Microsoft

Competency
Guide
Prepared by

Nick Ross
Microsoft 365 Certified Expert Administrator
([email protected])
Guide Description

The purpose of this guide is to demystify Microsoft competency and incentive program. This program
is a great way to get money from Microsoft as you expand your business. After the you complete this
guide you will have an understanding of:

• The financial kickbacks from Microsoft on a yearly basis

• The different competency programs and how to achieve them
• The free licensing you receive being part of these programs
• How to navigate through Partner Center to make sure you are being paid

**Disclaimer**

This guide is meant to provide best practices for the competency programs. It is meant to be used to
help you get acclimated to the program so you can get more margin on your seats as you grow your
cloud business. In some cases, the programs described below would not make sense financially,
depending at the stage of your business.
 Pre-Flight Checklist

Enrolled as Assign Enter

Active MPN
an Indirect Appropriate Payment and
Membership
Reseller Roles Tax info

a. Have an have MPN Membership

i. Most likely you are part of the Microsoft Partner network and have a login to
partner.microsoft.com
ii. If you do not, please follow the link here and sign up for free

b. Enrolled as an Indirect Reseller:

 i. If you have just signed up for the Microsoft Partner Network or have
been a Direct CSP Provider, please follow the instructions in the following link

c. Assign Appropriate Roles

i. You will want to make sure you have assigned the MPN and Incentives
administrator role to the appropriate users. *This is how you can see what you
are being paid!*
ii. Navigate to the Role Assignment section of this document to see how to assign
these roles.
d. Update Payment and Tax info
i. Microsoft will need Payment and tax info verified and up to date before you get
paid out
ii. All payments are made on a monthly basis and are preformed via ACH transfer
iii. Click here for instructions of setup of Payment and Tax info
 Table of Contents Continued (Links to sections of Document):

Contents
Pre-Flight Checklist ....................................................................................................................................... 3
What are Competencies and how can I make money from them? .......................................................... 6
Which Competency is right for my organization? .................................................................................. 10
What internal licensing do I get with my competencies? ....................................................................... 15
Navigating Partner Center ...................................................................................................................... 24
Part 1: Ensure Correct User Permissions ................................................................................................ 24
Part 2: Update your Payout and Tax information ............................................................................... 26
Part 3: View your Competencies......................................................................................................... 28
Part 4: Viewing Payouts ...................................................................................................................... 31
Get your employees connected to complete skill-based goals .............................................................. 32
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................... 34
 What are Competencies and how can I make money from them?

You can think of competencies like a reward program from Microsoft. Achieving competencies is
demonstrating that your organization is delivering more Microsoft solutions and meeting technical
requirements to support your clients. The best part is that Microsoft is looking to pay you a ton of
money for continuing to grow in this space. There are two main programs we will be discussing in this
article, Silver and Gold.

IF YOU MANAGE AT LEAST $2500 OF MICROSOFT PER MONTH THEN YOU

SHOULD 100% BE PARTICIPATING IN THE SILVER PROGRAM FROM MICROSOFT.
IF YOU DO NOT YET THEN THEN THESE PROGRAMS MIGHT NOT BE FOR YOU.

Let’s break down the kickbacks first to see what margin you could be making. These kickbacks apply to
both silver and Gold members:
Let’s focus on the most basic: CORE-O365 and Core-ALL other CSP Products.

• Core-0365 is your typically base productivity suite aka O365 Business, Business Premium,
Enterprise E3, E5, etc.
• Core-All other CSP products is things like Intune, EMS +e3/e5, Dynamics, and Azure
Consumption
• Use Case Scenario:
o At the most baseline level, lets say you are an MSP selling O365 Business Premium to
most of your customers
o You have 25 customers with 15 seats each on the subscription. You work with a
distributor and get 12% margin off the MSRP of $12.50/seat so your cost is $10/seat
o With this in place you are spending $3,750 per month($10x25x15) on Microsoft
o One of the easiest competencies to get under the Silver plan is the Small and Midmarket
competency. All it takes is 4 net new customers to Microsoft during the year and paying
the yearly fee for Silver of $1,670
o You get 4 new customers during the year and pay the fee to earn the Silver
competencies
o You now will receive an additional 6% kickback on all of your spend for the year and an
additional 2% for your new customer adds.

