Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Frequently Asked Questions

October 31, 2010 Page 1

1. What is Microsoft Cloud Essentials Pack? The Microsoft Cloud Essentials Pack gives you the opportunity to learn about and try the latest cloud software, online technical support, training and other resources from Microsoft at no charge. Leveraging Cloud Essentials benefits will help you experience Microsoft cloud solutions and learn how to build your Microsoft cloud services business. Please refer to the benefits tab on the home page for specific dates of benefit availability. 2. What is Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Program? The Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Program is designed for partners that are already committed to a cloud business. In addition to the benefits received in Cloud Essentials, partners are rewarded with a Cloud Accelerate Badge, 20 Advisory hours for support, priority listing in Pinpoint, access to future Microsoft Cloud product roadmaps, local Microsoft subsidiary engagement opportunities, and Windows Azure platform and other Microsoft Silver competency related benefits. Please refer to the Benefits tab in the Cloud Partner Portal for specific dates of benefit availability. 3. What is the difference between the Sell & Service and Build and Develop tracks? In the Cloud Essentials Pack and the Cloud Accelerate Program you should pick one track to qualify for your cloud benefits. The Sell & Service track is for partners seeking to sell and deploy online services, whereas the Build & Develop track is for partners focused on building intellectual property on the Azure platform. 4. What agreements do I need to sign before my company is eligible to join? All partners signing up for the Cloud Essentials Pack or the Cloud Accelerate Program need to agree to the terms and conditions of the Microsoft Partner Network Agreement. To be eligible for the Sell & Service track of the Cloud Essentials Pack or the Cloud Accelerate Program, a partner needs to sign either the Microsoft Online Services Provider Agreement or the CRM Online Software Advisor (CSA) agreement. To be eligible for the Build & Develop track of the Cloud Essentials Pack or the Cloud Accelerate Program a partner needs to sign a Microsoft Platform Ready agreement. 5. If I am already a Silver or Gold competency partner, may I join? Yes, you can qualify to join either the Cloud Essentials Pack or the Cloud Accelerate Program.

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6. Can I belong to both the Cloud Essentials Pack and the Cloud Accelerate Program? Yes, when you qualify for the Cloud Accelerate Program you have access to any incremental benefits offered through the Cloud Essentials Pack benefits. The Internal Use Rights benefits for the Microsoft Online Services are NOT additive and are capped at the Cloud Accelerate level. Please note, Cloud Accelerate Partners do receive the additional Windows Azure Platform benefit provisioned through the Cloud Essentials Pack. 7. Will there be a fee to join the Cloud Essentials Pack? There is no program fee to enroll in the Cloud Essentials Pack. 8. Will there be a fee to join the Cloud Accelerate Program? Cloud Accelerate Program partners must meet all the required qualifications and have a Silver or Gold competency. If you do not have at least a Silver Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network, you will be required to pay the local Silver Competency fee. Fees vary by country. 9. If I enroll without a competency, how will the competency benefit be provided to me? Partners accepted into the Cloud Accelerate Program will be given an opportunity to select a related cloud competency when they apply to enter the program. 10. If my company is awarded a competency for joining and did not previously have one will it get

the same benefits as an existing Silver competency partner? Yes, you have paid for and are entitled to all silver level benefits. 11. Where can I find a complete listing of benefits for the Cloud Essentials Pack and the Cloud

Accelerate Program? Go to the home page and click the Benefits tab. 12. As a Cloud Accelerate Program member, how do I access my 20 Advisory Hours? To find the Technical Advisory Service phone number closest to you click here. 13. What can I use the 20 advisory hours for? Partners in the Cloud Accelerate Program will receive unlimited pre-sales and technical support, so it is recommend the 20 advisory hours be used for deployment support.

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14. What are the requirements of each cloud offering? The following qualification requirements must be met to enroll in the Cloud Partner Program. As a

partner moves from the Cloud Essentials Pack to the Cloud Accelerate Program, the benefits and

requirements increase, by design. Most program requirements apply to both the Cloud Essentials

Pack and the Cloud Accelerate Program, and are broken out by program track – Sell & Service or

Design & Develop; differences are also noted. Please refer to the table below for detailed

requirements for the Cloud Essentials Pack and the Cloud Accelerate Pack.

Program Requirements

Cloud Essentials

Cloud Accelerate

Details

Partner Track Sell & Service

Build & Develop

Sell & Service

Build & Develop

A partner must have a signed Microsoft Online Services Provider Agreement (MOSPA) OR active CRM Software Advisor Agreement (CSA)* Partner must take any required assessments to attain MOSPA or CSA.

n/a

n/a

*Active CSA = 1 deal sold 18 months prior to enrollment.

