💡 Key Takeaway
Choosing the right Microsoft partner can have a direct impact on your ERP implementation, cloud projects, analytics, and long-term technology plans. But if a company says it is a Microsoft partner, how can you check if that partnership is current and relevant to your business needs?
This is especially important when comparing Dynamics 365 partners in UAE businesses can work with. A Microsoft logo on a website does not tell you everything about a company’s current Microsoft status or its actual capabilities. Microsoft has a structured partner program with different designations based on areas such as technical skills, business performance, and customer success. Knowing what these designations mean can help businesses make a more informed choice when selecting a Microsoft partner.
What does being a Microsoft partner mean?
Microsoft’s current partner ecosystem operates through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. Within this program, organizations can earn Solutions Partner designations that demonstrate capabilities in specific Microsoft solution areas.
Microsoft describes a Solutions Partner as a company that is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and offers software, services, or solutions to customers. The program uses a partner capability score covering performance, skilling, and customer success.
A company’s Microsoft partnership is an organizational relationship. It is different from an individual employee holding a Microsoft certification. When you are selecting an implementation partner, you should therefore look at both the organization’s Microsoft credentials and the practical expertise of the team that will deliver your project.
How can you verify a Microsoft partner?
The first step is to look for information that can be independently connected to Microsoft’s partner ecosystem rather than relying only on a partner’s own website.
Microsoft provides customer-facing badges for Solutions Partner designations. Each solution area has its own badge, while partners that attain all six designations can receive the Solutions Partner for Microsoft Cloud badge.
Businesses can also use Microsoft’s partner ecosystem and marketplace resources to research organizations and their offerings.
However, there is an important limitation to understand. A prospective customer cannot simply access a partner’s private Partner Center account and inspect its internal verification status or capability score. Partner Center information such as detailed scores is intended for authorized partner administrators. Microsoft states that partner administrators can sign in to the Solutions Partner page in Partner Center to track their organization’s progress.
So, as a customer, your verification process should combine Microsoft’s public information with documentation and evidence provided by the partner.
Look at the specific Microsoft designation
Not every Microsoft partner has the same capabilities.
Microsoft currently has six Solutions Partner solution areas:
- Data & AI
- Digital & App Innovation
- Infrastructure
- Business Applications
- Modern Work
- Security
For organizations looking for Dynamics 365 implementation services, the Business Applications solution area is particularly relevant. Microsoft explains that Solutions Partner designations are intended to demonstrate an organization’s capabilities in delivering customer success within specific solution areas.
Check the partner’s current status, not an old badge
Microsoft’s partner framework has evolved. Legacy Silver and Gold competencies were retired in 2022 and replaced by Solutions Partner designations. Microsoft also states that it stopped selling legacy Silver and Gold benefits in January 2025.
This is why businesses should be careful when they see older Microsoft terminology on websites, presentations, or proposals. A partner may have earned a particular competency several years ago, but that does not automatically tell you its current status under Microsoft’s partner framework.
Understand what the partner capability score means
The Microsoft partner capability score provides another useful piece of context. Microsoft describes it as a composite measurement covering three areas:
Performance
This looks at the partner’s business performance against Microsoft’s defined metrics.
Skilling
This considers relevant technical certifications and skills within the partner organization.
Customer success
This considers indicators related to successful customer outcomes.
The score is calculated for each of Microsoft’s six solution areas, with a maximum of 100 points. Microsoft states that a minimum of 70 points, along with points across the required categories and subcategories, is needed to attain a Solutions Partner designation.
Customers should not treat a capability score as a substitute for project-level due diligence. The right partner still needs to understand your industry, processes, integrations, data, users, and business objectives.
Ask what Microsoft Business Partner expertise is relevant to your project
Suppose you are considering Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you may need support across finance, procurement, inventory, sales, reporting, integrations, migration, and user adoption.
If you are evaluating D365 Project Operations, your requirements may include project planning, resource management, time and expense management, project financials, reporting, and integration with other Dynamics 365 applications.
In both cases, the important question is not simply whether the company has Microsoft credentials. You need to understand how those credentials translate into implementation capability.
Ask the partner:
- Which Microsoft solutions does your team specialize in?
- Which consultants will work on our project?
- What relevant certifications do they hold?
- How many similar implementations have you delivered?
- What industries and business processes have you worked with?
- How do you approach data migration and integrations?
- What happens after go-live?
- Can you provide relevant customer references or project examples?
These questions help connect Microsoft’s partner credentials with the actual delivery team.
Why verification matters when choosing a Dynamics 365 partner
ERP implementations are long-term investments. The partner you select may be involved in solution design, configuration, integrations, data migration, testing, training, deployment, and ongoing support.
For businesses searching for Dynamics 365 partners UAE, verification should therefore be part of a broader evaluation process. Microsoft credentials can establish useful context, but they should be considered alongside implementation experience, technical depth, industry understanding, support capabilities, and the proposed project team.
The same applies when selecting a partner for Business Central, Power BI, Azure, or other Microsoft business technologies.
How BEMEA approaches Microsoft partnership
BEMEA is a Microsoft Partnered Services provider working across Dynamics 365, Power BI, Azure, and Power Platform. As a Dynamics GP partner in UAE, we also support businesses evaluating and working with Microsoft Dynamics solutions as part of their broader digital transformation initiatives. Our focus is not simply on implementing technology, but on helping businesses connect Microsoft solutions with their operational and reporting requirements.
For a Dynamics 365 project, that can mean understanding the business process before configuring the solution, planning integrations carefully, considering data and reporting requirements, and helping users adopt the new system effectively.
This approach is particularly important for organizations evaluating Microsoft technologies as part of a wider digital transformation strategy.
A practical checklist for verifying a Microsoft partner
Before selecting a Microsoft partner, use this checklist:
- Confirm the current Microsoft program
Check whether the organization is part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and understand the designation it claims. - Check the relevant solution area
For Dynamics 365 services, look for capabilities relevant to Business Applications rather than relying on a generic Microsoft partnership claim. - Look for current badges and documentation
Avoid relying on outdated Silver or Gold competency claims. - Verify the delivery team
Ask for the relevant Microsoft credentials and experience of the consultants who will actually work on your project. - Evaluate implementation experience
Look for projects involving similar Dynamics 365 products, integrations, industries, and business processes. - Assess ongoing support
A successful implementation also requires post-go-live support, optimization, reporting, and future improvements.