IF WE ONLY LOOK AT THE 6% KICKBACK THEN YOU ARE RECEIVING AN ADDITIONAL ($3,750X12X6%) $2,700 PER
YEAR FOR A NET OF $1,030 DOLLARS ($2,700-$1,670 FEE)

This may not seem like a ton of money, but it is a simple example that will jumpstart you into making a
ton back from Microsoft as you grow your business. This is not including the licensing you get a well for
free as part of your core benefits which we will be touching on in this guide.

Breakdown of other kickbacks. ***NOTE** All kickbacks are paid out on a monthly basis:

1. Core-All other CSP Products (8%)

a. As noted before products like Intune, EMS+E3, Dynamics, Azure Consumption
b. Microsoft is positioning Intune ($8/MSRP) to be the policy replacement from our typical
GPO environment. This includes MDM and MAM capabilities for both BYOD and
corporate owned devices
c. EMS+E3 ($8.75MSRP) gives you Intune plus Azure Active Directory Plan 1. This give you
the features of intune listed above as well as identity management with Azure AD.
Microsoft is positioning this combo to replace traditional AD servers.
d. Dynamics CRM has many skus that you can purchase from but you can position it to
your customers that may not have a CRM solution or use a CRM solution but is not
robust enough for their growing environment. Dynamics is comparable to Salesforce
and is directly integrated with LinkedIn
 e. Azure consumption is any resources you have spun up in azure that are
consuming on a monthly basis. This things like VMs, VNETs, Storage, and much more.
2. Azure Reserved Instances (10%)
a. Allow customers to pre-purchase Azure VM instances at significantly reduced costs—up
to 72% compared to pay-as-you-go prices—with one-year or three-year terms on
Windows and Linux VMs.
b. Think about the longevity and growth of these customers. RIs CAN be transferred
between customers
3. Software in CSP (Core-1.25%, Strategic 6%)
a. These are server subscriptions you purchase
b. These subscription licenses may be used for virtual machines running in Azure or to
license an on-premises deployment (Azure Hybrid Benefit).
c. Windows Server is classified as a core product and SQL Server is classified as a strategic
product
4. CSP Customer Adds (2%)
a. A new customer is defined as a Microsoft CSP tenant ID with no invoiced revenue
applied in the previous 12-month period.
b. Indirect Resellers will earn this incremental accelerator on the revenue associated to
the first invoice generated on the new CSP tenant. This accelerator amount will then be
paid for the first 12 months of the subscription provided the subscription remains
active.
c. For seat-based sales, any new CSP customer adds between 50 and 999 seats are eligible
for the global accelerator and 1 – 999 for local accelerator (based on size of initial order
not customer size). .
5. Global PSTN Calling and Conferencing (20%)
a. Microsoft wants to make a huge push into the VOIP market with Teams which is why I
believe the kickbacks are so high.
b. If you have customers that do not have a PBX solution currently or are looking to switch
this may be a good time to bring this up. You need at least an E3 or greater package to
add-on the calling plans
c. E3 ($20/seat) + Phone System ($8/seat) +Domestic Calling ($12/seat) = $40/seat/month
6. Global Strategic Product Accelerator (2%)
a. Microsoft is trying to expand their new M365 sku’s (not to be confused with Office365)
and their Dynamics skus so they are giving you 2% for these seats
7. Local Accelerators (incentives for adding new seats of the following Products)
a. Azure
i. 10%
ii. Consumption based model for resources in account
iii. When the new CSP customer add is based on an Azure sale, any initial sale of
$4,000 or greater will be ineligible for this accelerator
b. M365 Business
i. 10%
ii. $20/month
iii. Includes Office365 productivity suite, Win10 Upgrade, Intune, AIP, ATP,DLP
 c. Dynamics
i. 15%, CRM tool
ii. Various skus at different prices
d. Office GCC e3 and E5
i. 10%
ii. Government licensing on government cloud
iii. Customers need to go through an approval process to successfully license

