Choose the Right IT Expert, Application or Service for Your Business

MPN and Microsoft Partner Competencies Can Help

Now it’s easier than ever to identify trusted Microsoft partners—those IT experts who can deliver innovative, proven solutions built on Microsoft technologies to support your business and give you a competitive advantage.

When you search Microsoft Pinpoint for software applications, professional services or technology consultants, look for Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) certification and competency “badges” on company profiles and application and services listings.

Earned by Microsoft partner companies through the Microsoft Partner Network rigorous partner certification program, these badges are your assurance that a Microsoft partner has met specific criteria that ensure the quality and reliability of the applications or services they offer.

Competencies and Certification Levels: What They Mean to Your Search

On Pinpoint you can filter your company searches by area of software or hardware expertise, known as Microsoft competencies. Just identify your business challenge, and then match it to the most appropriate Microsoft competency. Microsoft recognizes 28 different partner competencies, each of which maps to a specific business customer IT need. For each competency, partners may attain two designations of expertise—Silver or Gold.

  • Partners with a Silver competency have demonstrated high-level expertise and a specialized, proven skill set in a given technology or service area. Microsoft recognizes these partners for their exceptional commitment to strengthening customer relationships by offering effective, innovative business solutions.
  • Partners with a Gold competency have demonstrated the highest, most specialized ability and commitment in a specific business solution area. Microsoft recognizes them for offering best-in-class solutions to customers and for undergoing a rigorous, auditable approval process.

The Microsoft Partner Network also awards certification badges to partners with exceptional capabilities and experience in two unique specialization areas:

No matter what your specific business technology need, Microsoft Pinpoint makes it simple to search for a Microsoft partner best suited to help you.

