts are specific to competency and geography. Refer to Table 2 above. The revenue
amounts are “minimum” goals and were set based on local market conditions, average size and
number of customer deals, partner types, market segments, and more.
Q: What is the time period to achieve revenue goals?
A: Revenue goals must be achieved during the 12 months following the enrollment date.
Q: I thought Microsoft was going to start measuring revenue in October 2013,
why the delay? Are you delaying measurement of revenue for all competencies?
A: We are delaying the measurement of gold competency revenue until a yet to be determined date
(previously stated as October 2013) for all but the CRM, ERP, and Learning competencies, where
revenue requirements or consumption KPI targets are already in place. Our objective is to ensure
that we measure all partner-generated revenue, that we are aligned with both the program and
incentive requirements, and that we give partners enough time to prepare for revenue tracking.
Q: Which competencies have a revenue goal?
A: See Table 2 to see competencies that have a revenue goal.
Q: What are the revenue types that count toward the goals?
A: Partners can base their revenue goals on all revenues they transact with, or influence for, Microsoft.
Revenue types include Volume Licensing (Open, Select, Enterprise Agreement), Service Provider
License Agreements, OEM, Royalty Agreements, and Cloud generated revenue.
Q: What are examples of revenue that count toward revenue goals?
A: Revenue that counts toward revenue goals refers to Microsoft licensing revenue that results from a
partner directly transacting the sale, or a partner contributing to winning the customer project that
results in Microsoft product license sales. It does not include associated partner services revenue.
Q: Can my revenue be allocated across competencies?
A: As a general rule, partners with multiple gold competencies will be required to use their best
efforts to meet the revenue goals for each gold competency to earn or retain their gold
competency status. However, partners will be able to allocate, divide, or spread revenue across
multiple related gold competencies. For example, partners can allocate their total Microsoft®
SharePoint®
2010 revenue generated (for example $100,000) across the Gold Collaboration and
Content ($50,000), Gold Business Intelligence ($25,000) and Gold Midmarket Solution Provider
($25,000) competencies. See Appendix A for a table representing products related to each gold
competency.
7
Q: How do I accept the revenue goals?
A: Partners will be asked to agree to the competency and geography revenue amount during the
gold competency enrollment process.
8
APPENDIX A –
Products Associated to Competencies
Chart 1 of 3
Focus Area:
Microsoft
Azure
BizTalk
Server
Dynamics
CRM
Dynamics
ERP
Microsoft
Exchange
Microsoft
Forefront
Windows
Intune
Application Development
Application Integration
Application Lifecycle
Management
Business Intelligence
Collaboration and Content
Communications
CRM
Data Platform
Devices and Deployment
Digital Marketing
Distributor
ERP
Hosting
Identity and Access
Learning
Management and
Virtualization
Messaging
Midmarket Solution
Provider
Mobility
OEM
Project and Portfolio
Management
Server Platform
Small Business
Software Asset
Management
Volume Licensing
Invitation Only Competency
Microsoft Certified Trainer delivering Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC)
9
Chart 2 of 3
Focus Area: Microsoft Lync MDOP
Microsoft
Office
Microsoft
Project
Microsoft
SharePoint
Application Development
Application Integration
Application Lifecycle
Management
Business Intelligence
Collaboration and Content
Communications
CRM
Data Platform
Devices and Deployment
Digital Marketing
Distributor
ERP
Hosting
Identity and Access
Learning
Management and
Virtualization
Messaging
Midmarket Solution
Provider
Mobility
OEM
Project and Portfolio
Management
Server Platform
Small Business
Software Asset
Management
Volume Licensing
Invitation Only Competency
Microsoft Certified Trainer delivering Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC)
10
Chart 3 of 3
Focus Area: SQL Server
Microsoft
System
Center
Microsoft
Visio
Visual
Studio
Windows
Client
Windows
Server
Application
Development
Application
Integration
Application Lifecycle
Management
Business Intelligence
Collaboration and
Content
Communications
CRM
Data Platform
Devices and
Deployment
Digital Marketing
Distributor
ERP
Hosting
Identity and Access
Learning
Management and
Virtualization
Messaging
Midmarket Solution
Provider
Mobility
OEM
Project and Portfolio
Management
Server Platform
Small Business
Software Asset
Management
Volume Licensing
Invitation Only Competency
Microsoft Certified Trainer delivering Microsoft Official Courseware (MOC)