Lets narrow in on some of the most popular of these Local Accelerators with examples:

Global
CSP Margin FY19 Earnings
Accelerator
•EX: Y1 •10% •6%
Revenue •2% •12% •$30,000
$100,000
Local
CSP offer Global Rate
Acccelerator

Global
CSP Margin FY19 Earnings
Accelerator
•EX: Y1 •10% •6%
Revenue •2% •9% •$13,500
$50,000
Local
CSP offer Global Rate
Acccelerator
 Global
CSP Margin FY19 Earnings
Accelerator
•EX: Y1 •15% •8%
Revenue •2% •12% •$18,500
$50,000
Local
CSP offer Global Rate
Acccelerator

Which Competency is right for my organization?

Ok so now we know what our kick backs can look like and I am sure you are overwhelmed with how
many different routes you can go. There are many competencies you can achieve and just like any other
goals you set, they need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic) for your organization.
In this section we are going to be covering the requirements for each competency and assessing if it is
something you can attain. *NOTE* I did not list every single competency in this guide, just the ones I feel
like will be the most relevant to MSPs and ones that will not have deprecated competencies when we
look to the future. Microsoft will be announcing new competencies in FY 2020 which is July of 2019.

Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions

Silver Gold
• Increase your customer base by 25 new Office
• 4 net new customers 365 customers within the previous 12 month
• Pay $4,730 Annual Fee
in the previous 12 • 2 Individuals must pass the following Exams:
months • Exam 70-346: Managing Office 365 Identities
and Requirements
• Pay $1670 Annual Fee • Exam 70-347: Enabling Office 365 Services
• OR MCSA: Office 365
Key Takeaways:

• As stated previously, this is the easiest competency to achieve

• Do you feel like you can attain 4 net new customers in the year?
• How many customers can you push to office 365?

Cloud Productivity

Silver
• 2000 active entitlements (users) the previous
12 months
• Pay $1670 Annual Fee
• 1 individual must pass all the following exams:
• Exam 70-346: Managing Office 365 Identities
and Requirements & Exam 70-347: Enabling
Office 365 Services
• OR MCSA: Office 365

Gold
• 4000 active entitlements (users) the previous
12 months
• Pay $4,730 Annual Fee
• 2 individual must pass all the following exams:
• Exam 70-346: Managing Office 365 Identities
and Requirements & Exam 70-347: Enabling
Office 365 Services
• OR MCSA: Office 365
 Key Takeaways:

• How many active users on office365 to you have?

• Do you feel like you can have over 2000 by the end of the year?
• How many techs do you have in house?

Cloud Platform (Azure)

Silver
• $15000 Azure consumption
within the previous 12
months
• Pay $1670 Annual Fee
• Exam Options (1 individual):

Parnter University
• Technical Assessment for Cloud Platform Developer Role Administrator Role
•Technical Assessment for Using Azure for • Exam AZ- • Exam AZ-100:Microsoft Azure
Data Analytics and Data Platform Solutions 203:Developing OR Infrastructure and Deployment
•Technical Assessment for Using Microsoft
OR
Solutions for Microsot •Exam AZ-100: Microsoft Azure
Azure for Application Development Azure Integration and Security
•Technical Assessment for Using Azure for
Internet of Things Solutions
•RDS on Azure Assessment

Architect Role
• Exam AZ-300: Microsoft
OR Azure Architect
Technologies
• Exam AZ-301: Microsoft
Azure Architect Design
 Gold
• $100,000 Azure consumption
within the previous 12
months
• Pay $4,730 Annual Fee
• Exam Options (2 individual):

Parnter University
• Technical Assessment for Cloud Platform Developer Role Administrator Role
•Technical Assessment for Using Azure for • Exam AZ- • Exam AZ-100:Microsoft Azure
Data Analytics and Data Platform Solutions 203:Developing OR Infrastructure and Deployment
•Technical Assessment for Using Microsoft OR
Solutions for Microsot •Exam AZ-100: Microsoft Azure
Azure for Application Development Azure Integration and Security
•Technical Assessment for Using Azure for
Internet of Things Solutions
•RDS on Azure Assessment

Architect Role
• Exam AZ-300: Microsoft
OR Azure Architect
Technologies
• Exam AZ-301: Microsoft
Azure Architect Design

Key Takeaways:

• How much Azure spend are you currently doing?