Must complete a 200-level technical assessment Microsoft Partner Network Technical Assessment for Windows Intune or Microsoft Partner Network Technical Assessment for Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS)

n/a

n/a

n/a

Partner must be enrolled in a Silver Competency; if not, partner will select an applicable Competency based on product(s) sold and pay the local fee.

n/a

n/a

Competency options based on the Track: Sales & Services Track:

BPOS Sales: Select Portals & Collaboration or Unified Communications Competencies

Windows Intune Sales: Select Desktop or Systems Mgmt. Competency

Dynamics CRM Online Sales: Select CRM Competency

Build & Develop Track: Windows Azure Sales:

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Select one of the following competencies: Independent Software Vendor (ISV), Web Development, Software Development, or Data Platform (aligns with SQL Azure focused partners)

Must register a Windows Azure application on Microsoft Platform Ready (MPR) site.*

n/a

n/a

*Note: Cloud Accelerate also requires product testing on MPR.

Must successfully pass Windows Azure application testing on Microsoft Platform Ready (MPR) site.

n/a

n/a

n/a

Sales Completed: Partner must have sold 3 Cloud deals (any Online Services product offered in the program), with a combined total of 150 or more seats. Deals must have occurred in the 18 months prior to enrollment.

n/a

n/a

n/a

*Note: Cloud Essentials partners that qualify with a CSA, must have sold 1 deal within the past 18 months. See above req. for details.

Cloud Customer References: Partner must provide 3 customer references, associated with partner’s account in the Partner Membership Center, for any Online Services product offered in the program.

n/a

n/a

*Note: Customer References must have been provided in the 24 months prior to enrollment.

Sales Commitment: Partner must commit to sell 8 Cloud deals, with a combined total of 500 or more seats during the enrollment period. Note: Your sales commitment is entered on the Cloud Accelerate Enrollment Submission Form. If you are a managed partner, you will be required to identify your Partner Account

n/a

n/a

n/a

*Note: Cloud Essentials partners do not have to pay a fee to enroll, but must sell to continue receiving software benefits in the following term.

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Manager. Revenue Commitment: Partner must commit to sell at least $2,500 in Azure Platform revenue over the enrollment period.

n/a

n/a

n/a

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15. Why aren’t all products available in the Cloud Program benefits? The goal is to provide Microsoft partners with an early opportunity to begin learning about and building businesses in the cloud with Microsoft Online Services. The Microsoft Partner Cloud Program will include online services products as soon as they are available in market, if not earlier. Once these benefits are made available, we will post an announcement on http://www.microsoftcloudpartner.com. 16. Can the forthcoming Cloud Essentials Pack or Cloud Accelerate Program Azure benefit be

combined with an existing MSDN Azure benefit on the same account? No, multiple Windows Azure Platform benefit resources cannot be combined on a single account. However, the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Azure benefit can be used as another instance to help develop and test solutions and run internal applications. 17. What is included in the 250 BPOS licenses? Each of the 250 BPOS licenses provided is valid for one instance (or seat) of any product included in the Business Productivity Online Suite. 18. Can the internal use rights (IUR) licenses included in the Cloud Essentials Pack and/or the

Cloud Accelerate Program be combined with IUR licenses offered to partners through Gold and Silver competencies, or by signing MOSPA?

No, partners in multiple competencies cannot combine programs or offers to gain additional seats. Benefits will not exceed what is offered by the Cloud Essentials Pack or the Cloud Accelerate Program. 19. If a partner applied for the BPOS Accelerate program, but was not accepted, can they apply

for the Cloud Essentials Pack and/or the Cloud Accelerate Program? Yes, such a partner can apply to enroll in the Cloud Essentials Pack and/or the Cloud Accelerate Program. 20. If a partner organization has qualified for the Cloud Essentials Pack or Cloud Accelerate

Program, can the program benefits be shared across locations?

Yes. The benefits are earned at the parent organization level. Any location associated with the Partner organization in the Partner Membership Center (PMC) is eligible to access and share these benefits. Similarly, only users associated with the organization and its locations in PMC can access the benefits via the Partner Cloud Portal. 21. Are details available regarding the 200-level technical assessments required for the Sales &

Services track of Cloud Accelerate (only one course is required)? Please refer to the links below in the Partner Learning Center to see more details about each course: Microsoft Partner Network Technical Assessment for Windows Intune Microsoft Partner Network Technical Assessment for Business Productivity Online Suite

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22. How will unmanaged partners that do not have access to the Partner Solution Plan document their plan to approach to sell 8 deals with a total of 500 seats, prior to entering the Cloud Accelerate program?

Sales commitments for partners enrolling in the Cloud Accelerate Program will be captured on the Cloud Accelerate enrollment form. This information will be stored in a database for future reference. 23. What is the process for a partner to opt-out of the Cloud Essentials Pack or the Cloud

Accelerate Program? A partner can opt-out of the Cloud Essentials Pack of the Cloud Accelerate Program at any time by contacting a Regional Service Center (RSC) representative. 24. How do I use this site in Internet Explorer 9.0? You will need to run your browser in Compatibility mode. There is an icon for this mode on your browser. 25. What happens if I don’t meet my sales or revenue commitment next year for the Cloud

Accelerate Program next year? You will no longer be able to receive your cloud software benefits and resources if you do not meet your sales commitment. 26. What do I do if my local subsidiary does not contact me? Local subsidiary engagement is a benefit for the Cloud Accelerate Program only. The local subsidiary will contact you within three months of joining the Cloud Accelerate Program. Please contact the Regional Support Center if this contact has not been made. 27. How do I make sure my reference in the Partner Membership Center is considered a Cloud

