AIPs Earn Microsoft Gold Certification

This week Microsoft is slated to name Digex, divine, Genuity, Loudcloud and Intel Online Services as its first Gold Certified AIP partners.

To qualify, AIPs undergo a rigorous assessment in which Microsoft engineers visit the site to test 32 data center processes, evaluate the data center staff and talk to customers to gauge customer satisfaction levels.

Candidates must already be Gold Certified partners in Microsoft technology and have customers up and running for at least 90 days before qualifying for a pre-assessment, according to Microsoft. The pre-assessment requires AIPs to define their processes and procedures prior to the on-site assessment.

"This is not a stamp of approval but a deep drill-down into what we provide the customer," said Ben Jennings, director of partner marketing for Loudcloud, Sunnyvale, Calif. "It digs down into all our procedures, like how we handle a customer service call, how security is set up and how change management

is handled."

Microsoft will provide co-marketing and lead-referral support only to AIP partners that receive passing marks in all 32 data center procedures, said Charley Pitcher, solutions unit manager for network service providers at Microsoft.

In addition to co-marketing, partners will receive priority lead referrals, business development support and sales training.

The program specifically targets AIPs offering managed Web hosting, managed application services and .Net hosted services, Pitcher said.