• Can you begin to migrate certain infrastructure to the cloud for your clients?
• How many techs do you have in house that need to know how to architect solutions in Azure?
 Enterprise Mobility Management (SMB option)

Silver Parnter University

• Technical Assessment for Enterprise Mobility Suite
• Add 20 new Enterprise Overview
Mobility + Security (EMS) •AND 1 of the following:
customers and deploy 125 •Technical Assessment for Mobile Device
active entitlements (users) Management
•Technical Assessment for Identity & Access
• Pay $1670 Annual Fee Management
• Exam Options (2 individual): •Technical Assessment for Information Protection
•Technical Assessment for Cloud App Security

Parnter University
Gold • Technical Assessment for Enterprise Mobility Suite
Overview
• Add 5 new Enterprise
•AND 1 of the following:
Mobility + Security (EMS) •Technical Assessment for Mobile Device
customers and deploy 400 Management
active entitlements (users) •Technical Assessment for Identity & Access
Management
• Pay $4,730 Annual Fee
•Technical Assessment for Information Protection
• Exam Options (4 individual): •Technical Assessment for Cloud App Security

Key Takeaways:

• What is your current MDM solution?

• Can you begin moving Customers off traditional AD servers and move them to the cloud with
Azure AD for Identity management and Intune for policy management.
• How many customers do you have where BYOD is a concern?
 Windows and Devices (Deployment Partner Option)

Silver Gold
• Pay $1670 Annual Fee • Pay $4,730 Annual Fee
• 2 individuals must each pass the • 4 individuals must each pass the
following assessment(Parnter following assessment(Parnter
University): University):
• Security and Deployment • Security and Deployment
Management assessment for Management assessment for
Windows 10 Windows 10

Key Takeaways:

• Do you have at least two techs that can complete these assessments?
• Do you want to minimize the amount of work you have to do for the year from a customer
acquisition standpoint just to get the kickbacks on the current seats you have?

I would assess your biggest push for the year:

• Is your biggest priority moving your exchange customers to office365?>Small and Midmarket
cloud solutions
• Is getting your customers legacy servers into the cloud the biggest priority?> Cloud Platform
• Are you looking for an MDM solution?> Enterprise Mobility Management

What internal licensing do I get with my competencies?

Beyond the kickbacks you receive from Microsoft, you also get a mix of internal licensing depending on
the competency you have achieved. These licensing CAN NOT be resold to customers. Microsoft calls
these Internal Use Rights (IURs) and there are two types you can receive:

Core Licenses - When you earn your first silver or gold competency, you earn a set of core
benefits and additional benefits specific to the competency you earned. Core benefits include the latest
 internal-use software and online services that you can use to run your business, sell your
solutions, develop applications, and train employees; however, these licenses must not be resold or
used for direct revenue-generating activities, commercial purposes, personal purposes, or customer
training.

Operating Systems

Max
Max Grants
Grants
Software Silver Gold (Country
Microsoft software (Country
Type Grants Grants and
and
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Windows 10 Enterprise (Current Branch or 2019 Long Term On-
25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Service Channel) (Upgrade Only) Premise
Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License On- 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Premise
Machine Learning Server for Hadoop On- 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
Premise
Machine Learning Server for Linux On- 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
Premise
R Server for SUSE Linux On- 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
Premise
R Server for Teradata DB On- 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
Premise
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2015 On- 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Premise
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Enterprise (per core) On- 8 40 and 120 16 80 and 240
Premise
Windows Server Standard (Current Branch or 2019 Version) On- 32 160 and 480 64 320 and 960
Premise
Windows Server 2019 CALs (not edition specific) On- 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Premise
Windows Server 2019 Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CALs On- 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Premise
Windows Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) On-
25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
CALs for Windows Server 2016 Premise
 Productivity