Reference? When creating a new reference, be sure to select the appropriate cloud product that you used for your project. Cloud technologies are found under the Microsoft Online Services or Windows Azure Platform categories. We encourage you to create a new reference if you have executed cloud-related projects. 28. What do I do if I have problems profiling or testing my Azure application in Microsoft Platform

Ready? Contact mprsupport@microsoft.com for any issues on profiling or testing your application. 29. Why does the competency I choose have to be tied to my online services business? The competency you hold will showcase your skillset to your customers. We need to ensure this competency is tied to your cloud experience. 30. Where do I access the Online Technical Communities for cloud? Visit Online Technical Communities for support on Business Online Productivity Services, CRM Online (Dynamics) and Windows Azure. 31. Is there an option to purchase additional seats of the cloud products?

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Licenses purchased at partner preferred pricing are not meant to exceed the Organization’s Internal Use Rights (IUR) caps described in the Cloud Program benefits. These licenses are meant to provide partners with continuous access to Online Services in the event a partner fails to qualify for IUR through the Cloud Program. Partner preferred pricing for online services currently offered is as follows:

BPOS: $5 per seat

32. Can an existing BPOS IUR one-year trial benefit be extended through the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program?

Yes, an existing BPOS IUR one year trial benefit can be extended for an additional year through either Cloud Essentials or Cloud Accelerate. Detailed extension guidance is provided on the Activate tab. 33. Can a Partner with an expired MOSPA and/or BPOS IUR one-year trial join the Microsoft Cloud

Partner Program? Yes. A partner with an expired MOSPA can re-sign MOSPA and take the required assessment(s) to qualify for the Cloud Partner Program. If all the program requirements have been satisfied, the partner would qualify for all of the available benefits, without restriction. If the BPOS IUR benefit expires prior to activating the Cloud Program BPOS IUR benefit, this partner will need to activate a new instance of BPOS – the program does not support re-activation of an expired BPOS subscription or the extension of a paid subscription for this purpose. Detailed extension guidance is provided on the Activate tab. 34. Is there an option to re-enroll in this program? To re-enroll in the Cloud Essentials Pack, partners must meet all defined Cloud Essentials Pack qualifications. Cloud Accelerate Program partners must show a higher level of commitment to promoting and selling Microsoft Cloud products (refer to the Requirements Section). To re-enroll in the Cloud Accelerate Program partners must meet all defined Cloud Accelerate Program qualifications and meet a required sales commitment, which will be higher than the 3 deals and 150 total seats required to enter the program. The Partner Cloud team will monitor Cloud Accelerate Program partner performance and program demand and in Q3 Fy2011 reassess the 8 deals, 500 total seats minimum sales commitment.

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35. What are the requirements to re-enroll in the Cloud Program (either Cloud Essentials Pack or Cloud Accelerate Program)?

There are different requirements for renewing your membership in the Cloud Program versus renewing your Internal Use Rights benefits. These are described separately for Cloud Essential Pack and Cloud Accelerate Program: Program Renewal

Cloud Essentials Pack: Partners must maintain their enrollment requirements to remain in the program. Your organization can continue to access all the benefits of the program, with the exception of IUR, which has additional requirements described below. Cloud Accelerate Program: As a Microsoft Cloud Accelerate partner, your organization must demonstrate a higher level of commitment to renew your membership and continue enjoying the greater level of program benefits, with the exception of IUR, which involves additional requirements to renew. To re-enroll in the program, partners must meet their program commitment of 8 deals and a minimum of 500 licenses sold (both requirements are product agnostic). This target will be continually assessed during the program term to ensure alignment with the capabilities of our committed partners.

Internal Use Rights

Cloud Essentials Pack and Cloud Accelerate: In addition to respective program enrollment

requirements, Cloud Partners must sell at least 50 seats of each online service being used,

during the enrollment year, to qualify for another 12 months of internal use rights for each

of those online services. If you fail to qualify for a particular online service, partner

preferred pricing (at cost) will be available for you to continue these services, while you

maintain an active status in the Cloud Program.

36. If I’m a Gold or Silver Competency partner, will I have to pay a program fee for the Cloud

Accelerate Program?

No, you will not have to pay a program fee. If you have earned and are active in a Gold or Silver

Competency, the program fee will be waived. In the future, the Cloud Program website will reflect

fulfillment of this requirement on the Qualify tab. However, currently, your organization will need

to complete and submit the Cloud Accelerate Program application form before this this

requirement is updated with the current status.

37. Are there any restrictions on the internal use rights (IUR) awarded through the Microsoft

Cloud Partner Program?

Internal use services may not be used for direct revenue-generating purposes, commercial

purposes, personal purposes, or customer training. The IUR earned by joining the Microsoft

Cloud Partner Program is intended to help you explore Microsoft’s cloud services, and to help

you grow your business by building or selling cloud solutions based on these

technologies. These IUR benefits are not intended to be used in commercial transactions

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between a partner and a customer (these principles and guidelines are consistent for software

benefits provided through the Microsoft Partner Program).