How Giacom can help you get the most from your Microsoft partnership
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Here at Giacom, we use our in-house experts to help MSPs understand and utilise the great benefits of the Microsoft Partnership programme. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft for many years and understand that its diverse range of benefits can be tricky to navigate.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the bonuses you might not be taking advantage of.
Ecosystem Experience
We have a number of ex-Microsoft professionals in our team here at Giacom, so there’s a strong understanding of the ecosystem here. This allows us to set out exactly what’s on offer to all of our clients. While many of you are already Silver or Gold partners – and have worked hard to achieve this level of competence – we often find that some of the benefits pass by unnoticed.
To help, we start with a complete partner review – identifying your anniversary date, any incentives used, and the exact breakdown of those incentives. Microsoft have quarterly calls with their partners where they review incentive breakdowns and these are critical to getting the most from each programme.
We ensure that our clients are aware of these calls and encourage them to take part . We then review the outcomes and help our customers plan their next steps. Given our experience we can offer guidance on the best ways forward too.
Don’t Forfeit Funding
One of the biggest benefits that many partners have been unaware of is the co-op pot which Microsoft began offering last year. This funding is forfeited if not used and we have been working hard to help our MSPs by increasing awareness of the scheme.
But this isn’t the only financial benefit that has slipped under the radar. Microsoft partners are also entitled to a $100 per month Azure credit – which can be used on their own clients or spent on in-house training. Either way, it’s designed to promote a better understanding of the platform.
Microsoft also offers advisory hours to its partners, which are designed to guide them through adopting new technologies in their business. For example, Microsoft offers an Azure ‘starter journey’ which establishes partner competency and then tailors content based on their specific needs. On top of all this, partners are also given Microsoft 365 E3 licenses based on their competencies; so that they never have to purchase them again.
Our Additional Resources
To help you make use of all of these great benefits, Giacom also provides additional resources to help MSPs get the most from the programmes. We give one-to-one sessions to understand your marketing and create custom content as part of a rebrand or new product launches.
Ultimately, we aren’t just a Microsoft distributor. Our aim is to build long lasting relationships with MSPs by helping them realise everything they’re entitled to – helping them grow and prosper.