Choice of cloud services or on-premise product for licenses

granted
Max Max
Grants Grants
Silver Gold
Microsoft software (Country (Country
Grants Grants
and and
Worldwide) Worldwide)
Microsoft Office 365 (E3) Seats 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
OR

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Enterprise CALs (include Standard
25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
CALs)
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Enterprise CALs 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Plus CALs 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Standard CALs 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 Enterprise CALs (include Standard
25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
CALs)
Microsoft Project Professional 2019 2 10 and 30 5 25 and 75

Microsoft Visio Professional 2019 2 10 and 30 5 25 and 75

Microsoft Project Server 2019 1 5 and 15 1 5 and 15

Microsoft Project Server 2019 CALs 10 50 and 150 20 100 and 300

Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Enterprise 2 10 and 30 2 10 and 30

Microsoft System Center 2016 Standard 16 80 and 240 32 160 and 480
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 2 10 and 30 2 10 and 30

Server products will be accessed with CALS and may be used at all times for demo, test, development, and
internal training.

Max
Max Grants
Grants
Silver Gold (Country
Microsoft software (Country
Grants Grants and
and
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Power BI Pro 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Azure AD Basic 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
 Business Solutions

Choice of cloud services or on-premises product for licenses granted

Max
Max Grants
Grants
Silver Gold (Country
Microsoft software (Country
Grants Grants and
and
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft Dynamics 365 – Customer Engagement 15 75 and 225 60 300 and 900

OR

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Professional CALs 15 75 and 225 60 300 and 900

Max
Max Grants
Grants
Silver Gold (Country
Microsoft software (Country
Grants Grants and
and
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 1 5 and 15 1 5 and 15
US$100 monthly credit. Microsoft Azure credit is in
Microsoft Azure addition to current on-premises internal-use software
licenses.

Management

Max Grants
Max Grants
Silver (Country Gold
Microsoft software (Country and
Grants and Grants
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft Intune 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Enterprise Mobility Suite (E3) (seats) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft System Center 2016 Client Management Suite 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft System Center Config Mgr (current branch & LTSB 1606) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
 MSDN Subscriptions

Max Grants
Max Grants
Silver (Country Gold
Microsoft software (Country and
Grants and Grants
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription 5 25 and 75 10 50 and 150

Demonstration Licenses

Max Grants Max Grants

Silver Gold
Microsoft software (Country and (Country and
Grants Grants
Worldwide) Worldwide)
Windows 10 Enterprise (Current Branch or 2019 Long Term Service Channel) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Enterprise Mobility Suite (E3) (seats) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Machine Learning Server for Hadoop Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Machine Learning Server for Linux Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

R Server for SUSE Linux Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
R Server for Teradata DB Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Windows Embedded 8 Standard* Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Enterprise Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2015 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Enterprise (per core) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Standard Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Windows Server Standard (Current Branch or 2019 Version) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Windows Server 2019 CALs (not edition specific) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Windows Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) CALs for Windows Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Server 2016
Windows Server 2019 Essentials Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Enterprise Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Enterprise CALs Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Plus CALs Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Standard CALs Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 Enterprise CALs (include Standard CALs) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Project Professional 2019 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Visio Professional 2019 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Project Server 2019 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Project Server 2019 CALs Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Enterprise CALs (include Standard CALs) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft System Center Config Mgr (current branch & LTSB 1606) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft System Center 2016 Standard Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Microsoft System Center 2016 Client Management Suite Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited

