Microsoft Partner Onboarding Academy

Welcome to the Microsoft Partner Onboarding Academy, your gateway to your partner journey.🔗

This Academy will walk you through the steps necessary to get started and prosper as a Microsoft Partner.

What is a Partner?

There are multiple types of partnerships with Microsoft:

• Engineering Partnership — Launching a joint technical project
• Co-Sell / GTM — Primary focus of this Academy

Why become a Microsoft Partner?

• Access to Resources and Support
  • Access resources, programs, and benefits that empower partners to capture opportunities
  • Access to training, technical support, and marketing resources
• Accelerate Business Growth
  • Reach more customers and expand into new markets
  • Reward your success and help you drive even greater profitability with incentive programs
  • Sell the full range of Microsoft cloud services through the Cloud Solution Provider program.
  • For every $1 of Microsoft revenue, Services partners make $7 and ISV’s make $10
• Access to Microsoft’s Commercial Marketplace
  • Gain visibility to millions of Microsoft customers
  • Simplify procurement while helping customers decrement MACC with eligible partner solutions

The Microsoft Partner Onboarding Academy’s Modules are organized into sections which reflect the typical partner journey:

1. Onboard: This is the first step towards becoming a Microsoft Partner. This will give you entry into Partner Center, which is how and where you can access all of the Partner benefits.
2. Build: Learn about Azure services and build your Azure skills.
   • NOTE: Sometimes this step is done prior to onboarding.
3. Market: Now that you have access to Partner Center and a solution on Azure, the next step is to create an offer in the Azure Marketplace. Learn how to share leads and understand the rewards available to you.
4. Grow: Once you understand the Marketplace, start to grow your business through other Co-Sell incentives.
5. Accelerate: Take your partnership to the next level by fully utilizing Partner Incentives.

Key Concepts

NOTE: Microsoft uses many acronyms. Use this page to understand the most common acronyms.

Below are key concepts and definitions you’ll see used in this Academy:

• Partner Center: A portal for Partners to manage their account, offers, customers, and billing.
• Microsoft Commercial Marketplace: Where customers discover and purchase your solutions.
• Offer: Software or service that the customer purchases (i.e., solutions).
• Co-Sell: Selling with Microsoft.

Partner types:

• ISV: Independent Software Vendor
  • Use this page to see some ISV specific benefits and programs
• SI: Systems Integrator
• Channel: Scale Solution Providers, Managed Service Providers, Hosters, Indirect Providers, and Telecos

How does a Partner get started?

The first step is to start the onboarding process.

FAQ

Have questions not addressed here? See our FAQ.

Additional resources

• Six easy steps to becoming a Microsoft Partner
• Carve Partners: Partner Center Guide for ISVs
• Mastering the Marketplace
• Journey Maps: Provides the vision, key milestones, and details to help you navigate the transformational changes in Microsoft programs.
• Operational Readiness: Provides the “how to”, playbooks, and detailed components
• Community Calls: Provides partners an opportunity to connect with the SMEs and to ask questions