New Membership Structure for the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN)

Are you ready for the new changes to the Microsoft Partner Program?

Effective at the end of October 2010, the membership structure of the Microsoft Partner Network will change. Hosting University wants to make sure that you, our SPLA Reseller partners, have all the information you need to embrace the new changes and to pass the information on accurately to your SPLA partners.

Here are the some important details about the upcoming changes:

• Gold and Certified member levels will be retired to make way for a competency-based model that will help make your expertise and that of your hosters more recognizable to prospective customers. Visit this page Prepare for the Microsoft Partner Network for details on how to prepare for this transition.

• Current Certified and Gold partners will have to meet new certification requirements by their re-enrollment dates to retain their benefits. The page Get Current on Certifications tells partners what steps to take to ensure they stay current with the new requirements.

• If a partner’s re-enrollment date falls before October 2010, the partner will have until their re-enrollment date in 2011 to earn the new certification. If their re-enrollment date falls after October 2010, then the partner will need to earn the new certification before their re-enrollment date to retain their benefits.