Microsoft is extending by six months its current Solution Incentives program, giving partners more time to earn extra margin on Microsoft Lync unified communications software and other key technologies covered by the initiative.
The company, in a blog post by a Microsoft channel executive Wednesday, also outlined the road map for the Solution Incentives program that begins Jan. 1, 2013.
"The Solution Incentives date extension provides participating partners with opportunity and continuity," said Ross Brown, Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group vice president, partner strategy, in the blog post. "The policies, eligible product lists, rates, etc., stay the same for the next six months."
The current program was due to expire on June 30, but it's being extended through Dec. 31, Brown said. It covers Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) competencies in management and virtualisation, application platform/SQL, Windows Enterprise and Lync.
Launched last year, the Solutions Incentive effort offers resellers up to 30 percent extra margin on registered deals for products covered by the program. Partners have to be certified in the MPN competencies related to the products.
The goal of the program is to encourage partners to invest more in products Microsoft considers to be especially strategic. Partners are "building out new sales teams, creating new intellectual property around our products, running marketing campaigns, and increasing their market reach," Brown said.
Brown did not specify a reason for extending the current program, other than to say the extension offers resellers opportunity and continuity. "You have more than six months to continue selling and earning incentives the same you have been this past year," he wrote, without disclosing if partners were having trouble meeting the program's goals under the current deadline.
The next phase of the Solution Incentives program, effective Jan. 1, 2013, will reward partners with competencies in management and virtualisation, application platform, Windows enterprise and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Package (MDOP), and Lync.
This article originally appeared at crn.com
Issue: 316 | July 2013
Access CRN's extensive online resources including; email bulletins, community discussions and unique online news.
Processing registration... Please wait.
This process can take up to a minute to complete.
A confirmation email has been sent to your email address - SUPPLIED GOES EMAIL HERE. Please click on the link in the email to verify your email address. You need to verify your email before you can log on to the CRN website or start posting comments on articles.
If you do not receive your confirmation email within the next few minutes, it may be because the email has been captured by a junk mail filter. Please ensure you add the domain '@crn.com.au' to your white-listed senders.