Training Licenses

Max Grants
Max Grants
Silver (Country Gold
Microsoft software (Country and
Grants and Grants
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Windows 10 Enterprise (Current Branch or 2019 Long Term Service Channel) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Enterprise Mobility Suite (E3) (seats) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
R Server for Hadoop on Red Hat 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
R Server for Red Hat Linux 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
R Server for SUSE Linux 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
R Server for Teradata DB 2 10 and 30 4 20 and 60
Windows Embedded 8 Standard* 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Enterprise 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2015 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Enterprise (per core) 8 40 and 120 16 80 and 240
Windows Server Standard (Current Branch or 2019 Version) 16 80 and 240 32 160 and 480
Windows Server 2019 CALs (not edition specific) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Windows Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) CALs for
25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019 Essentials 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Exchange Server - Enterprise 2019 CALs (include Standard CALs) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Enterprise CALs 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Plus CALs 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Standard CALs 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 Enterprise CALs (include Standard CALs) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Project Professional 2019 2 10 and 30 5 25 and 75
Microsoft Visio Professional 2019 2 10 and 30 5 25 and 75
Microsoft Project Server 2019 1 5 and 15 1 5 and 15
Microsoft Project Server 2019 CALs 10 50 and 150 20 100 and 300
Microsoft Exchange Server - Enterprise 2019 2 10 and 30 2 10 and 30
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30
 Microsoft SharePoint Server 2019 2 10 and 30 2 10 and 30
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Server 1 5 and 15 1 5 and 15
Microsoft System Center 2016 Standard 16 80 and 240 32 160 and 480
Microsoft System Center 2016 Client Management Suite 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft System Center Config Mgr (current branch & LTSB 1606) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Competency Licenses-
Incremental Internal Use Rights (Cloud Services and On-Premise Software Licenses by Competency)

Cloud Platform

Max Max
Grants Grants
Silver Gold
Microsoft software (Country (Country
Grants Grants
and and
Worldwide) Worldwide)
Microsoft Azure bulk credit $6k/year $6k/year $12k/year $12k/year

Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30

Microsoft Project Online Professional 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30

Microsoft Project Online Premium 5 25 and 75 20 100 and 300

Microsoft Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription 5 25 and 75 25 50 and 150

Microsoft Project Online Essentials 20 100 and 300 30 150 and 450

Cloud Productivity

Max Grants
Max Grants
Silver (Country Gold
Microsoft Product (Country and
Grants and Grants
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft Office 365 (E5) Seats 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Skype for Business PSTN Conferencing 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30

Microsoft Project Online Professional 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30

Microsoft Project Online Premium 5 25 and 75 20 100 and 300

Microsoft Project Online Essentials 20 100 and 300 30 150 and 450

Microsoft Visual Studio Enterprise Subscription 5 25 and 75 25 50 and 100

Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Enterprise Mobility Suite (E3) (seats) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Microsoft Dynamics Employee Self Service 1 5 and 15 1 5 and 15

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Enterprise Edition – Additional Portal 1 5 and 15 1 5 and 15

Azure AD Basic (PMC only) 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500

Enterprise Mobility Management

Max
Max Grants
Grants
Silver Gold (Country
Microsoft software (Country
Grants Grants and
and
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Enterprise Mobility and Security E5 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Azure AD Basic 50 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Cloud App Security 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500

Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions

Max Grants
Max Grants
Silver (Country Gold
Microsoft software (Country and
Grants and Grants
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft Office 365 (E3) Seats 10 50 and 150 25 125 and 375
Microsoft Visio Pro for Office 365 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30
Microsoft Project Online Professional 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30
Microsoft Project Online Premium 5 25 and 75 20 100 and 300
Microsoft Project Online Essentials 20 100 and 300 30 150 and 450
Azure AD Basic (PMC Only) 10 125 and 375 25 500 and 1500
Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License 10 50 and 150 25 125 and 375
Enterprise Mobility Suite (E3) (seats) 10 50 and 150 25 125 and 375
 Windows and Devices

Max Grants
Max Grants
Silver (Country Gold
Microsoft software (Country and
Grants and Grants
Worldwide)
Worldwide)
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Enterprise (per core) 8 40 and 120 16 80 and 240

Windows Server Standard (Current Branch or 2019 Version) 16 80 and 240 32 160 and 480

Windows Server 2019 CALs (not edition specific) 10 50 and 150 40 200 and 600

Windows Server Datacenter (Current Branch or 2019 Version) 16 80 and 240 32 160 and 480

Windows Server 2019 Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CALs 10 50 and 150 40 200 and 600

Microsoft System Center 2016 Datacenter 16 80 and 240 32 160 and 480

Microsoft System Center 2016 Client Management Suite 25 125 and 375 50 250 and 750

