Membership in the program is awarded to independent companies that have proven their expertise through certification and customer references in one or more specialized areas when delivering Microsoft technologies to provide IT services and IT products to mid- to large-market enterprise customers.
The Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Program was introduced last fall with the revamping of the company’s Certified Partner Program. Gold Certified Partners must meet rigorous certification criteria and must prove their expertise in a given solution area by providing real-world customer references. The Gold certification level has more stringent requirements than the Partner certification level and greater Microsoft support for members, differentiating partners into those providing eCommerce Solutions, Software Products, Support Services, Enterprise Systems, and Hosting and Application Services (ASPs). Two more designations, Collaborative Solutions and Business Intelligence, will be added this spring.
The new certifications are a win-win-win for Microsoft, its partners and their customers, said Rosa Garcia, general manager of Microsoft Partner Programs in a press release. The Gold Certified Partner Program helps customers identify the partners that are best suited for the areas of their specialty, while Microsoft is able to identify the partners that deserve a higher investment from Microsoft in certain areas.