Microsoft Partner Network Competencies

Application Integration
These partners specialize in integrated solutions that connect critical business information, enabling your organization to be more nimble. They’re experts in building solutions around Microsoft BizTalk Server, Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services and Microsoft .NET.
Application Lifecycle Management
These partners are experts at deploying and providing training and consultation for Microsoft Visual Studio development system software, including Microsoft Visual Studio Ultimate.
Authorized Distributor
Partners with this competency are skilled sales and licensing professionals. They specialize in helping Microsoft reseller partners configure even the most complicated licensing solutions for their customers.
Business Intelligence
These partners are pros at delivering solutions that integrate with the technology you already have to provide business insight to everyone in your organization—at a lower total cost of ownership.
Communications
The Communications competency recognizes a partner’s expertise in implementation design, deployment, and support of Microsoft Lync. The Silver Communications competency shows capabilities around IM/Presence and Conferencing, and the Gold Communications competency demonstrates further expertise in enterprise voice and video, PBX integration and Lync Online. This competency was formerly an aspect of the Unified Communications competency.
Content Management
These IT experts have proven experience in using Microsoft SharePoint and other Microsoft content management solutions to help you efficiently and effectively manage your information—and make that information easy to find, share and use.
Customer Relationship Management
Partners with this specialty are proficient in building and deploying business management solutions built on Microsoft Dynamics CRM and related applications, including the Microsoft Office suites, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server.
Data Platform
These partners can help you do more with less by developing database applications and solutions based on Microsoft technology, including Microsoft SQL Server data management software.
Desktop
Partners with this competency are leaders in selling, deploying and supporting the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office suites, Windows Internet Explorer and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).
Digital Marketing
These partners are experts in developing rich Internet solutions on Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for Internet Sites, Microsoft FAST Search Server technology and the Microsoft Silverlight browser plug-in. Using a unified platform for intranet, extranet and Internet sites, they offer solutions that are highly functional, scalable, flexible and secure.
Enterprise Resource Planning
Partners with this competency develop Microsoft Dynamics business management solutions. They have the skills, expertise and resources to deploy financial and supply chain management solutions to address your critical business priorities.
Hosting
These experts can help you offset the cost of maintaining critical business applications by hosting IT services and applications for you. They maintain their own data centers or act as a reseller or agency of services hosted by Microsoft.
Identity and Security
To meet growing security threats, many businesses use a patchwork of security solutions that are costly to manage and cumbersome to use. Partners with this competency can help you implement a simplified, comprehensive, integrated security solution that meets your business security requirements—without breaking your budget.
Independent Software Vendor (ISV)/Software
These partners have access to the latest Microsoft technology and can build, deliver and support innovative software solutions to meet an array of business needs. Many are experts in building Microsoft SQL Server data management solutions, Microsoft cloud-based technology solutions and solutions based on the Windows 7 or Windows Server operating system.
Learning
Partners with this specialty have proven themselves leaders in providing software and technology training programs to Microsoft customers. They have access to Official Microsoft Learning Products and services, and they offer courses in a variety of formats—from instructor-led classroom training to online tutorials.
Messaging
The Messaging competency recognizes a partner’s expertise in implementation design, deployment, and support of Microsoft Exchange Server. In addition, the Gold Messaging competency highlights specialization in archiving, security, and voicemail, as well as helping customers with their journey to the cloud to Exchange Online. This competency was formerly an aspect of the Unified Communications competency.
Midmarket Solution Provider
These partners are experts in providing solutions based on the most current technology to help midmarket businesses meet their unique challenges. They have a deep understanding of midmarket business processes, infrastructure needs and future growth costs.
Mobility
Mobile solutions are critical in today’s decentralized workforce. Partners with this competency are experts in providing innovative mobile solutions that seamlessly integrate with your current IT infrastructures and enable your business to operate more efficiently.
OEM
These partners are industry leaders in designing, manufacturing, assembling or reselling quality hardware solutions optimized for the Microsoft platform.
Portals and Collaboration
Partners with this competency are experts in satisfying team and company-wide collaboration and connectivity needs across intranets, extranets and the Internet.
Project and Portfolio Management
A flexible, efficient, easy-to-use project management tool can increase business productivity while trimming overhead costs. Partners with this specialty are experts in developing and implementing robust enterprise project management (EPM) solutions based on Microsoft Project software.
Search
These partners specialize in delivering search solutions based on the latest Microsoft products and technologies. They can improve your organization’s search experience across desktops, mobile devices and the Internet.
Server Platform
Partners with this competency are experts in designing, building, deploying and supporting the Windows Server operating system, Windows Server–based applications and the Microsoft server infrastructure. They can help you meet a variety of IT goals, from reducing infrastructure costs to improving your disaster recovery system.
Software Asset Management
A comprehensive software asset management strategy can help you significantly reduce the total cost of software ownership and improve operational efficiency. Partners with this area of expertise offer software asset and license management services to organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.
Software Development
These IT experts specialize in building powerful, customized, cutting-edge application solutions based on Microsoft technologies. Whether you want a cloud-computing solution to reduce overhead costs or a workflow solution to boost team productivity, these partners can help.
Systems Management
These partners concentrate on delivering data center and desktop solutions based on Microsoft System Center software. They can help you maximize your IT investments by reducing IT infrastructure and labor costs, improving disaster recovery systems, virtualizing servers and consolidating data centers.
Virtualization
These partners design, sell, deploy and offer consulting services for virtualization solutions based on Microsoft technologies. Whether you want to virtualize your servers, applications or desktops, these partners can help.
Volume Licensing
Acquiring and managing software licenses can be complex and daunting. To simplify the process, these partners offer Microsoft Volume Licensing solutions and services. Not only can they help with your licensing decisions, they can help you get the most return on your IT investments.
Web Development
Deploying key business applications over the web can save you time, money and operational headaches. These partners are experts in delivering web-enabled deployment solutions that help you run your businesses more efficiently and conduct transactions more effectively.

Additional Microsoft Partner Network Certifications

Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Partners with this badge have proven expertise in building, customizing, deploying and supporting IT solutions for small businesses. They have an intimate understanding of small business processes, infrastructure needs and future growth expenses.
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Partners
Partners with this badge are experts in the design, deployment and customization of web-based products and services. They've proven themselves masters at providing advanced cloud-computing solutions to help customers reduce IT overhead.
CfMD: Business Solutions Certified for Microsoft Dynamics

Partners with the Certified for Microsoft Dynamics badge are tested and proven to meet Microsoft’s highest standards for partner solutions, including:

  • Software Application Test—To confirm the application’s compatibility with Microsoft Dynamics
  • Customer Evidences—To ensure that this solution has already been repeatedly deployed before
  • Microsoft Partner Network status—To provide assurance that the solution provider’s company has the skills, expertise, and resources to deploy solutions
  • Support capabilities—To clearly understand how the application will be supported in the future
  • Software escrow—To protect your technology in case the solution provider goes out of business