Microsoft System Center Config Mgr (current branch & LTSB 1606) 25 125 and 375 50 250 and 750

Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection 25 125 and 375 50 250 and 750

Windows 10 Enterprise (Current Branch or 2019 Long Term Service Chain)

50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
(Upgrade Only)
Windows 10 Enterprise E5 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2015 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Windows Thin PC 25 125 and 375 50 250 and 750
Windows Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Suite Standard 0 0 and 0 5 25 and 75
Windows Embedded 8 Standard 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Pro 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry Enterprise 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Windows Embedded POS Ready 7 10 50 and 150 50 250 and 750
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Enterprise 1 5 and 15 3 15 and 45
Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 Enterprise CALs (include Standard CALs) 10 50 and 150 40 200 and 600
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 1 5 and 15 2 10 and 30
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Enterprise CALs 10 50 and 150 40 200 and 600
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Plus CALs 10 50 and 150 40 200 and 600
Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 Standard CALs 10 50 and 150 40 200 and 600
Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
Advanced Threat Analytics Client Management License 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Enterprise Mobility Suite (E3) (seats) 50 250 and 750 100 500 and 1500
Azure AD Basic 25 125 and 375 100 500 and 1500
 Navigating Partner Center

Part 1: Ensure Correct User Permissions

We need to make sure the global admin of the account has access to:

• The MPN Section for Competencies

• The Incentives section to view payments

1. Login to Partner Center with a global admin account

2. Click on the gear icon, then User Management

3. Search for the user you want to give the rights to. Most likely it will be the same user as
global admin. Click on their name when you find them:

4. You can select all but at least checkmark the following:

 5. You will need to logout and back in for these changes to take effect. When you sign in
again you will now see the MPN tab and the Incentive Tab. **NOTE** these can take up to an
hour to propagate

Part 2: Update your Payout and Tax information

1. Under the gear icon, click Partner Settings, then click payout and tax on the left:
If you do not see this tab, then refer to Part 1:

2. Here you can update your tax and ACH payment information to make sure you get paid on a
monthly basis. If you see the below error, take a screenshot and submit a support request to
Microsoft under the Support section
Part 3: View your Competencies

1. In Partner Center, expand MPN and select competencies:

2. You can expand the competencies to see what you have completed:
3. You can view the requirements on these pages, as well as see relevant progress items on the
competency:
4. If you meet a Silver or Gold Competency, you can click on the Membership offers tab to
pay the fee to finish the enrollment into the program:
Part 4: Viewing Payouts

1. In Partner Center, expand the incentives tab and select overview to view your earnings:

2. Click view earnings to get a more detailed breakdown:

 Get your employees connected to complete skill-based goals

1. Add user accounts for the employees in your organization. From the Partner Center, go
to Account settings > Add user.

After the user accounts are created, we'll send them a new user name and password, and will
prompt you to download a log file which contains info to help reset the user name and password as
needed. You can also set up the user accounts so they can reset the passwords by themselves.

2. Ask the employees in your organization to sign in and associate their Microsoft account (MSA) to
their user account. (From the Partner Center, go to My Profile.) Employees can use the same or
different MSAs to associate their Microsoft technical exams and certifications and their accounts
through Microsoft Partner University.

*NOTE* this is a Microsoft account, not an office365 account. Think gmail, Hotmail, live, etc.
 3. Wait 24 hours after an employee has associated their account or completed a skill-based goal.
After this time, the progress displays in the Competencies section.

Note, employees can only associate these to one organization at a time. Once they associate
achievements to your organization, they’ll sever any previous organization account associations.

Likewise, when employees leave your organization, you may need other employees to achieve the skill-
based goals in order to maintain your membership at the same level.
 Conclusion

I hope this article provided you some targeted guidance on the Microsoft Competency programs. Any
feedback to improve your experience would be greatly appreciated. I would also like to hear if there is
more content that you would like to see in this guide. Any feedback can be sent to my email below:
Nick Ross | Solutions Engineer | M365 Certified Expert Administrator
[email protected]
Direct Line: 720-577-4566

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